Blue White Illustrated

A P R I L 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 5 At Penn State, the coaches call it "dual training." It's an approach to practice that last year was used to ensure that any of the offensive linemen could step in at any of several positions, not just the spot at which they appeared on the depth chart. This spring, the coaches are using that approach with the linebacker unit, too. When asked how to replace last year's leading tackler, Mike Hull, head coach James Franklin shoots it straight: "I don't think one person is going to replace Mike Hull. It's going to be a combination." To help identify that combo, lineback- ers Nyeem Wartman, Jason Cabinda, Ben Kline and Troy Reeder have all practiced at multiple spots this spring. That trend could continue into the season as well, or at least until a fixed set of starters is set- tled upon. "The way we do a lot of things – with the offensive line, with the linebackers, with DBs – is that we try to create as much flexibility as we possibly can," Franklin said. "That's just kind of our be- lief system to create depth that way and dual train guys. We'll do that even when our depth gets better." The team's top returning tackler with 75 stops last season, Wartman had been working mostly at the Mike position ear- lier in spring practice. The redshirt junior "was having a really good spring, [but] he's been limited here as of late," Franklin said. Last year, Wartman was the full-time starter at Will. Of the three linebacker po- sitions, Mike and Will have the most in common, Franklin said, so this spring, Wartman became one of the default op- tions to fill in at Mike, the spot Hull played last year. But since they're similar posi- tions – Mike and Will are considered "box linebackers" by the coaches – Wartman could eventually move back to Will. Wartman hasn't been in pads recently, so Gary Wooten has seen more reps at Mike. But the Will linebackers have also been getting reps at Mike. "There is some flexibility, more with the Mike and at what we call the Will," Franklin said. "They're typically box players. We call the Sam our field 'backer, which is different than what a lot of peo- ple call it. A lot of people [refer to the] Sam and Mike as box 'backers and Will is to the field. We term it a little bit differ- ently. So that field 'backer is probably not as interchangeable as the two box 'backers are." Wartman, Cabinda, Kline and Reeder could potentially line up at either Will or Mike, but it's unlikely they will ever see action at Sam, a position more geared to- ward pass coverage than the other two linebacker spots. Brandon Bell started at Sam last season and tallied 47 tackles, two sacks and an interception. He's ex- pected to maintain that starting position in 2015. While the Mike and Will linebackers aren't expected to ever play the Sam spot, Franklin said there remains a pos- sibility that the 6-foot-1, 231-pound Bell could eventually develop into a complete three-position linebacker. "I think Bell is a guy who could possibly grow into a box 'backer down the road," he said. speed. Thompkins is expected to pro- vide a big liC on the punt- and kickoff- return units, which finished 10th and seventh in the conference, respectively, in 2014. There are other members of the classes of 2013 and 2014 who could have an impact this fall. The list includes redshirt freshman guard Chasz Wright, redshirt sophomore tackle Andrew Nel- son, redshirt freshman running backs Nick Scott, Mark Allen and Johnathan Thomas, and redshirt freshman quar- terback Trace McSorley. Fans should pay attention to all these players in the Blue-White Game, but they should pay special attention to the players mentioned above: Godwin, Hamilton, Gesicki, Mahon and Thomp- kins. Godwin and Thompkins may be limited on Saturday due to unspecified minor injuries, but their performances throughout the spring indicate they could all play key roles in the fall. 'Dual training' has linebackers ready for anything 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 INSIDE JOB Wartman, shown in action last season, is the team's top returning tackler with 75 stops in 2014. He played outside line- backer last season but has been moved inside this spring. Photo by Steve Manuel

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