Blue White Illustrated

RECEIVER GOOD NEWS Redshirt freshman wide- out DaeSean Hamilton made his on-3eld debut in the Blue-White Game. Although he caught only two passes for 8 yards, it was encouraging to see him in action. Hamilton took a medical redshirt last sea- son a5er undergoing surgery to repair a wrist injury he had received in high school. He was still wearing a protective wrap this spring, but if the 6-1, 203-pounder is able to contribute in the fall, it will help shore up a receiver corps that is scrambling to replace its top two pass catchers from last season. Not only did the Nittany Lions lose the great Allen Robinson, they also lost their No. 2 wideout, Brandon Felder. Those guys combined for 1,744 receiving yards last year – 56 percent of Penn State's total of 3,110 yards. BAD NEWS The coaches weren't able to get a look at three potential contrib- utors because they're not on campus yet. Freshmen Saeed Blacknall, Chris Godwin and Troy Apke won't arrive until this summer, and the depth chart will likely remain in flux until the staff sees firsthand what those players are capable of doing. QUOTABLE Hamilton on sitting out last season: "The redshirt year de3nitely helped me. I gained weight and I've been able to become a smarter wide receiver. I have always been able to help the younger wide receivers that were coming in. I think it was a blessing in disguise, being out last year. I worked on my speed, got stronger, got faster and things like that. Now, being able to come in and pick up the o4ense right away and working with [receivers coach Josh] Gattis, things should be really great for us this season." OFFENSIVE LINE GOOD NEWS Brian Gaia and Derek Dowrey made successful transitions from the defensive line to the opposite side of the ball and put themselves in position to vie for starting jobs in the fall. The coaching sta4 also got an opportunity to work with January enrollee Chasz Wright. At 6-7, 321 pounds, Wright certainly has the size to contribute immediately, and due to mounting concerns over the line's readi- ness, he will de3nitely get that chance. BAD NEWS This is the area where the Nittany Lions could least afford bad news during spring practice, and yet it's the area where a disproportionate share of their misfortune occurred. Returning able to take the information that you're giving them during the week and [use it to] help us score touch- downs." Rahne, who began his coaching ca- reer with stops at Holy Cross and Cornell before moving on to Kansas State, said he believes he can help Hackenberg re;ne his fundamental skills. "I think I can help to teach him de- fenses. I think I can do that. I played the position, so I'm not going to ask him to do things that are physically impossible," he said. "I think some- times for guys who haven't played quarterback, they're like, 'Hey, you need to look over here and then if that guy's not open, turn and ;nd this guy.' I know a little bit more than that. "My strengths are just going to be overall teaching and preparation and things like that, but then I'm also going to coach him on fundamentals. I believe in footwork, I believe that quarterback is played with the feet, and I think accuracy and power come from proper foot placement and things like that, and that's what I'm going to focus on." Well before spring drills began in March, Rahne began watching video of the Nittany Lions' 2013 season in order to get familiar with the players he would be coaching. He said that what struck him about Hackenberg was how poised he was for his age. "He played in some pretty big games in front of some pretty big crowds and faced things that might have knocked other kids o< their keel a little bit," Rahne said. "He responded very well. Obviously, he had a little bit of a rough start to the Ohio State game, but a=er that, he wasn't gun shy. He came back and he battled and probably played his best football a=er that. That's something that has me really excited." Of course, for all the positives that Hackenberg brings, the Nittany Li- ons' quarterback situation is not ideal. The only other quarterback to see meaningful game action in 2013, Tyler Ferguson, transferred in the o<-season, leaving the Lions with no experienced backups behind their blue-chip starter. They do have a four-star prospect on campus in 2014 signee Michael O'Connor, and a third quarterback, Trace McSorley, is set to arrive this summer. But one of the keys for the team through spring practice and into the summer is to get Hackenberg's backups up to speed. "You never know what's going to happen in this game," Rahne said. "I think building depth is critical. It's critical at every position. It's critical at kicker. "But I've coached three quarter- backs who didn't have any starting experience, so I think [o

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