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F O O T B A L L N O T E B O O K Nittany Lions name seven captains Add another accomplishment to Christian Hackenberg's growing college resume. In August, the sophomore quarterback was named one of seven co- captains for the upcoming season. Hackenberg, the 2013 Big Ten Fresh- man of the Year, is the second-youngest Nittany Lion to be named a team cap- tain. Freshman John Chuckran was the captain of the 1944 squad during World War II. A 2013 first-team True Freshman All-American, Hackenberg is the first nonsenior to serve as a Penn State co- captain since junior Paul Posluszny in 2005. Hackenberg's fellow offensive captain is Miles Dieffenbach, a senior guard who is working his way back from an off- season knee injury in hope of returning to action in November. The Nittany Lions' defensive co-cap- tains are senior linebacker Mike Hull and senior defensive end C.J. Olaniyan. The special teams co-captains are senior safeties Jesse Della Valle and Ryan Keiser and senior place-kicker Sam Ficken. "The players and the coaches voted on the team captains, and these players have clearly earned the respect of their teammates and coaches," coach James Franklin said. "We are trying to promote and develop leadership throughout the entire program, and I'm really excited about the role our captains will have throughout the season." The seven co-captains are tied with Joe Paterno's 1976 squad for the most in Penn State's 128 years of varsity foot- ball. Taliaferro, LeGrand to be honorary captains Penn State's Adam Taliaferro and Rut- gers' Eric LeGrand are set to serve as honorary game captains when the Nit- tany Lions visit the Scarlet Knights on Sept. 13 in the teams' first meeting as Big Ten opponents. The two players, who have become inspirational figures at their respective universities through their fight to recover from spinal in- juries, will be on the field for the pregame coin toss. "It's going to be pretty cool," said LeGrand, whose No. 52 is the only re- tired jersey in Rutgers history. "Adam is a role model for me. From meeting him for the first time, seeing him on his feet again when doctors told him he'd never be on his feet, he has really pushed me during my recovery. "He's still a big inspiration to me." For Taliaferro, the feeling is mutual. "For me, it's an absolute honor to share this with Eric," he said. "Eric has inspired me ever since his injury and continues to do so each and every day." As a true freshman cornerback, Talia- ferro suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury making a tackle against Ohio State in a game on Sept. 23, 2000. Para- lyzed by the injury when he fractured his fifth cervical vertebrae and bruised his spinal cord, the Voorhees, N.J., native was given a 5 percent chance by doctors of ever walking again. He has made a full recovery. LeGrand was paralyzed while making a tackle on a kickoff against Army at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 16, 2010, frac- turing both his C-3 and C-4 cervical vertebrae. Although he is confined to a wheelchair, paralyzed from the neck down, LeGrand said he has gained some trunk movement and occasionally has sensation in his fingers. ■ The coaches spent the summer focusing on ways to highlight his attributes, and when preseason practice began, they worked to put those ideas into practice. With the season about to begin, they are con;dent they won't be forced to use him in ways that fail to capitalize on his strengths. "We won't do that to him this year. He's in his senior year. We want him to

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