Penn State Sports Magazine
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maintain an effective rotation at all four positions, keeping everyone fresh for the duration of the game. But in the coming years, Penn State will probably not have that luxury. The loss of three or four players up front would likely force the remaining defensive linemen to play 70 or 75 plays a game, maybe more. To put that in perspective, Hill has never played more than 72 plays in a game at Penn State. Having to play 75 to 80 would be a major challenge. "There's really no way to condition for that," he said. "You've just got to play through those circumstances be- cause you're going to be tired. I got 72 [plays] one time last year, and you're really fighting through adversity be- cause of how tired you are. Stuff gets a lot harder." Another open question is how well Penn State players will hold up physi- cally over the course of the season when they're forced to see a lot more action than they are used to seeing. But Hill said he isn't concerned about the cumulative effect of playing a lot more snaps than usual. "You can take [the punishment] way better than in the beginning of the season because you're used to it," he said. "But you definitely need relief during the game. Even if it's just a couple of plays, two or three plays, you still need to catch your breath be- fore you go back out." Hill said that he was contacted by a number of schools during the free-for- all that followed the NCAA's announce- ment that Penn State players would be allowed to transfer without having to sit out a year. At some of those schools, he might have been the missing piece in a championship puzzle. He was asked recently why he would pass up that kind of an opportunity to re- main at Penn State. "I like going through adversity," he said. "I guess all my life I've gone through adversity, so for me to run away from a situation wouldn't be my character. That's just how I've always played. I've always been in some type of circumstance that wasn't normal. So I dunno. I think I would probably stay no matter what." LETTERMEN RETURNING Kyle Baublitz, Pete Massaro, Jordan Hill*, DaQuan Jones, Sean Stanley, James Terry, Brad Bars LETTERMEN LOST Jack Crawford*, Eric Latimore*, Devon Still* RISING STAR Freshman end Deion Barnes will be making his Penn State debut this year after impress- ing insiders during his redshirt sea- son. BIGGEST LOSS Still, of course. The Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year, he was a force for the Nittany Lions as a senior before becoming a sec- ond-round draft pick of the Cincin- nati Bengals. NUMBERS GAME The Nittany Lions' 31 sacks last season ranked third in the Big Ten. OUTLOOK Massaro's return from re- constructive knee surgery – he sat out the entire 2011 season – could- n't have come at a better time. With Crawford and Latimore gone, the Li- ons need to find someone who can generate pressure off of the edge. Massaro, a fifth-year senior, did just that during his healthy 2010 season, finishing with 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Stanley, also a senior, will start opposite Massaro, and the Lions also figure to get a lift from Barnes, one of the top prospects in their 2011 recruit- ing class. In the middle, Hill has re- ceived raves from teammates and coaches alike and figures to be Penn State's next high-profile NFL draftee. At his side will be Jones, a 324-pound junior who will step into the three-technique defensive tackle spot occupied so effectively last year by Still. A former defensive end, Jones gained valuable experience filling in for Still in the Lions' regu- lar-season finale at Wisconsin and the TicketCity Bowl loss to Hous- ton. PHIL SAYS All eight of the defensive ends on Penn State's scholarship roster going into preseason prac- tice have publicly stated they don't plan to transfer. Massaro, coming LEFT END NO NAME 90 Sean Stanley 18 Deion Barnes 31 Brad Bars LEFT TACKLE 47 Jordan Hill 84 Kyle Baublitz 53 Derek Dowrey 72 Brian Gaia RIGHT TACKLE 91 DaQuan Jones 93 James Terry RIGHT END 59 Pete Massaro 86 C.J. Olaniyan 98 Anthony Zettel YR HT WT Sr. 6-1 242 Fr. 6-4 246 So. 6-3 254 Sr. 6-1 292 So. 6-5 287 Fr. 6-3 311 Fr. 6-3 271 Jr. 6-3 324 Sr. 6-3 317 99 Austin Johnson Fr. 6-4 297 Sr. 6-4 256 So. 6-3 248 Fr. 6-4 253 off his second ACL injury, and fel- low senior Stanley are the project- ed starters. Depth will be supplied by C.J. Olaniyan and Bars at the weakside position and Barnes and Anthony Zettel at the strongside spot. This group could develop into a real strength if Barnes and Zettel play the way they did in spring practice. Barnes is expected to see considerable action. He stands 6- foot-4, 252 pounds, and Larry Johnson said this spring that he might be the team's best outside pass rusher. In the middle, Penn State could have one of the better defensive tandems in the Big Ten this fall in Hill and Jones. The biggest concerns here have to do with next season. Hill and Terry are set to graduate, and the Lions have lost both Jamil Pollard and verbally committed recruit Greg Webb. * Starting experience in 2011