READY TO RUMBLE
R
yan Bates means business. The red-
shirt freshman guard doesn't leave
much room for misinterpretation –
not in his physical presence or in his be-
havior.
That's not to say that he doesn't present
himself well, but in contrast to his ap-
pearance a year ago, when he was a 275-
pound true freshman at Penn State, Bates
now has the look of a Big Ten-ready of-
fensive lineman.
And with all that extra muscle, Bates
appears ready to inflict the kind of pain
that Penn State's offensive linemen
haven't been known to dole out in recent
seasons.
"I'm excited for the fall," he said. "Kick
some butt."
If Bates is able to do what he's intend-
ing, new offensive line coach Matt
Limegrover and coordinator Joe Moor-
head could have much different fortunes
than their predecessors. And by every in-
dication, Bates appears to be ready to
FOOTBALL 2016
|
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Bates has added more
than
30 pounds since ar-
riving at PSU last year and
is
expected to play a
major role on the Lions'
offensive line.
Photo by
Steve Manuel
Ryan Bates eager to take on opposing DTs as he preps for his debut season
