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to relationships. It comes down to, once again, being back healthy as an organi- zation." Just how healthy are the Lions heading into the 2016 off-season? Here's a posi- tion-by-position look at where they stand: QUARTERBACK KEY RETURNEE Trace McSorley KEY LOSS Christian Hackenberg NEWCOMERS Tommy Stevens, Jake Zembiec OUTLOOK It would have been inter- esting indeed to see Hackenberg run- ning Moorhead's offense. The third-year starter met with Penn State's incoming offensive coordinator in December and was, by his own admission, intrigued by what he heard. "I've really never run a spread offense ever in my life and I was curious about how it worked," he said. "It was pretty cool how he broke it down and the intricacies with it and how he teaches it to his guys and what he ex- pects from everyone." Unfortunately for Penn State, Hacken- berg was not intrigued enough to post- pone his pro career until 2017. So now, instead of having the program's career leader in passing attempts (1,235), com- pletions (693), yardage (8,457) and touchdown passes (48) running his of- fense this fall, Moorhead will be working with three QB contenders whose com- bined statistical portfolio consists of 20 completions in 40 attempts for 185 yards and two touchdowns. All of those numbers were compiled by McSorley, who will be a redshirt sopho- more in 2016 after seeing limited action in six regular-season games before com- ing on in relief of Hackenberg vs. Geor- gia. The other scholarship quarterbacks on Penn State's spring roster are Stevens and Zembiec, both of whom will have freshman eligibility this fall. Stevens redshirted this past season, while Zem- biec is a 2016 recruit who enrolled in January and will be taking part in spring practice. A former quarterback himself, Moor- head was a huge success at Fordham us- ing an offensive scheme that was no- table for what has been described as "simplistic sophistication." In his first season as a starter in Moorhead's of- fense, Michael Nebrich led the Football Championship Subdivision with a 73.5 percent completion rate. He threw for 4,380 yards and 35 touchdowns and went on to become a two-time Patriot F A S T F O R W A R D > > A N E A R L Y L O O K Adam Breneman gave it everything he had, but chronic knee problems forced the redshirt sophomore tight end to an- nounce Jan. 7 that he was giving up football. In a prepared statement, Breneman thanked coaches Bill O'Brien and James Franklin, his Penn State teammates and Nittany Lion fans "for the great memo- ries over the last three years." "I have truly treasured my time as a Nit- tany Lion," he continued, "and I am con- fident that the Penn State experience has prepared me for the next phase of my life." Breneman helped the Lions prepare for their next phase, following through on his verbal commitment even after the program was severely penalized by the NCAA in July 2012. He and quarterback Christian Hackenberg were the biggest names in Penn State's 2013 recruiting class, and by standing by the team, they enabled it to weather the NCAA's schol- arship restrictions and bowl ban and build toward the post-sanction future that begins this coming fall when the team will once again have close to 85 scholarship players on its roster. Breneman, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., ar- rived on campus in 2013 after missing his senior season at Cedar Cliff High due to a knee injury. He showed great promise as a true freshman, playing in 11 games and starting five, and finishing with 15 recep- tions for 186 yards and three touch- downs. He capped his season with a breakout day at Wisconsin in which he hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass from Hackenberg in the first quarter of a 31-24 upset over the Badgers. The performance in Madison had seemed like it might be the start of something big, but Breneman would never again reach that plateau. He sat out the 2014 season with a knee injury, and after a year of rehab, he began to ex- perience more knee problems during preseason practice last August. He spent the first half of the 2015 season on the sideline awaiting a possible return, eventually seeing action in only two games, road trips to Ohio State and Michigan State. But even though Breneman ended up playing only one full season for the Nit- tany Lions, Franklin said he left an in- delible mark on the program. "I know that it was difficult for Adam to step away from the game, but he felt it was the right time," Franklin said via news release. "We are so proud of his work in the classroom, having earned his degree in three years. "Adam is a special young man who has left his imprint on not only the Penn State football program, but the Penn State community at large. He has been a difference-maker at a very young age and has a bright future ahead of him." Breneman earned his degree from the Smeal College of Business, graduating with a 3.25 GPA. He was recently hired by Republican state Rep. Mike Regan to manage his campaign for the Pennsylva- nia Senate. Breneman forced to give up football |

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