Penn State Sports Magazine
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sonable number of its young players to make an impact. The fall scholarship roster is expected to include 63 players with sophomore or freshman eligibility. In other words, this is still a very young team. But I've been convinced ever since the end of spring practice that a sub- stantial number of those young players are ready to play signi7cant roles in the team's success, both on o8ense and de- fense. And the list of potential contribu- tors includes a few members of the in- coming freshman class, such as running back Miles Sanders, punter Blake Gillikin, place-kicker Alex Barbir, o8en- sive lineman Michal Menet and possibly defensive end Shane Simmons. In addi- tion to their o8ensive and defensive po- tential, several of those players have the ability to help out on special teams. Here's a position-by-position look at the freshmen and sophomores who could end up playing key roles for the Nittany Lions this fall: QUARTERBACK McSorley will be a redshirt sophomore, while Stevens en- ters preseason practice in August as a redshirt freshman. Coming o8 of Mc- Sorley's superb performance in the Blue-White Game, in which he complet- ed 23 of 27 passes for 281 yards, with four TDs and just one interception, you would think that he had the starting po- sition all wrapped up going into presea- son practice. But coach James Franklin has said that isn't the case. Stevens also looked good in the spring game, hitting 10 of 17 pass- es for 100 yards and directing a 7ve- play, 84-yard touchdown drive in his only appearance with the 7rst-team unit. "Tommy has a lot of ability and is go- ing to be in this battle to the end," Franklin said a9er the game. "I don't think it's fair to this football team and I don't think it's fair to Tommy right now to name a starter when I think Tommy can close the gap between now and pre- season practice. "That's also going to create a competi- tive edge in our locker room and keep Trace working because he's got a lot of areas to improve as well. So we'll go into camp, we'll let those guys compete and see what happens." McSorley and Stevens will have to master the intricacies of coordinator Joe Moorhead's new o8ense quickly, be- cause Penn State has pivotal road games against Pitt and Michigan in the 7rst month of the season. If they are able to do that in preseason camp, I could see the Lions coming out of September with a 3-1 record. RUNNING BACK It's hardly a secret that Penn State will enter the season with one of the top running back prospects in the Big Ten in Barkley. But I'm not sure everyone understands just how much depth the Lions have built in the back7eld. Both redshirt sophomore Mark Allen and redshirt freshman Andre Robinson had excellent spring practice sessions. Allen rushed for 59 yards on 14 carries in the Blue-White Game and posted two receptions for 19 yards. Robinson rushed for 47 yards on seven carries with a 28- yard TD run. Robinson also had a couple of receptions. Allen has excellent hands and could be an e8ective third-down threat as a pass- catcher coming out of the back7eld. Robinson is a patient runner with good burst when the hole opens up. He'll be an e8ective change-of-pace runner when Barkley isn't on the 7eld. Then there's Sanders. Rated the coun- try's top all-purpose running back by Rivals.com, the true freshman from Pittsburgh could be used any number of ways in Moorhead's o8ense. Together, Allen, Robinson and Sanders have an ex- cellent chance to make a positive impact this fall. They could even give Penn State the Big Ten's best four-man rotation at running back. WIDE RECEIVER In addition to high- pro7le juniors Chris Godwin, DaeSean Hamilton and Saeed Blacknall, Penn State has two potential impact sopho- mores in DeAndre Thompkins and Bran- don Polk, plus two highly promising redshirt freshmen in Juwan Johnson and Irvin Charles. Given their speed, Polk and Thomp- kins both could be game-breakers. Polk had two catches for 39 yards in the Blue- White Game, while Thompkins had two catches for 47 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown catch. But it's Johnson and Charles who have the potential to bring another dimension to Penn State's pass o8ense. Johnson is listed at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds and re- portedly has 4.5-second 40-yard speed. Charles is 6-4, 219 and also has 4.5 speed. With their combination of size and speed, they will both create mis- match problems for opponents. TIGHT END This is one area where Penn State needs a freshman or two to step up. Junior Mike Gesicki is the only scholarship tight end on the roster who has seen game action. Behind him are redshirt freshmen Nick Bowers and Jonathan Holland and January enrollee Danny Dalton. It's the least-experienced position group on Penn State's o8ense, and it is a vital part of Moorhead's of- fense. Two of his tight ends at Fordham had more than 30 catches last season. Bowers, Holland and/or Dalton need to 7nd a way to have an impact this fall. Moorhead's o8ense requires more than one productive tight end to function properly. OFFENSIVE LINE Penn State will have four returning starters on the line: le9 tackle Andrew Nelson, right tackle Paris Palmer, center Brian Gaia and right guard Brendan Mahon. That's good news, but just as encouraging has been the quick development of redshirt fresh- man le9 guard Ryan Bates and redshirt sophomore right tackle Noah Beh. Bates appears capable of winning the starting position in preseason practice. He's physically matured and, at the con- clusion of spring drills, he and Nelson seemed to form a solid le9 side of the of- fensive line. Bates drew big-time praise from his veteran teammate. "He's going to be a great player here," Nelson said. "I'm very proud of Bates. I can't wait to see how he works his way [into the lineup]. He's a great competitor and he'll de7nitely help out with the of- fensive line this year." Elsewhere, Beh will battle Palmer for serious playing time at right tackle. DEFENSIVE END Junior Garrett Sick- els is de7nitely going to be a starter, and