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baugh resurrected it in 2015. Using es- sentially the same talent that Hoke had at his disposal, Michigan 8elded the Big Ten's fourth-best o9ense last season, averaging 395.9 yards per game, a 63- yard improvement over its performance in 2014. I'm not predicting Moorhead will transform Penn State's o9ense a:er less than a year on the job, but even without Hackenberg at quarterback and question marks remaining along the entire o9en- sive line, I believe the Lions will show a marked improvement over their per- formance the past two seasons. The reason for my optimism is that James Franklin has amassed a wealth of skill position talent in the team's past three recruiting class- es. With Saquon Barkley preparing for his sophomore season at running back and wideouts Chris Godwin and Dae- Sean Hamilton also back, the Lions have three very dynamic skill players who are capable of delivering the big plays that the o9ense needs. Some have predicted that Barkley is poised to emerge as the premier running back in the Big Ten. Even with an incon- sistent o9ensive line in front of him dur- ing his freshman season, he rushed for 1,076 yards on 182 carries (5.9 ypc) with seven touchdowns. Since then, he's only gotten stronger and faster. In late-February testing, the 5-foot-11, 219-pound Barkley power cleaned 390 pounds to tie a team record, benched 390 pounds, squatted 500 pounds for seven reps and ran a hand- timed 4.38-second 40-yard dash. That's truly remarkable. Looking ahead to the fall, Barkley will be teaming up with redshirt freshman Andre Robinson and true freshman Miles Sanders, Rivals.com's No. 1 all- purpose running back in the Class of 2016. Those players could give Penn State one of the top two running back trios in the Big Ten in 2016. The depth at wide receiver is just as impressive. There are some who believe the Nittany Lions will enter the 2016 season with the premier group of wide- outs in the conference. Receivers coach Josh Gattis has said he thinks the Lions will be seven-deep, with juniors Godwin and Hamilton leading the way. Godwin 8nished last season as the Big Ten's 8:h-leading receiver with 69 catches for 1,101 yards and 8ve touchdowns. Hamilton totaled 45 receptions for 580 yards and six TDs. Over the past two seasons, Hamilton has amassed 127 re- ceptions for 1,479 yards and seven TDs. I believe a strong case can be made that Godwin and Hamilton provide Penn State with the top returning pair of wide receivers in the league. Add to that group junior Saeed Black- nall, redshirt sophomore DeAndre Thompkins, sophomore Brandon Polk, and redshirt freshmen Irvin Charles and Juwan Johnson and you have an impres- sive collection of talent. Early in spring practice, Blacknall showed marked im- provement. He had only eight catches for 248 yards last fall, but his average of 31 yards per catch was by far the team's best. He's big at 6-3, 212 pounds and he posted a 4.39-second hand-timed 40 in late February. Entering the second half of his career, Blacknall "knows a big year is expected of him," Hamilton said. "He's supposed to know. He knows what is expected of him and what's on his shoulders. I've seen improvement from him. He's taken strides and he's trying to be the best player he can be every day. But it's been Charles and Johnson who READY TO ROLL Gesicki, a junior tight end, is ex- pected to be one of the key players in Moorhead's new offensive system at Penn State. Photo by Steve Manuel

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