Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD 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 rent Pry doesn't hide the enthusi- asm when asked about this year's corps of Penn State linebackers. It doesn't stem only from his excitement about the potential; it also comes from the personalities that permeate the group, making his job as dean of Line- backer U all the more enjoyable. Most of the time, at least. He laughs as he goes down the list. "Nyeem Wartman-White is funny," Pry says, beginning with a starter. "He's just an interesting guy. He's like this Dudley Do-Right in this big middle linebacker body." "Von Walker, holy cow," he continues. "The guys joke in the room that he's kinda the dirt ball out of the group, in a Joe Dirt kind of a way. He's an awesome kid with a unique background, who's earned a scholarship." Standing at the 20-yard line in the southern end of Beaver Stadium during Penn State's media day, Pry one by one describes the rest of his linebackers, guys with whom he's bonded over all- you-can-eat chicken wing buffets and cookouts. Brandon Bell: "Mr. Smooth." Ben Kline: "He's got a lot of qualities for a winning football player." After more than one full year with mostly the same group in the same de- fensive system, Pry has seen the com- fort level steadily rise as players have gotten to know him and each other bet- ter. That, in turn, has caused a mixture of personalities to surface, a combo that blends well. Added Pry, "We have a good mix of young and old." That chemisty helps create a "loose" practice environment. If it yields results on the field, Penn State should find it- self on the cusp of producing the next run of Linebacker U greats. It's been a while since the Nittany Li- ons have had one of their linebackers drafted. The most recent player to hear his name called was Michael Mauti, who was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. His selection marked the end of a seven- year period that produced nine draft picks, beginning with Paul Posluszny in 2007. In 2014 and '15, LBU's best – Glenn Carson and Mike Hull – went un- drafted, and unless either Bell or Wart- man goes pro after their upcoming jun- ior season, the odds are low that an alum gets selected in '16 either. If the NCAA sanctions in 2012 had an impact on the football program's core identity, its temporary effect on the density of linebacker talent was one of them. When, not so long ago, Penn State was dishing out some of the coun- try's best, it was recruiting them at an even higher rate. Once the scandal and ensuing penalties hit, however, the pace slowed dramatically. Standouts were still brought in, cer- tainly, and whenever they choose to go pro, Linebacker U will be back in full force. There just haven't been enough of them lately. For every Wartman-White, Bell, Jason Cabinda or Troy Reeder the Lions signed, there was a corresponding loss – a Camren Williams (Ohio State), Zach Bradshaw (Virginia), Jonathan Walton (South Carolina) or Jared Wan- gler (Michigan). Maybe the NFL pick- ings are slim among the group of former commits, but the biggest difference in Linebacker U recently compared to the days of Poz, Connor, Bowman and Lee are more related to the positional depth – talent stacked on top of talent – than anything else. Where once was a void, though, there now is a surplus. Or at least the begin- nings of one. Behind the expected starting three – Bell, Wartman-White and Cabinda, all budding professionals – are a host of young up-and-comers who are better prepared to fight for playing time than any group Penn State has had in the past three seasons. That group includes guys like Koa Farmer, one of the fastest over- all players on the team, Reeder, who de- fensive coordinator Bob Shoop believes is "next in the long line of Penn State linebackers," and true freshmen Manny Bowen and Jake Cooper. All appear poised to make an early and lasting im- pact. Only time will determine how many of those players get selected to play in the league, but the simple fact that the two- deep has more than a few guys with a potential NFL future is encouraging enough. Recently PSU added two linebackers to its Class of 2016, and there's a chance it will land one or two additional four- star prospects. When you break it down, it becomes clear why high school line- backers are still enrolling at LBU even though it's been a few years since this unit has had one of its members drafted. One word sums it up: history. "There's that linebacker tradition here," Pry said. "If you ask Jake Cooper why he came to Penn State, that's what he's going to tell you. Manny Bowen, that's what he's going to tell you." In fact, at a position meeting the morn- ing before Penn State's first practice of the season, Pry emphasized the point. "It's different," he told his players. "There's a unique and special expecta- tion to this group. ... You're certainly privileged to be a linebacker at Penn State." People haven't forgotten that, no, but thanks to the upcoming classes of Line- backer U, more are about to realize it. The talent is there. The personalities are, too. ■ Enrollment surging at Linebacker U B

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