Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
yards and two touchdowns in the Big Ten Championship Game. If the Lions are looking for a receiver who can gain yards after the catch, Blacknall looks to be their guy. But big plays have never been the question with the senior-to-be; rather, it's whether he can sustain his momen- tum. He missed five games last year due to suspension or injury, and he averaged less than one catch per game during the regular season. When Blacknall wasn't available, Thompkins slid over from the slot and proved that he could hold his own, finishing fourth on the team with 27 catches. Although he's a couple inches shorter than Godwin, he'll be aiming this spring to show that he can play just as big. On last year's depth chart, Johnson was listed as Godwin's backup. As a third- year sophomore, he'll have an opportu- nity this spring to show the coaches that they won't have to reshuffle the depth chart. Charles, who like Johnson caught two passes last season, is another option for the wideout spot. But like Blacknall, he was listed last year at Z-WR, which is a traditional flanker. It's likely that all options will be ex- plored this spring to see who is best fit to lead the team in receiving. Center DEPARTURE Brian Gaia CANDIDATES Ryan Bates, Connor Mc- Govern, Michal Menet, Mike Miranda, Zach Simpson VACANCY Including his brief stint at de- fensive tackle as a redshirt freshman, Gaia played in 51 games during his Penn State career. The final 14 were played at center, and he improved as the season progressed. In fact, he was the only staple of a line that had moving pieces at every other position. His steadfastness alone will be difficult to duplicate, because as Gaia showed, it's not always an easy tran- sition to center no matter how familiar you may be with the offensive line. It's not something you just pick up, and who- ever wins the spot this spring (or sum- mer) will certainly be green. OUTLOOK Like the majority of the posi- tions on Penn State's offensive line, this one will be impacted by Bates' role. His most natural position is guard, but he was more than a stopgap in the final four games when he started at offensive tackle. This off-season, though, he hasn't committed to one position. He could move back to guard, especially once Brendan Mahon and/or Andrew Nelson return to full strength, but he's also said that if needed he will slide over to center, where he practiced most of his true fresh- man year. If he's not needed there, it will likely be McGovern or a freshman who takes over center duties. That battle will begin this spring, as both are already on campus. Menet is similar to Bates in that he didn't play center in high school and might be a more natural fit at guard. But the team's needs are most acute in the middle, and Menet practiced at center at times during his freshman season. He'll try it again this spring. While it's likely that the center spot comes down to a battle between Bates, Menet and McGovern, two others can't be counted out yet. Although he only arrived in January, Mi- randa has the opportunity to crack the two-deep as a true freshman. He's as fun- damentally sound as any offensive line- man in the latest signing class and he could find himself in the mix during his first spring. The coaches will know imme- diately whether or not that's a possibility. Then there's Simpson. A former walk- on, Simpson was a regular on the kickoff return unit as a redshirt freshman and was listed as Gaia's backup on the Rose Bowl depth chart. He'll be aiming for an expanded role as a sophomore. Defensive end DEPARTURES Evan Schwan, Garrett Sickels CANDIDATES Torrence Brown, Ryan Buchholz, Colin Castagna, Shareef Miller, Shane Simmons VACANCIES There are two spots to fill at defensive end with Schwan graduating and Sickels forgoing his final season of el- igibility to enter the NFL Draft. Team- mates and roommates, they were a highly effective pair, sharing the team lead last year with six sacks apiece. But if they proved anything, it's that spending a cou- ple of years or more preparing as backups and easing into the rotation before diving in can be advantageous. Sickels started on that track two years ago when he replaced Deion Barnes, and Schwan did it this past year, filling in for the previous year's sack leader, Carl Nassib. He didn't parlay that apprenticeship into the same level of pro- duction that the Cleveland Browns draftee did, but Schwan more than held his own in his fifth season at Penn State. And although he wasn't invited to the NFL Combine like Sickels, he'll be given a close look by scouts on pro day. But with those players moving on, the sack crown is up for grabs, and there are a host of up-and-comers who have their eyes set on it. OUTLOOK Position coach Sean Spencer regularly rotates close to a dozen defen- sive linemen throughout the course of a game, and as a result, he established quality depth behind Schwan and Sickels last year. Brown has played a significant role the past two seasons, seeing action in 26 games. Now in his fourth year with the program, he will likely be a fixture on the first-team unit this spring. But the coaches will be looking for added produc- tion now that he's a potential starter. During his first two seasons, he totaled two sacks. Behind and across from him, battles for playing time will rage. At times last year, Miller looked like an elite pass rusher. The priority this spring will be to sustain those efforts. Buchholz will also see his role ex- pand after playing in 13 games as a red- shirt freshman. His skill set is unique in that he has the size and ability to play in- side in passing situations. Brown, Miller and Buchholz are almost guaranteed playing time if their trajectory continues. But throughout the 2016 sea- son, five ends saw regular playing time. Assuming that number holds as a bench- mark for 2017, who will be the other two to step up? There are a few possibilities. One is Simmons, who redshirted last year after arriving as one of the top recruits in PSU's 2016 class. Shaka Toney, who was named scout team defensive player of the year, and Daniel Joseph, who was injured P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >>