Blue White Illustrated

February 2016

Penn State Sports Magazine

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If his effectiveness on the scout team translates to the field this spring and be- yond, he could turn out to be the most complete player of the three. He's also improved physically throughout his first year at Penn State. Since his final high school season, Stevens has added 45 pounds. If there's anything holding him back, it's his lack of game experience. "He's obviously the younger guy, but his confidence is building," Hamilton said. "You see it in the [scout team] scrimmages." And Stevens has put in the effort in a bid to catch up. "He's always learning and at- tentive in huddles and practice and meet- ings," Hamilton said. "He obviously has a bright future, and I'm excited for him, too." JAKE ZEMBIEC HT 6-3 WT 202 HOME Rochester, N.Y. McSorley's most recent appearance was against Georgia, which featured the top-rated pass defense in the country. Stevens last played against Penn State's defense in preparation for the bowl game. And Zem- biec? His most recent appearance was against Saratoga Springs, a game in which he led Aquinas Institute to a 44-19 victory to claim the New York Section V cham- pionship. Quite the difference, though, between a Division I defense and that of a high school team in upstate New York. The odds are stacked against Zembiec in this three-horse race for Penn State's open QB position, but having decided to get a jump start on his PSU career by graduating early from high school, he can't be counted out. Ranked the No. 1 prospect in New York and the No. 10 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2016 by Rivals.com, Zembiec was Gatorade's Player of the Year in New York. Additionally, he finished his career with a 61.5 percent completion rate while throwing for 76 touchdowns compared to 28 interceptions. He also ran for 271 yards as a senior and scored two rushing TDs. ■ Nate Bauer contributed to this report. ROOM TO RUN Barkley was the most productive true fresh- man running back in the Football Bowl Subdivision this past season. Photo by Steve Manuel MORE GROUND TO COVER F A S T F O R W A R D > > A N E A R L Y L O O K The Lions will have nearly a full complement of scholarship players next fall, but they have many questions to answer before they can hope to challenge for a Big Ten crown

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