Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/368554
adapted to the college game while red- shirting as a true freshman. But it sounds as though he's put all that behind him. In high school, he was able to use his size to win most battles. That won't be the case at Penn State, but after tan- gling one-on-one with the Nittany Li- ons' starting defensive tackles in prac- tice, he now knows the importance of good technique. It's no secret that the U.S. Army All-American has tremen- dous potential. He'll be looking to put it to good use in his battle with Dowrey and Gaia for playing time at the guard positions. In addition, Mahon is getting reps at tackle. If there's an injury on the offensive front this fall, look for Mahon to be the utility guy. ANDREW NELSON OT // R-Fr. // 6-5 // 305 THE SCOOP Ever since Bill O'Brien mentioned him as an offensive lineman to watch, Penn State fans have been ea- gerly anticipating Nelson's debut. He's nearly back to full health after a knee injury kept him out of spring practice, and he is expected to make his debut in Ireland vs. UCF. He nearly made his de- but last year. O'Brien talked to Nelson last summer about the possibility of seeing playing time as a true freshman, so it absolutely was a last-minute deci- sion to redshirt the Hershey, Pa., na- tive. Now that his sprained left knee is mostly healed, Nelson has a chance to prove that he was a steal for Penn State coming out of high school. Insiders continue to rave about him. If he's able to put it all together and stay healthy, we could be looking at someone with NFL potential. He clearly is a quick study. Coaches and players have raved about how well he's adapted not just to his role, but to the entire scheme of the offensive line. EVAN SCHWAN DE // R-So. // 6-6 // 247 THE SCOOP By all accounts, Schwan was very impressive at the end of spring practice, and he reportedly built on that momentum this summer. Mike Hull sin- gled him out at Big Ten media days, and defensive line coach Sean Spencer also said he's ready to contribute. Schwan knows as well as anyone that this is his time to make a splash. Penn State has some very good young defensive line- men coming through the ranks, so he's in a competitive situation. Physically, he tested well this summer. He's also ma- tured a lot in just the past year, so this could be the season in which Schwan emerges as a consistent contributor in the defensive end rotation. He's made it clear that he's ready, as have Spencer and several of his defensive teammates. GUARDED OPTIMISM Mahon (70), Dowrey (53), Gaia (72) and fellow offensive line- man Andrew Terlingo relax in between in- terviews at Penn State's football media day earlier this month. All four will be making their debuts on the offensive line this com- ing season. Photo by Tim Owen