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three tight ends with plenty of game ex- perience in Breneman, Carter and Gesicki. It is unclear whether Breneman, who was redshirted in 2014 with a knee in- jury, will see any contact this spring. He had a 5ne freshman season, 5nishing with 15 receptions for 186 yards (12.4 yards per catch) and three touchdown catches. He was at his best in Penn State's 5nal three games, seemingly set- ting the stage for a big sophomore sea- son. That season ended up being de- layed, but he appears poised to pick up where he le8 o7. In my opinion, Brene- man is the best blocking-receiving tight end on Penn State's roster. As for the others, Carter caught 70 passes for 828 yards and four TDs in his 5rst three seasons of eligibility. He is a 6ex-TE with receiver speed. Gesicki had a solid freshman season last fall, totaling 11 catches for 114 yards. Wilkerson, who has been used mostly as a second tight end and blocker in two-TE sets, has only two catches for 18 yards in his Penn State career. Even if Breneman is held out of con- tract drills, the tight ends will bear scrutiny this spring, as his absence will mean more reps for Carter, Gesicki and Wilkerson. The Nittany Lions will no doubt miss James' imposing size, but Breneman and Wilkerson might actually be better blockers than James was during his Penn State career. DEFENSIVE END PLAYERS Torrence Brown (R-Fr., 6-3, 256), Curtis Cothran (R-So., 6-5, 245), Carl Nassib (Sr., 6-5, 265), Evan Schwan (R-Jr., 6-6, 254), Garrett Sickles (R-So., 6-4, 246) OUTLOOK With Barnes, Olaniyan and Brad Bars gone, and only 5ve scholarship defensive ends on the roster heading into spring practice, it's probably best to just treat the le8 and right defensive end spots as a single position. At this point, with spring practice yet to begin, there's no telling how these battles will shake out. Finding replacements for Barnes and Olaniyan, last year's starters, has to be a top priority for defensive coordinator Bob Shoop this spring. Sickels would appear to be the leading candidate to re- place Barnes at the strongside defensive end spot, while Brown may be best posi- tioned to claim the weakside position, even though he's only a redshirt fresh- man. A8er redshirting in 2013, Sickels saw limited action last fall but performed well when he received his chance. He played in all 13 games on special teams, but saw action at defensive end in only four games. Nevertheless, he made the most of his opportunities, posting 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. "It's time for Garrett to step up to the plate," Shoop said. "He has the talent to get the job done, and he's played well when he's gotten the opportunity." Coming out of high school two years ago, Sickels was rated the No. 4 strong- side defensive end in the country. I was impressed with his performance behind Barnes last fall. He has the ability to provide Penn State's front four with a credible outside pass rush, and he also has the toughness and size to be e7ec- tive against the run. Brown almost by default has the inside track to replace Olaniyan at the weak- side defensive end position. His only competition for the job will come from Nassib, who is expected to be on schol- arship this fall. Nassib played in all 13 games in 2014, totaling seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. The battle between Brown and Nassib should be interesting throughout spring practice. Brown might turn out to be the biggest surprise in Penn State's Class of 2014. He's got good size for the position, and he might be the most athletic defensive SURE-HANDED Carter made one of the biggest catches of Penn State's 2014 sea- son, pulling in a TD reception in over- time to set up Sam Ficken's winning PAT. Carter is back for his final season this coming fall. Photo by Steve Manuel

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