Blue White Illustrated

A trio of incoming Penn State freshmen wrap up their high school careers in the annual Big 33 Football Classic BIG IMPRESSION BY ERIC THOMAS Blue White Contributor as it has had in years past. But the hits that Nyeem Wartman laid on a couple of Ohio offensive players made up for it. Wartman, defensive end Evan H Schwan and wide receiver Eugene Lewis were Penn State's representa- tives in the annual summer football all- star contest, which took place June 16 at HersheyPark Stadium. Schwan saw less playing time than he had hoped because of a shoulder injury he suffered earlier in the week during practice for the game. Neverthe- less, he got the start at left defensive end in Pennsylvania's 24-21 overtime loss to Ohio. The shoulder, a troublesome injury that Schwan has dealt with in the past, isn't expected to prevent him from training this summer and into the pre- season. But it's something the coach- ing staff will keep an eye on. "It's unfortunate," Schwan said. "I in- jured it, dislocated it during my jun- ior season. It's given me a couple of problems that it hadn't for a while, but then it slipped out [during practice for the Big 33]." Schwan said he hasn't been told yet whether Penn State's coaches want him to redshirt once he gets to Univer- sity Park or hop right into the fire at the start of preseason practice. He took care during the Big 33 game to avoid aggravating the injury. "I was a little worried about it com- ing in. I took it easy, then I got a shoul- der wrap for it. Mainly, coach [Bill] O'Brien and [Larry] Johnson were a bit worried because Penn State is a lot big- ger than this game," said Schwan, a Harrisburg native. "I told them I had confidence, and they said if anything happens to just take it easy, that I didn't want to jeop- ardize my career." Wartman was laying the heavy hits Tim Owen on anything in sight during the game and said that fans should expect more of the same when he starts pre- season practice. "I was told to come in ready to con- tribute," he said. "My whole goal is to get stronger and more conditioned for the season so I can contribute." Wartman was arguably the standout defender for Pennsylvania in the loss. Penn State coaches have told him to be prepared to see reps at outside line- backer once he starts practicing with the team in August. He's eager to ap- ply his aggressive approach at the col- lege level. "That's my style, I get my nose to the ball," Wartman said. "That's my job. Linebackers have to chase the ball like dogs." Wartman, who comes from Archbald, W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M knows that he's joining a team that is deep at the linebacker positions. Ger- ald Hodges and Glenn Carson are re- turning to their starting positions, while two injured players – Michael Mauti and Khairi Fortt – are expected to be back in the rotation once presea- son practice begins. "I think the depth is strong. I don't think the injuries are that bad," Wart- man said. "You saw Sean Lee, he came off an injury and played great, so it's not something that's going to faze us, and we're going to move on." Lewis is another freshman to watch this year. The 6-foot-2 receiver has sure hands, as he showed while making a twisting catch on the Ohio sideline in the second half to put Pennsylvania in scoring position. The former Wyoming Valley West standout said he's ready to step into the Nittany Lions' receiv- er corps this fall. "I'm coming in there competing, and we'll see how it goes," he said. Lewis said he spoke to future team- mates Justin Brown and Allen Robin- son during Blue White Weekend this past April. He said they expressed their desire to see him play right away. "I'm just excited to get there and start a relationship with those guys," Lewis said. "I'm just going in open-minded, and we'll see how it goes." Asked if he could step into a No. 2 or 3 receiver role from the start, Lewis' eyes opened wide. "God willing, that's my plan," he said. "I'm going to work hard. I'm just going to compete with everybody, and we'll see what happens after that." A U G U S T 2 1 , 2 0 1 2 13 ERSHEY, Pa. – Penn State didn't have as large a presence at the Big 33 Football Classic this year FUTURE LIONS Penn State's Big 33 contingent this year consisted of, from left to right, Wartman, Schwan and Lewis. Ohio edged Pennsylva- nia, 24-21, to ex- tend its winning streak in the an- nual all-star con- test to four games.

• Cover