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S P E C I A L T E A M S D E F E N S E thing we've asked him to do. I mean, he's a model." If Franklin has a complaint about Hull – and it's a minor one – it's that he's not the 9ery vocal leader that Mauti or some of Penn State's other studs at the position have been. At least, not naturally. "Last year, I was a lead-by-example guy," Hull said. "That's kind of how I've been my whole career here. Now I realize that I have to step up and talk. … That's probably the hardest transition to the middle. I'm trying to get to the point where Mauti was, expecting a lot out of guys, letting them know and just being intense and vocal out there every single time." Said Franklin, "That's not who he his, but when he speaks, people listen, and that's powerful. He needs to be true to who he is." What he is, increasingly, is another one of the greats. Whatever the Butkus and Bednarik Award nominating committees think of him – Franklin and Shoop have led the chorus in media interviews and on social media wondering what exactly those folks are watching – Hull's on-9eld impact is impossible for his teammates and opponents to ignore. Through nine games, he was tops in the Big Ten, and tied for eighth nationally, with 11.2 tackles per game. Like the best Penn State line- backers from any era, Hull manages to be seemingly everywhere on the 9eld, making plays sideline to sideline, against the run or the pass. His motor, technique and in- nate knack for disrupting opposing game plans echo all the greats. He measures himself against former teammates like Mauti, Carson and Gerald Hodges, and so many more who came before. He knows the standard, and it's easy to believe him when he says he's constantly motivated to reach it. "The tradition is really important to me," Hull said. "Whenever I think about Penn State football, I think about the line- backer tradition. I've thought of that all growing up. I really don't put myself in the category of a lot of those guys." He might as well start. More and more, the people who know best are putting Hull in that category. Before long, a new generation of Penn State linebackers will include his name among the greats. ■ O F F E N S E QUARTERBACK 14 Christian Hackenberg (6-3, 234, So.) 9 Trace McSorley (6-0, 193, Fr.) RUNNING BACK 1 Bill Belton (5-10, 204, Sr.) 22 Akeel Lynch (6-0, 221, So.) WIDE RECEIVER - X 7 Geno Lewis (6-1, 204, So.) 13 Saeed Blacknall (6-3, 208, Fr.) WIDE RECEIVER - Z 5 DaeSean Hamilton (6-1, 203, Fr.) 12 Chris Godwin (6-2, 210, Fr.) WIDE RECEIVER - F 5 DaeSean Hamilton (6-1, 203, Fr.) 80 Matt Zanellato (6-3, 205, Jr.) TIGHT END - F 18 Jesse James (6-7, 271, Jr.) 87 Kyle Carter (6-3, 250, Jr.) LEFT TACKLE 76 Donovan Smith (6-5, 335, Jr.) 71 Albert Hall (6-4, 290, So.) LEFT GUARD 70 Brendan Mahon (6-4, 304, Fr.) OR 65 Miles Dieffenbach (6-3, 303, Sr.) CENTER 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 312, Jr.) 55 Wendy Laurent (6-2, 283, So.) RIGHT GUARD 72 Brian Gaia (6-3, 297, So.) 53 Derek Dowrey (6-3, 324, So.) RIGHT TACKLE 59 Andrew Nelson (6-5, 306, Fr.) 71 Albert Hall (6-4, 290, So.) END 18 Deion Barnes (6-4, 249, Jr.) 31 Brad Bars (6-3, 267, So.) TACKLE 98 Anthony Zettel (6-5, 276, Jr.) 88 Tyrone Smith (6-4, 282, Sr.) TACKLE 99 Austin Johnson (6-4, 312, So.) 41 Parker Cothren (6-5, 290, Fr.) END 86 C.J. Olaniyan (6-3, 252, Sr.) 95 Carl Nassib (6-6, 263, Jr.) OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 5 Nyeem Wartman (6-1, 238, So.) 40 Jason Cabinda (6-1, 249, Fr.) INSIDE LINEBACKER 43 Mike Hull (6-0, 232, Sr.) 8 Gary Wooten (6-2, 238, So.) OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 26 Brandon Bell (6-1, 228, So.) 25 Von Walker (5-11, 213, So.) CORNERBACK 9 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 193, So.) 15 Grant Haley (5-9, 185, Fr.) FREE SAFETY 2 Marcus Allen (6-2, 198, Fr.) 28 Troy Apke (6-1, 187, Fr.) STRONG SAFETY 4 Adrian Amos (6-0, 211, Sr.) 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 207, Sr.) CORNERBACK 10 Trevor Williams (6-1, 190, Jr.) 1 Christian Campbell (6-1, 187, Fr.) KICKER 97 Sam Ficken (6-2, 191, Sr.) 37 Chris Gulla (6-0, 200, Fr.) PUNTER 92 Danny Pasquariello (6-0, 193, Fr.) 37 Chris Gulla (6-0, 200, Fr.) HOLDER 37 Chris Gulla (6-0, 200, Fr.) KICKOFF RETURNER 33 Cole Chiappialle (5-8, 209, So.) 15 Grant Haley (5-9, 185, Fr.) 22 Akeel Lynch (6-0, 221, So.) 9 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 198, Jr.) PUNT RETURNER 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 207, Sr.) 82 Gregg Garrity (5-9, 158, So.) 9 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 198, Jr.) D E P T H C H A R T

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