Blue White Illustrated

coaches alike, the 20-year-old is as con- cerned with the team's improvement as with his own personal development. In practical terms this spring, that ap- proach has translated into midpractice coaching with the team's younger wide- outs. Able to recognize mistakes when they're made, Godwin now can provide a player's perspective to help continue the unit's growth. Readying for his third season and the potential for an even larger role in the of- fense, Godwin is well aware that things have been happening quickly for him. He said he feels as though he arrived in State College from his native Delaware only a few months ago, but with so much work still ahead of him, he hasn't had much time for introspection. "I'm focused on the bigger picture now. I want to try to help as much as I can to reach the highest stage that we can, to try to be the best overall team that we can be," he said. "Now that I've been able to experience the success that I've been able to experience, I want to try to help bring some of the younger guys along and help them improve as well as improve myself. I'm just trying to be more of a leader and lead my team as much as I can in as many different ways as I can. "We all have to take the individual steps that it takes to improve ourselves and then come together and improve collectively. I think we're headed in the right direction. I think our mindset is really good this year and this off-season, so I think it will really show." How that positivity manifests itself on the field this coming season is still to be determined, but if Godwin continues his torrid pace, even bigger opportunities could present themselves sooner rather than later. As a sophomore, he topped the 1,000-yard milestone, becoming only the third wideout in school history to do so; the others are 13-year NFL veteran Bobby Engram and 2015 Pro Bowler Allen Robinson. Asked whether he's given any consid- eration to the possibility of a career in the league as soon as next spring, Godwin steered the discussion back to the here and now. "I have not thought about it really, just because at this point in time, I'm so focused on helping take us to the next level," he said. As to what that next level might entail, Godwin is looking to steepen a trajectory that has taken Penn State from the Pinstripe Bowl to the TaxSlayer Bowl to what he hopes will be bigger things this fall. "My focus," he said, "is on just trying to do whatever I can to help my team grow in chemistry and grow in perform- ance so that our next step is the next step up so that we're playing in bigger bowl games and constantly trying to get Penn State back to where Penn State be- longs." ■ DaeSean Hamilton has a new home. The redshirt junior wide receiver ap- peared in the slot during a practice session last month that was open to the media. After the session wrapped up, Hamilton confirmed that he had moved inside. "The first couple of days were kind of hard to adjust to. I wasn't in [the slot] so much last year and the past couple years, and now I'm in there basically full-time," he said. "It's harder to ad- just to, but I like it a little bit more now. It's been pretty easy [making] adjust- ments – reading coverages and being able to get open, things like that." Hamilton has added about 20 pounds since last season and is now up to 214. Strength coach Dwight Galt recently said he was one of Penn State's nine "third-tier" athletes, a phrase used to denote elite status. That description helps explain the reasoning behind Hamilton's shift inside. "I didn't really want to [put on 20 pounds of muscle], but I feel a lot big- ger than I did last year. I think I move a lot better. Especially moving in from outside receiver last year to the slot this year, there's a big difference," Hamilton said. "It's packing on pounds and being able to still keep my foot- work and agility and acceleration. I feel like I increased in that from last year to this year." Hamilton took reps last season on the inside, so he was not completely unfa- miliar with his new role when spring practice began. His added muscle mass should help speed his transition to the position this season. The move should also have some ramifications beyond his own duties and responsibilities. Specifically, the names Brandon Polk and Saeed Black- nall have come into play. Polk is coming off a true freshman season in which he had a bigger impact in the running game (18 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown) than in the passing game (six catches for 57 yards and a score). Hamilton's switch is un- likely to cut the speedster out of the equation. Just the opposite, in fact, as the transition to Joe Moorhead's of- fense has provided some early indica- tions that there will be plenty of op- portunities for many different players in the passing game due to its up-tem- po nature. As for Blacknall, he had 11 catches his first campaign and just eight last year, combining for 360 total receiving yards in his career to date. But he's re- portedly looked good this spring and has put himself in position to poten- tially start opposite Chris Godwin. If so, those totals seem likely to increase dramatically. Add in Juwan Johnson and Irvin Charles, plus DeAndre Thompkins, and head coach James Franklin has identified six or seven wideouts who are expected to contribute this season. "I think our receivers, they've gone from really young guys to vets who have played a lot of football now," Franklin said. "At wide receiver, we probably have six, seven guys we feel real good about." – N.B. Hamilton adapting to move inside

• Cover