Blue White Illustrated

makes me go a little nuts," he said. "I think people in the nosebleeds can hear me." How did he manage to add two inches and 54 pounds since arriving on campus as a 6-foot-5, 218-pound freshman? "You've got to eat a lot, I guess," he said. "I can't really give a reason why I grew an extra two inches in college. I'm not sure why. [Eating] a lot of chicken and a lot of rice. I tell people if you want to gain lean muscle, you've got to eat chicken and rice, and that's my favorite meal. So that's my secret." As he's grown, he's also seen his playing time progress throughout each of the past two seasons. Last year he tallied a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss. Although he was a reserve, head coach James Franklin no- ticed his impact. If that interview was the 8rst time getting to know Nassib, Franklin says go watch last season's 8lm. "I think he had a sneaky quiet, really successful year, if you go back and really study his tape," Franklin said. "He played really well for us." And Franklin has continued to reward him for it. Of the many unknowns about Nassib before his recent interview, one of the biggest was whether he was on scholarship. He was asked about that, too, and, yes, he has been a scholarship player since August 2013. A date that brings up another comedic moment from the previous head coach. Of course, Nassib was going to talk about it. He was rolling. "It's a funny story," Nassib said, thinking back to his sophomore preseason when he became one of 8ve "run-ons" to earn a scholarship. "I hadn't paid my [tuition] bill that day, so I walked up to Bill O'Brien's o:ce and I was like, Oh crap. I'm not going to be able to practice." "But then he said I was on scholarship, so that was pretty intense. I texted all my family. It was an awesome day that I'll always be able to remember." The scholarship agreement, however, was on only a year-by-year basis. For last season and the one coming up, Nassib's scholarship status had been unclear. "It had to be renewed every year," Nassib explained, "and thankfully Franklin re- newed it." Franklin hopes it continues to pay divi- dends. Last year Nassib's success was "sneaky quiet"; now with two starting defensive ends having graduated, Nassib has the opportunity to make noise as a starter. He went into the Blue-White Game run- ning with the 8rst team. Franklin calls him "Mr. Consistent" because "he does everything right. He's extremely strong, extremely athletic." And in practice, that has posed problems for the o9ensive linemen lined up across from him. "That guy is one of the best ends that I've ever played against at Penn State throughout my games playing through the Big Ten," said o9ensive tackle Andrew Nelson. "I've played against some great ends this past year and I really think Carl Nassib is going to have a heckuva year." Anthony Zettel, a 8;h-year senior de- fensive linemate, agrees that Nassib's skills, which have only advanced with age and growth, are what can separate him in 2015. "Carl is really unorthodox, a lengthy guy," Zettel said, "but he's also a big guy. He weighs 270 pounds – 20 pounds heavier than last year – and he's a lot stronger, faster. So that just shows you what type of athlete he is and what he brings." If Nassib is able to continue progressing – which Zettel thinks he will be able to – there might be more interview requests on the docket. For Nassib, though, it's not about basking in the publicity, even if he's got the Channel 43 mic in hand. Simply being in this po- sition in the 8rst place – a 8;h-year former walk-on on the cusp of securing a starting position, recently named to the Leadership Council – is glory in itself. "I'm thankful every day that I'm here and on the Penn State defense, just to be a part of the tradition and the legacy of Penn State defense," he said. "Penn State football is a legacy of its own, but the de- fense is just a huge honor to contribute to that. To be a leader on that is pretty awe- some." ■ W R A P

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