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ahead. Barkley burst onto the scene as a true freshman, rushing for 1,076 yards on 182 carries (5.9 ypc) and seven touchdowns. Depth at the running back position will have to come from redshirt sopho- mores Mark Allen, Nick Scott and Johnathan Thomas, plus redshirt fresh- man Andre Robinson. Allen, Scott and Thomas combined to rush for 273 yards on 68 carries, averaging 4.0 yards per carry this past season. The Lions are so deep in this area that there's been spec- ulation they might move Scott to free safety. One major bonus at the position is that Miles Sanders appears likely to sign with Penn State a9er considering a visit to Michigan State. A standout at Woodland Hills High in suburban Pittsburgh, Sanders is Rivals.com's No. 2 all-pur- pose running back in the current re- cruiting cycle. He seems custom-made to play in Moorhead's spread o8ense. WIDE RECEIVER Even with Geno Lewis having opted to transfer to Okla- homa for his 7nal year of eligibility, Penn State could still very easily enter the 2016 season with one of the deepest and most skilled groups of wide re- ceivers in the Big Ten. Led by second-team All-Big Ten hon- oree Chris Godwin, who, as a sopho- more, totaled 69 receptions for 1,161 yards and averaged 16 yards per catch with 7ve touchdowns, the Nittany Lions have a great foundation. He's joined by DaeSean Hamilton, who totaled 127 catches for 1,479 yards and averaged 11.7 yards per catch with eight touch- downs during his redshirt sophomore year. Sophomore Brandon Polk, redshirt sophomore DeAndre Thompkins, jun- ior Saeed Blacknall and redshirt fresh- men Juwan Johnson and Irvin Charles round out the core of returning schol- arship wideouts, with each one bring- ing his own unique skill set to the group. Polk, Thompkins and Blacknall combined for 17 catches for 338 yards, averaging 19.8 yards per catch as a group, with two touchdowns. Blacknall led the team as a deep threat, averaging a remarkable 31 yards per catch on his eight receptions. But even with a number of proven players returning, I can foresee Johnson and Charles having a major impact at wide receiver. Both excelled as members of the scout team last fall, and with both listed at 6-4, 213 pounds, they will pres- ent opposing secondaries with huge mismatch problems. Johnson and Charles appear to have the potential to slide seamlessly into Moorhead's spread o8ense. TIGHT END In 2012, Penn State had one of the top two tight end units in the country in overall production, as Jesse James, Kyle Carter, Matt Lehman and

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