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Breneman isn't going to be able to par- ticipate in practice this month as he con- tinues his recovery from knee surgery. Maybe he'll be back in action in time for spring practice. But the team's other tight ends – juniors Jesse James and Kyle Carter, redshirt sophomore Brent Wilk- erson and freshman Mike Gesicki – should all receive the opportunity to grow into Franklin's o8ensive scheme. Overall, the tight ends had a disappoint- ing performance this fall as they strug- gled to adapt to the new philosophy. OFFENSIVE LINE True freshmen Noah Beh, Brendan Brosnan, Chance Sorrell and Chasz Wright – all of whom are redshirting this season – will bene7t from the opportunity to continue prac- ticing into late December. Sorrell's progress is of particular interest. He could be up to 305 pounds by the time spring practice starts, and of the linemen in Penn State's 2014 recruiting class, he appears to be the most likely candidate to challenge for a spot on the two-deep depth chart as a redshirt freshman. There is also no doubt that redshirt sophomores Wendy Laurent, Derek Dowrey and Brian Gaia and redshirt freshman Andrew Nelson all need an ex- tra spring practice session. DEFENSIVE LINE It's obvious that freshman end Torrence Brown will re- ceive a big boost from his participation in Penn State's December bowl prac- tices. BWI has been told that the 6-3, 253-pound Brown might end up being the biggest surprise in Penn State's Class of 2014. He reportedly has superb ath- letic ability and speed for an 18-year-old end. But the players who will be 7rst in line to replace departing two-year starter C.J. Olaniyan are redshirt freshmen Garrett Sickels and Curtis Cothran. Sickels looked good in limited playing time this fall, totaling nine tackles and two sacks. At defensive tackle, redshirt freshman Parker Cothren was a very pleasant sur- prise this fall. He played in all 12 games, mostly at the three-technique spot but also at nose tackle, totaling 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. LINEBACKER With the impending de- parture of Mike Hull, redshirt sopho- mores Nyeem Wartman and Gary Wooten 7gure to bene7t from the Lions' developmental practices. Wartman and Wooten are the two leading candidates to replace Hull at middle linebacker. True freshmen Jason Cabinda and Troy Reeder also will see increased prac- tice time. Cabinda's broken hand may limit him, but without question, Reeder will receive a big boost. Penn State line- backers coach Brent Pry has been very impressed with Reeder's performance while redshirting this fall. "Troy is a really, really smart football player," Pry said. "He's picked up the de- fense really well. He's got good size, he's got good speed, and Troy is a guy who wants to do it right. He always prepares as if he is going to play. He gets his Friday evening [scouting report] test just like Mike Hull does, and does it just as well." SECONDARY With Jesse Della Valle, Adrian Amos and Ryan Keiser graduat- ing – and Keiser out of action with a season-ending rib injury – true fresh- men Troy Apke, Amani Oruwariye and Marcus Allen 7gure to get plenty of reps in practice. Allen looked terri7c in the second half of Penn State's regular season, starting all six games and 7nishing as the team's third-leading tackler with 52 stops. He also had three pass breakups, two tack- les for loss and a sack. But he still has more to learn. Oruwariye, who is redshirting, has im- pressed cornerbacks coach Terry Smith throughout the season. "Amani's body has completely changed from the time he came here in the summer until now," Smith said. "He's a big, long corner who is athletic." Two other true freshmen who made signi7cant contributions on the 7eld during the regular season were Grant Ha- ley and Christian Campbell. Both made the two-deep at cornerback and also per- formed well as gunners on the punt-cov- erage unit. But although they've already seen plenty of action, they, too, stand to reap substantial bene7ts this month as they continue to learn the system. ■

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