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A T T H E 2 0 1 7 N I T T A N Y L I O N S back from a season-ending injury and Dalton set to make his debut after red- shirting as a freshman. OFFENSIVE LINE KEY RETURNEES C: Zach Simpson; G: Ryan Bates, Steven Gonzalez, Connor McGovern; T: Noah Beh, Brendan Bros- nan, Sterling Jenkins, Brendan Mahon, Andrew Nelson, Chasz Wright KEY LOSSES C: Brian Gaia; G: Derek Dowrey, Wendy Laurent; T: Paris Palmer, Chance Sorrell NEWCOMERS C/G: Michal Menet; T: Will Fries, Alex Gellerstedt; OL (positions to be determined): Desmond Holmes, Robert Martin, Michael Miranda, C.J. Thorpe OUTLOOK If everyone's healthy, this unit should be able to continue its up- swing in 2017. The only full-season starter Penn State will lose is Gaia. It's a loss that shouldn't be minimized, as the fifth-year senior was the only offensive lineman to start every game at the same position. Moreover, the Lions didn't have much depth behind him, with only walk- on Simpson and backup guard Laurent listed behind Gaia on the depth chart, and Laurent is graduating. But as the manpower situation improves with the impending debuts of several highly re- garded redshirt freshmen and the arrival of another solid recruiting class, the op- tions available to Franklin and offensive line coach Matt Limegrover continue to expand. What does that mean for the center spot? Perhaps that a position change is in the offing. McGovern played center in high school, and the coaching staff audi- tioned him there last spring after he en- rolled early for his freshman year. Moving the 6-5, 310-pounder is an option that the coaches may consider in the coming months. Bates, too, began his Penn State career at center, but he and McGovern both looked good at guard during the season, so the staff might be reluctant to uproot either one. If that's the case, Penn State could turn to the 6-4, 296-pound Menet. A former four-star prospect, Menet looked to be a contender for play- ing time as a true freshman this past sea- son but was ultimately held out. At guard, the Lions have a potential All-Big Ten performer in Bates, who started the team's first 10 games on the left side as a redshirt freshman. McGov- us. As a teacher, as a role model, as a coach, he does so much for us, on and off the field. He's a guy that you can go to when you have a problem and he'll al- ways help you get it figured out. He's just a real genuine guy and a phenome- nal coach. I couldn't be more excited to keep learning from him, because he's going to take us far." As with every tough defeat, it's going to take some time for Penn State to get over its heartbreaking loss to USC. But the offensive linemen take pride in what they accomplished this season and are optimistic about what lies ahead for the team. "We're disappointed in losing this game, but we're so proud of how far we've come compared to where we started," Bates said. "We're losing some great people. We can't replace Brian Gaia and all the seniors who are leaving, so it will be tough at times, but we have a lot of young guys who know they can play at this level now and play well. I know we're going to accomplish a lot of great things with these guys." McGovern echoed Bates' feelings. "We're going to ab- solutely use this as moti- vation," he said. "Everyone is feeling a lot of pain right now. With all the work we put in, we don't ever want to feel this way again, but I know we're going to come back even harder next year to make sure we never feel this pain again. "As soon as I get back, I plan to watch this film, learn from it and switch over to next year. The future's so bright for this team." ■ BLOCK PARTY Bates (left) and McGovern leave the field after practice. Both earned starting roles as freshmen this past year. Photo by Steve Manuel

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