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Although the duel in the spring game was stacked in favor of redshirt sophomore Trace McSorley, who went 23 of 27 for 281 yards and four touchdowns while run- ning the first-team offense, Franklin ac- knowledged that the competition between the two contenders would extend through the summer months and into preseason camp in August. For a quarterback who ran the scout team in his first and only college season to date, Stevens' status as a contender for the starting job reflects Franklin's confi- dence. "I think Tommy has a lot of ability and is going to be in this battle until the end. I don't think it's fair to our football team or to Tommy right now to name a starter when I think Tommy can really close the gap between now and camp," Franklin said. "That's also going to keep a com- petitive edge in our locker room and keep Trace working, because he's got a lot of areas to improve in. Then we'll go into camp, let those guys compete and see what happens. Right now, I feel like we have two quarterbacks who we can win with." Stevens enrolled at Penn State in January 2015, just two weeks into what would have been his final high school semester. The early arrival, which followed his decom- mitment from Indiana two months earlier, brought an end to a chaotic period in his life and accelerated his maturation process. Calling the change of scenery "a relief of so much stress," he threw himself into both his coursework and his football ob- ligations, poring over the playbook while working out under the guidance of strength and conditioning coordinator Dwight Galt. Through spring and summer practices, Stevens underwent a complete physical transformation, gaining 25 pounds before the Nittany Lions played their first game of the 2015 season. Still, the separation from friends and family – Indianapolis is an eight-and-a- half-hour drive from State College – proved difficult. While he was taking part in his first winter workouts in dreary cen- tral Pennsylvania, his high school class- mates were getting ready to leave for spring break trips to exotic locales. "Part of me wanted to be with them and finish that second half of what is sup- posed to be the best, easiest part of your high school career," Stevens said. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tough. It kind of stung at first, but once I dug deep and reassured myself that being here was the best option, which I still believe it was, getting here early and getting developed physically was just the best option for me. I'm glad I did it, but it was tough. I had to grow up for sure." Stevens' efforts have produced results that are hard to argue. In his 17 months on campus, he has gained 33 pounds and now weighs 220. And, in asserting himself as a viable option for offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead's new system, the natural ability that inspired Franklin to recruit Stevens has been on full display. Comparing him to a point guard, Franklin simultaneously praises and laments Stevens' improvisational tendencies. "He's not always necessarily going through the progression the way he should be or read- ing the side of the field he should be, but that's just experience and recognition of defenses," Franklin said. "That's where I think he'll make the biggest improvement [this summer]. There may be times when he goes to the wrong side of the field as a progression, but he still throws comple- tions. "How much better is he going to be when mentally, he's on pace with where he is physically?" Preferring to remain in the moment, Stevens says he doesn't know how he will react when Franklin reveals his decision. He would be happy to achieve his lifelong goal, he said, but he also understands how much work lies ahead, especially consid- ering that he came from an offensive sys- tem in which he was rarely called on to throw more than 15 or 20 passes in a game. "I think it's obvious that I definitely have a lot of room to grow as a quarterback and as a football player here. But being the competitor that I am and [having] the work ethic that I have, I would never use that as an excuse to why I can't do some- thing," Stevens said. "I'm just going to continue to work and try to play as well as I can. I just want to help the team as best as I can. "Either way, I'll embrace my role with whatever happens and do it the best way that I can." ■ W E B S U R V E Y Blake Gillikin, the freshman punter. He will have every opportunity to win the starting job in the fall. If he is as good as advertised, we will fi- nally be able to flip the field and keep opponents from starting on our side of the 50. Brazillm10 Blake Gillikin. We need to give the defense more room to work. If Gillikin has the booming leg we've heard about, we could/should add 10 yards of field position every time we punt. We haven't had a punter who could flip the field since An- thony Fera left. ptomaselli Ryan Bates. The offensive line is much more of a need, plus Bates plays 50+ snaps a game, whereas a guy like Gillikin plays four. Breeze90 If we are picking any sport, then Tony Carr has to be way up there. I know we have some solid backcourt talent coming back, but Carr is too big a prospect for PSU to keep off the court. stowsky I will go with two guys not mentioned here. Kevin Givens: I think he ends up in the rotation at DT and could make some big plays with his strength and athleticsm. Miles Sanders: He has legit game-breaking skills. I know Barkley will get the bulk of the carries, but I see him being an impact player at kick returner and possibly punt returner as well as someone who is utilized in space in Moorhead's offense. hat20 Which fresh- man (true or redshirt, any sport) do you envision having the biggest impact in 2016-17? N E W C O M E R S O F I N F L U E N C E

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