Blue White Illustrated

weight around the same as it was this past season, so I'm doing that pretty well," he said. "If I do that, I think I'll be able to have the same role, which was defensive end and defensive tackle, wherever they need me. I'm 280 [this spring]. They want me around 275, 280. It's either big for a D-end or small for a D-tackle, so it's in between. I play both, it doesn't matter." Other players in the mix at defensive end are redshirt freshmen Shane Sim- mons, Daniel Joseph and Shaka Toney. Toney could end up being a real surprise. When he arrived on campus last year, he was listed at 6-3, 195 pounds – too light to be e9ective as a defensive end in a conference as physical as the Big Ten. But he's already up to 222 and has gar- nered praise from the coaching sta9. Dwight Galt, Penn State's strength and conditioning coach, called him "a freak athlete." "We're still trying to get that weight on him. He looks more like a linebacker than a D-end," Galt conceded. "But [he's] incredibly explosive, very fast, very quick, very agile, has a 36-inch ver- tical. He's going to be tough o9 the edge. He just has so many physical tools." OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Replacing Bell won't be easy, but the Lions have op- tions here, as junior Manny Bowen and sophomore Cam Brown both have high ceilings. Bowen was Penn State's 8:h- leading tackler last season with 68 stops, 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Brown, whose redshirt plans were aban- doned when Bell was injured in the sec- ond game of last season against Pitt, has added 27 pounds during winter work- outs and now stands 6-5, 225. The coaching sta9 is hoping he's up to 230 by the time preseason practice begins. Redshirt junior Koa Farmer, redshirt sophomore Jarvis Miller and January en- rollee Brelin Faison-Walden provide the depth at outside linebacker, and Farmer may make a run at a starting spot a:er 8lling in for the suspended Bowen in the Rose Bowl. STRONG SAFETY One other major position battle this spring is in the sec- ondary, where redshirt sophomore Ayron Monroe and senior Troy Apke are the leading contenders to replace Golden. Apke played in all 14 games last year, backing up Marcus Allen at free safety. Monroe played in 10 games and was one of the top performers on Penn State's punt and kicko9 coverage teams. John Petrishen could also be a factor here, and don't be surprised if January enrollee Lamont Wade gets an audition. Wade, who could also 8t in at corner- back and nickel back, has been receiving rave reviews already. Threre are two additional players I'd like to highlight as Penn State gets set to wrap up spring drills with the Blue- White Game. Those players are Farmer and redshirt sophomore tight end Nick Bowers. While the Lions have an excellent starter returning at tight end in Gesicki, the spot is one of the team's thinnest in terms of proven depth. Essentially, Gesicki is the only tight end with any real game experience. Bowers was ex- pected to be Gesicki's top backup last season, but he su9ered a leg injury at the end of preseason practice that caused him to miss the entire 2016 season. He hasn't played since his senior year of high school in 2014, but he may be Penn State's best blocker at the position. "He's a guy we've been as excited about as anybody in terms of his ability to block, his ability to run, his ability to catch," Franklin said. "Those guys are hard to 8nd, 260-pound guys who can make plays in the pass game and block. And he's productive in both areas." Finally, Franklin and defensive coordi- nator Brent Pry will surely be looking for Farmer to make a push for the starting Sam OLB position. He's now listed at 6- 1, 230 pounds and runs a 4.4 40, and he came into his own during the second half of last season. If all of the players mentioned here are able to come to the forefront during the o9-season, Penn State will take a giant step forward in its quest to win back- to-back Big Ten titles and qualify for its 8rst College Football Playo9 appear- ance. ■

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