Blue White Illustrated

A nother signing day is in the books, and for Penn State, it was relatively undramatic. Which is just how James Franklin told his recruits he wanted it. With so many players who can fit in at multiple positions, one of the next steps for the coaching staff is to figure out where these guys go. A year ago, safety Troy Apke was a wide receiver. Line- backer Koa Farmer was a safety, and so on. This year's class has a host of versatile prospects. Penn State signed three safeties in Jarvis Miller, Ayron Monroe and Johnny Petrishen. While defensive recruiting coordinator Terry Smith isn't willing to take any of the three out of the secondary just yet, he said the unique skill set that they each offer will allow he and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop to use different combinations. "There's a lot of flexibility," Smith said. "We signed three safeties. We have those guys on the back side. Only time will tell if they fit the system in that way. The beauty of what Coach Shoop does defensively is that he adjusts the defense to our personnel. We don't fit them into a scheme that we're already running; we're going to adjust to what our per- sonnel strengths are." If any one of those players were to grow out of the position, though, it would most likely be Miller, who is 6- foot-2 and just under 200 pounds. Miller's father, Marvin, said he believes Jarvis could be 6-3 within a year. "He's 200 pounds now, and he's only 17," Mar- vin Miller said. "He's still growing. It seems like he grows more every day." Asked about Miller's future growth, Smith replied, "With his frame, who knows? He could grow into that outside linebacker spot as well. Time will tell on that. He's going to start in the back end. He could play the free or the strong, so it makes us interchangeable where we don't have to rotate by hash." No matter where Miller ends up, Smith said he expects him "to have a great im- pact on us immediately." "He's extremely smart, and we feel like he'll pick the system up," Smith added. "That's half the battle for these guys when they first get in. It's not the ath- leticism. It's: Can they pick up the sys- tem and can he play fast in the system?" GIVENS TO DT? While there's been speculation about whether Ryan Buch- holz and Kamonte Carter will eventually develop into three-technique defensive tackles, another name kept popping up on signing day as a candidate for that spot: Kevin Givens. Rivals lists Givens as a linebacker, but it was reported that the 6-1, 245- pounder would start as a defensive end. Smith, however, said that it's possible he could even grow out of that spot, com- paring his potential to that of a former first-round pick. "We're not sure if [Givens] will grow into a tackle or not, so he'll start out as a defensive end," Smith said. "He's ex- tremely athletic, has a great motor. We had some comparisons to [St. Louis Rams DT] Aaron Donald. I coached against Aaron Donald when I was a high school coach. He has an athletic frame like him. I hope he brings that athleti- cism and motor and gets after it." KELLY'S ROLE Daiquan Kelly played defensive back in high school, but it's been clear for a while that he's projected to develop into an outside linebacker. Although he does have an "LB" by his name for now, Smith said Kelly will be relied upon for a variety of different roles. "Daiquan can play our buck, which is our sixth DB, which is a boundary guy," Smith said. "He can also play our star, which is in the slot, and he can play out- side 'backer or possibly strong safety for us. He's so athletic. He's so versatile. He can do a lot of different things." BOWEN'S POTENTIAL Linebacker Manny Bowen won't be undertaking a position change anytime soon, but like Kelly, he will have responsibilities that go beyond those of a traditional line- backer. "That field 'backer is where he fits most because he's athletic," Smith said. "He [can] cover the quick pass, the slot, the side, he has the length to get his hands on guys to redirect their routes, yet he's big enough and strong enough where he can go down in the muck and make the phys- ical tackles necessary for a 'backer. We're really excited about Manny." Smith added that Bowen "is that guy who we don't have on our roster right now. So hopefully he can fill that role for us." STUDENT OF THE GAME There was a lot of praise on signing day for John Reid, another potential early contribu- tor. Coaches cited not only his athletic ability but his work ethic. Smith called him "a studyholic." James Franklin said Reid is working to get into the honors college. Then he told a story about Reid's visit for the Lasch Bash T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 5 All the right moves Class's versatility gives coaches new options as PSU reassembles its depth chart | N O T E B O O K

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