Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
>> KEY PERSONNEL C: Ryan Bates, Wendy Laurent*, Angelo Mangiro*, Kevin Reihner; G: Derek Dowrey*, Bri- an Gaia*, Steven Gonzalez, Brendan Mahon*, Chasz Wright; T: Noah Beh, Brendan Brosnan, Albert Hall, Sterling Jenkins, Andrew Nelson*, Paris Palmer, Chance Sorrell LOSSES G: Miles Dieffenbach*; T: Donovan Smith* RISING STAR Any one of the starters could claim this honor by season's end, but it is Mangiro who carries the most pressure on his shoulders from day one. As the most experienced leader of a young unit – but certainly not as young as last year – the native of Roxbury, N.J., is the one who is expected to tie it all to- gether. Cohesion, communication and coordination were all inconsistencies with this unit year ago; now it's ex- pected to be a different story, and Mangiro is the centerpiece of it all. Quite literally. BIGGEST LOSS Smith's decision to forgo his final season of eligibility – he's now with the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers after being selected in the second round of the NFL Draft – leaves the left tackle position as the only one with- out a starter returning. Penn State is hoping that Palmer, a mid-year junior college transfer, can step in and take the reins from day one. That's the position at which he practiced throughout the spring, but his transition to the FBS level has not been without its challenges. NUMBERS GAME A year ago, Smith was the only offen- sive lineman with any starting expe- rience, having amassed 20 ca- reer starts heading into what would turn out to be his final season. Nearly devoid of experience going into the 2014 campaign, the offensive line did- n't begin firing on all cylin- ders until the Pinstripe Bowl. That situation has changed substantially heading into the 2015 season. Six players have combined for 51 starts, and that doesn't include Reihner and Palmer, who boast playing experience in the Pac-12 and juco ranks, respectively. OUTLOOK James Franklin prefers his offensive linemen to "marinate" a couple years before they're forced into extended game action, ideally, by the time they're redshirt sophomores. That was a luxury that the scholar- ship-depleted Nittany Lions could not afford a year ago, as both Nelson and Mahon were relied upon as redshirt freshmen, and Gaia and Dowrey – de- fensive tackles the year before – were also thrust into action. In 2015, the redshirt freshmen should be able to receive another year of grooming, bar- ring a rash of injuries, and there will be no defensive tackles turned into of- fensive guards. Some form of experi- ence exists at each starting position, spilling over to a few of the backup spots. With Reihner and Palmer hav- ing arrived during the off-season, of- fensive line coach Herb Hand has at least eight formidable, battle-tested players to choose from as he works to formulate his strongest starting five. That alone should help hasten a process that took nearly 12 games to kick into full gear last season. – T.O. LEFT TACKLE NO NAME YR HT WT 73 Paris Palmer Jr. 6-7 278 58 Chance Sorrell R-Fr. 6-5 285 LEFT GUARD 70 Brendan Mahon R-So. 6-4 316 53 Derek Dowrey R-Jr. 6-3 315 CENTER 66 Angelo Mangiro Sr. 6-3 315 68 Kevin Reihner Gr. 6-3 312 55 Wendy Laurent R-Jr. 6-2 292 RIGHT GUARD 72 Brian Gaia R-Jr. 6-3 301 77 Chasz Wright R-Fr. 6-7 328 RIGHT TACKLE 59 Andrew Nelson R-So. 6-5 310 75 Brendan Brosnan R-Fr. 6-6 297 PHIL'S TAKE For the first time since the NCAA sanctions went into effect in July 2012, the Nit- tany Lions will be two-deep on the offensive line, with scholarship players holding down all 10 spots. The big question here is the development of juco transfer Paris Palmer at the left tackle po- sition. Palmer needs to rise to the occasion if Penn State is to have some stability up front this season. * Starting experience in 2014 PARIS PALMER P R E V I E W Steve Manuel