Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/446561
There will be plenty of battles for va- cant starting spots before the 2015 sea- son begins at Penn State, but perhaps none will be more scrutinized than the middle linebacker position occupied this past season by Mike Hull. Hull was one of the most disruptive forces on a defense that was among the nation's best statistically. He led the Nit- tany Lions with 140 tackles – nearly twice as many as anyone else on the team – and finished with a team-best 10.5 tackles for loss. But perhaps the largest void that will open up with Hull's graduation is in the leadership department. The senior brought a lot of intangibles to the field, such as his accuracy with pre-snap reads and command of the defensive calls. As Penn State searches for his replace- ment, Hull said those aspects are just as important for the next starter as flying around and making tackles. It's about "getting comfortable with the defense, making sure you know exactly what's going on so you're confident in making all the calls. It comes with repetition. I think the more reps he gets, the more confident he's going to be." Hull is training for the NFL Dra; at IMG Academy, but before heading to Bradenton, Fla., he took the time to speak with Blue White Illustrated about W I N T E R S P O R T S R E P O R T J A N U A R Y 1 4 N E W S L E T T E R T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M J A N U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1 STEPPING UP Who will fill the Lions' vacant MLB spot? Mike Hull extols his potential successors STOP SIGN Hull (43) fin- ished with a team-high 140 tackles as a senior. A trio of players are vying to re- place him in 2015. Photo by Patrick Mansell