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College. All he needs now is to transfer everything to Penn State, and not just on the 8eld. Chavis's credits must carry over to PSU before he enrolls this summer. He got that process rolling by graduating with his associate degree May 22. With his impending arrival, he is the most likely of the first-year players (spe- cialists excluded) to see the field this fall. With Anthony Zettel, Austin Johnson and Tarow Barney gone and with the unit's most experienced backup – Parker Cothren – rehabbing from an off-season injury, Chavis is the team's most impor- tant defensive signee in terms of his ca- pacity to make an immediate contribu- tion. BRENON THRIFT DT, 6-3, 290 Monroeville, Pa. A;er stops at Mon- roeville (Pa.) Gate- way, Temple and Lackawanna College, Thri; is getting set to take his place on Pennsylvania amateur football's biggest stage. And like Chavis, he's being brought in to push for playing time at a position that looks to be wide open heading into summer workouts. Thri;'s age might appear to give him the upper hand over some of the team's younger defensive tackles, but he's still adjusting to life on the inside of the DL. A high school linebacker who played mostly defensive end in junior college, Thri; is making the transition for the 8rst time. The good news for Penn State is that he appears physically capable of handling the load. "Brenon Thri; [is] a guy who when we signed him was 270," defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. "He is 290 right now." Having added the necessary weight in a short amount of time, he now must prove that he has the technique to go along with it. Because he doesn't have as much ex- perience at the position as Chavis, Thri; doesn't appear as likely to see the starting lineup in 2016. But as long as he gradually progresses a;er he arrives on campus in June, he could potentially 8gure into the rotation. ALEX BARBIR PK, 5-9, 195 Cumming, Ga. The conventional wisdom said that a kicker would sign the on dotted line in February 2016 and then would take over place-kicking duties shortly a;er stepping on campus over the summer. Upon further examination, how- ever, it appears that it won't be that easy of a task. Between Joey Julius and Tyler Davis, Penn State led the Big Ten in field goal accuracy in 2015, converting 18 of 21 at- tempts, most of which were midrange. (Davis hit on all eight of his.) The con- sistency is there, so when Barbir, who converted 6 of 8 as a senior, arrives in University Park, he will join an ongoing competition. His advantage is distance. He hit a 56-yarder as a senior, while Penn State's longest field goal in 2015 was a 42-yarder by Julius. Otherwise, PSU went 3 from 6 from 40 yards and beyond. A more glaring need is for an opening kicko: specialist, and that appears to be a more open proposition. While PSU was decent with 8eld goals inside the 40-yard line, it didn't enjoy the same success from the kicko: stripe. Not only did the ball go out of bounds six times, the Lions also put only 37.9 of their attempts into the end zone, ranking in the bottom half of the country. PSU 8rst learned of Barbir at a satellite camp in Georgia, and what im- mediately caught the coaches' eye was the power behind his foot. "Alex Barbir came to our camp and crushed a ball," Franklin remembered. "He has a really strong leg." That leg might soon be used for kicko:s. And while Barbir could also be sending the ball through the uprights, he will 8rst NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Offensive linemen rarely play as true freshmen, but Menet could be an exception. Photos by Rivals.com

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