Blue White Illustrated

ames Franklin and his Penn State coaching staff have some tough de- cisions to make. First-string quarterback is settled, sure. The starting defensive tackles likely have those jobs pretty firmly wrapped up, too. But all across the field, both offensively and defensively, a healthy number of positions are up for grabs this preseason. Is that uncertainty a sign of a team without direction, one that is struggling to find its identity and come together in the frantic days leading up to the first game of the season? Is it a problem? That's how it might be perceived under different circumstances. But for a program that is still trying to bolster itself in the aftermath of the NCAA's sanctions, only one word can best describe the Nittany Lions' open position battles this preseason: progress. Last year at this time, the same could not be said. Sure, Penn State needed to figure out how to divide the reps among a group of new receivers. The offensive line also needed some sorting out. But the com- plete lack of credible backups to com- pete and push for starting roles was overwhelmingly prevalent across Penn State's preseason depth chart. Forced to rely all too often on not-ready-for- prime-time players, the coaching staff was focused on making the best of situ- ations that were far from ideal. Take the cornerback position, for ex- ample. Assistant coach Terry Smith is in charge of a unit that featured two steady contributors in Jordan Lucas and, to a lesser extent, Trevor Williams, but be- hind the starters there was very little experienced talent. Developing true freshmen Grant Haley and Christian Campbell, both of whom played early and often last season, was a critical pri- ority, as it helped the position group evolve. Penn State moved Lucas to safe- J U DG M E N T CA L L J WIN THE DAY Nick Scott is one of five freshmen vy- ing for play- ing time at running back. Photo by Steve Manuel

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