Blue White Illustrated

NOTEBOOK FROM PREVIOUS PAGE "Basically, we're done," he said. "We're going to look at Kyle Baublitz on the inside as an inside tackle in training camp. We've talked to him about that. He's got a good frame. He's a great kid, a tough kid. So we'll probably look at him inside. "Linebackerwise, Gerald [Hodges] will stay on the outside, but [Michael] Mauti and [Khairi] Fortt – we'll mix and match those guys during the training camp to see where they're playing the best. But there's been, other than that, no defensive-back-to-receiver or re- ceiver-to-DB type of moves." in QB battle? The Nittany Lions' most scruti- Decision soon nized position battle is at quarter- back, where Matt McGloin, Paul Jones and Rob Bolden competed in the spring. O'Brien said at the be- ginning of the tour that he and his coaching staff had "a pretty good idea of where we're headed." By the end of the tour, O'Brien hinted that the resolution might be close at hand. During a stop in Pittsburgh, he told reporters that he expected to make a decision on a starting quarterback by the end of May. "You can't waste time, in my opinion, with a quarterback battle during training camp," O'Brien said. "We're not a wishy-washy place. We've got to make decisions, and some people aren't going to be happy with the decisions, but that's our job. It's about the team, and we're doing what's best for the team." O'Brien says Lions are 'definitely behind' Discussing the Nittany Lions' outlook this coming fall, O'Brien said he and his players still have a lot of work to do. "We're definitely behind. We've got a long way to go," he said. "We've got a lot of situational things we need to cover: two- minute, more third-down situa- tions, end-of-game situations. So we're behind, but we're going to work really hard this summer, our players on their own and our coaching staff, and try to hit the ground running when training camp starts." O'Brien emphasized that he was- n't dissatisfied with what the team accomplished in his first four months on the job. He said he's been impressed by the "high-char- acter guys who really care about doing well in the classroom and playing good football." He said he's happy with the staff and with the development of the weight pro- gram. And he said he feels good about Tim Bream's guidance in the training room. Other news... • At the start of the tour, O'Brien was noncommittal about hitting the road again next year. But on the final stop, a visit to Buffalo, he told the crowd that he plans to be back out on the road in the future. "I look forward to doing some- thing like this every year," he said. "Maybe it won't be 18 stops in 17 days, but we will figure it out. I'm sure every year we will get out and see everybody." • Nonconference games at Beaver SIGN LANGUAGE McGloin signs autographs prior to the Blue-White Game in April. The senior is looking to win Penn State's starting quarterback position, a spot he has held off and on for the past two seasons. Logan Cramer III 30 J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 2 Stadium could get very interesting in the coming years. While Ohio, Virginia, Navy, Temple, Syracuse, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Akron, Rutgers, Massachusetts and Buffalo are all slated to play Penn State in the next four sea- sons, O'Brien revealed during the tour that his sights for the pro- gram's nonconference schedule are much higher. "For instance, we could open the season maybe at a neutral site or maybe at Beaver Stadium – that's not set yet," he said. "That would be against, obvious- ly, a major college power, like an Alabama, like a Southern Cal, like a Stanford. "I will say this, and nothing is set in stone: What we are trying to do is have a marquee game every year, pretty much starting in '15." H I S T O R Y CARAVAN FIRST THE Bill O'Brien was following in some famous footsteps during Penn State's recent road show BY LOU PRATO B L U E WH I T E C O N T R I B U T O R District of Columbia had a familiar ring to it. The prime purpose of the caravan P was to personally introduce Penn State's first new head football coach in 46 years to the multitude of Nittany Lion fans in the region and to garner as much media attention as possible in the process. The opportunity to get other Penn State head coaches in- volved in the caravan was an ancillary benefit to the fundamental mission. Although this caravan – formally known as the Coaches Caravan – was unique in its scope, the concept was reminiscent of the sojourn that took place the last time Penn State hired a new head football coach. That caravan didn't utilize a lavish bus with plush seats and sofas, nor were there a half dozen or so auxiliary staff personnel go- ing along to coordinate numerous re- ceptions, meals and news confer- W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M enn State's ostentatious three- week athletic department caravan blitz stretching nearly 2,000 miles through seven states and the

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