Blue White Illustrated

F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K for 899 yards and winning All-Big Ten honors. With Moorhead coming back to direct the offense, Hamilton is eager to help keep Penn State's deep passing game on the move. "It's really exciting to play in his offense," he said. "A deep play could happen any moment, any time. So just al- ways being prepared when your number is called is really what it all comes down to, and knowing your details, knowing your assignments no matter what. Guys have been able to step forward and take on their roles and take on their opportuni- ties." Also back are Blacknall, Charles, John- son, Polk and Thompkins. Of those play- ers, Blacknall and Thompkins were the most productive in 2016. Thompkins started seven games and finished with 27 catches for 440 yards and one touch- down. Blacknall had 15 catches for 347 yards and three TDs even though he missed four games due to an early-sea- son injury and was suspended for the Rose Bowl. For an indication of his po- tential, look no further than the Big Ten Championship Game, in which he caught six passes for 155 yards including a couple of crucial touchdown passes to launch the Nittany Lions' epic come- back. Johnson and Charles figure to assume bigger roles in 2017. They combined to make only four catches for 176 yards in their debut seasons, but Charles had one of the biggest plays of the year, an 80- yard catch-and-run against Minnesota that got Penn State's offense unstuck and has been cited as the season's turn- ing point. Polk sat out the season with an injury. Like Johnson and Charles, he will be a redshirt sophomore in 2017, and like Thompkins, he will bring a dash of breakaway speed to the receiver corps. At tight end, Gesicki had a fantastic junior season with 48 catches for 679 yards and five touchdowns. It was good enough for him to consider turning pro, but he announced in December that he would be returning for his final college season. He has great hands – watch his Fosbury Flop-style touchdown against USC for confirmation of that assessment – and his ability to come down with the ball even when he's well-covered makes him a tremendous asset in Moorhead's offense. The Lions should also have a lot more depth at this spot, with Bowers coming W hen Penn State fans look back on the 2016 season, many will likely dwell on the offensive stars, Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley. Others might focus on the role that first-year offensive co- ordinator Joe Moorhead played in re- shaping a Nittany Lion attack that had looked sluggish in the two seasons that predated his arrival. But the success Penn State enjoyed this past season wouldn't have been possible if not for the gigantic step for- ward that the offensive line made over the course of the season. Last summer, the line was one topic that both fans and media kept coming back to when discussing the offense's potential. Not only was the unit going to be very young, but it was also going to be overseen by a new coach, former Min- nesota offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover. No one knew what to ex- pect. "When I got here, I told them that we all have something in common," Limegrover said. "Both myself and the entire unit were much maligned, but we knew we were better than what people say we were. "But we also knew that there was only one way to show people that, and that was to go out there and work hard and really prove it. There's no magic for- mula. I didn't bring in any magic pixie dust. We knew this was going to take a lot of hard work, so I told them they'll get everything I can give and I expect the same from them, and that's exactly what they did. They came to work every day." Limegrover noticed almost immedi- ately that he had some serious talent to work with. When James Franklin took over the program in 2014, he and the rest of the staff recognized that rebuilding the offensive line was priority No. 1. They did an excellent job at restocking the cupboards, pulling in five four-star prospects in the previous two recruiting classes. Of those players, it was redshirt fresh- man Ryan Bates and true freshman Con- nor McGovern who immediately caught the new position coach's eye. "As soon as I started working with those guys, I was just so impressed with them," Limegrover said. "Everything we threw at them, they just took it on and did it with a smile, no matter how diffi- cult the task was. When you look at someone like Ryan Bates, he started out at guard, and then we had all the injuries and were forced to move him to tackle. He never once skipped a beat. "Connor is a guy who we started out slow, but once we got moving along, we realized that we could put more on his plate to the point where he proved that he belonged. I think those were real tes- taments to what these guys can be." Those players weren't recruited by Limegrover, but they quickly developed a good rapport with their new coach, and their bond has since grown into something much more than just a player-coach relationship. In fact, the trust that they have built is a major rea- son why this unit was able to develop as quickly as it did. "I love that guy," Bates said. "Having him come in here was probably the greatest thing that's ever happened to Linemen looking to continue development |

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