Blue White Illustrated

W ith the departure of All-American Allen Robinson, 8rst-team All-Big Ten players DaQuan Jones and John Urschel and seven others with starting experience, it's not hard to un- derstand why so many college football analysts believe the Penn State football team will be hard pressed to equal or im- prove on what it accomplished during the past two seasons. Is it realistic to think that James Franklin and his coaching sta9 will be able to match the previous sta9's suc- cess in the 2012 and '13 seasons, during which Penn State produced back-to- back winning seasons despite having to cope with the fallout from the NCAA's harsh sanctions? It's still early, but the 8rst step toward answering that question is already being taken as Penn State begins its initial spring practice sessions under Franklin's leadership. Spring drills were set to be- gin on March 17, and a number of under- classmen will have to step to the fore- front to show they're prepared to replace players like Robinson, Jones and Urschel, as well as Glenn Carson, Ty Howle, Garry Gilliam and Adam Gress. Penn State's No. 1 priority on o9ense this spring will be to rebuild the right side of the o9ensive line. Gone are Howle at center, Urschel at guard and Gilliam and Gress at tackle. The battles for these spots will go a long way toward determining the team's success in 2014. When you take a close look at the ros- ter, it is quite obvious the Nittany Lions will need to 8eld a highly productive of- fense in order to have a winning record this fall. The defense was hit hard by graduation, and the NCAA sanctions have eroded depth, so the o9ense, which returns seven starters including 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Christian Hackenberg, will need to have the capac- ity to keep pace in a high-scoring game. Hackenberg passed for 2,955 yards with 20 touchdowns and only 10 inter- ceptions last season, and the Lions also return their top three running backs in Zach Zwinak, Bill Belton and Akeel Lynch, as well as one of the better tight end groups in the country. It's reasonable to assume that Penn State will be able to 8eld one of the more balanced o9ensive attacks in the Big Ten this coming fall, provided it is able to 8nd solid replacements for its graduated of- fensive linemen. Here's a closer look at some of the key position battles that will take place this spring: CENTER Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 304, Sr./Jr.) vs. Wendy Laurent (6-2, 284, Jr./So.) Mangiro was rated by many as one of the top three o9ensive line prospects to come out of New Jersey in 2011. He chose Penn State over Florida, Ohio State and Rutgers and received a three- star ranking from Rivals. Along with Donovan Smith, he was considered one of the top two o9ensive line recruits in Penn State's class. Laurent arrived a year later as one of Bill O'Brien's 8rst verbal commitments, selecting Penn State over Connecticut and Navy. Mangiro redshirted as a true freshman, and the following year he emerged as the top reserve at guard and center, playing in all 12 games. He seemed to be on his way up, so it was a bit of a surprise when his playing time decreased last fall. Mangiro played in only eight games and ended the season alongside Laurent as the backup at center behind Howle. I believe it will be a major disappoint- ment for Franklin and his sta9 if Man- giro doesn't win the starting center job in spring practice and play up to his po- tential this fall. RIGHT GUARD Brendan Mahon (6-4, 305, So./Fr.) vs. Anthony Alosi (6-4, 283, Sr./Jr.) Mahon was a consensus four-star re- cruit, and O'Brien seemed upbeat about his progress last year. Physically, there has never been any question that he would be ready to challenge for a start- ing position on the o9ensive line a:er 8nishing up his redshirt season. Alosi's resume is reminiscent of Lau- rent's. He wasn't highly recruited, having chosen Penn State over Connecticut, Richmond and Tulane, then redshirted as a true freshman. He did not see any play- ing time in 2012 and saw only limited ac- tion at the right guard position last fall. The battle for the right guard spot was supposed to be a three-man 8ght, but redshirt freshman Tanner Hartman le: the team in February and is seeking a transfer. One other potential competitor is redshirt sophomore Derek Dowrey, who was moved over from defensive tackle at the start of spring practice. RIGHT TACKLE Andrew Nelson (6-5, 297, So./Fr.) vs. Anthony Alosi (6-4, 283, Sr./Jr.) Penn State entered spring practice with only eight scholarship o9ensive linemen, so it should surprise no one that Nelson is the leading candidate to man the right tackle position. Nelson, Alosi and Donovan Smith are the only scholarship players on Penn State's spring roster who are capable of playing o9ensive tackle. So it's not hard to understand why all four o9ensive line recruits in Penn State's Class of 2014 – These six position battles will have big implications this fall P H I L 'S C O R N E R

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