the Lions brace for a series of heated spring drills
W TREND
turn more of their attention to the team
they had inherited. It was the beginning
of an evaluation process that will continue
for months, one that won't end when the
depth chart starts taking shape. Before
spring practice even began, Franklin made
sure that players were clear on one point:
Everyone on the roster will "start with a
clean slate and have an opportunity to
earn starting jobs. There are no returning
starters at any position," he said, "at any
position."
Throughout the winter, the returning
players, along with five early enrollees,
endured the usual workout rigors, waking
up hours before daybreak to perform
footwork drills and sprints, then in the
afternoon lifting weights. Thanks to the
polar vortex that kept central Pennsyl-
vania encrusted in a thick coat of snow
and ice throughout January and February,
most of those drills were conducted inside
Holuba Hall. But no matter how harsh it
may be, winter inevitably gives way to
spring, and while the temperatures were
still routinely dipping into the single-
digits as of early March, the calendar
pages continued to turn. The Nittany Li-
ons were set to begin spring practice on
March 17.
W
FROZEN TUNDRA
The practice fields out-
side Lasch Building were
still snow-covered as of
early March. Penn State
did most of its work in
the weight room and Hol-
uba Hall over the winter
but was gearing up for a
return to the great out-
doors this spring.
Photo by Matt Herb
