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practices but watched games from the bench as a redshirt. The following year, he played sparingly, catching only two passes for 70 yards. All the while, he tried to bear in mind a piece of advice he had been given while growing up: Your career will be successful. Just be patient. But that was easier said than done. Sit- ting out, he said, was "definitely hard. It kind of takes a hit at your character, sit- ting for two years. It's just the thing about being patient – you have to trust in your- self, trust in why you came here and just be patient, work hard and keep your head down and not cry about your situation. Just be patient and watch time unravel." While Johnson was waiting his turn, he was showing glimpses of his potential. He may have only caught two passes as a red- shirt freshman, but he took pride in his role as a downfield decoy threat, as a blocker and especially as a special teams player, returning a punt against Rutgers late in the season for 20 yards while also making nine tackles on the coverage units. That experience, amounting to 14 games played and his first career start at Purdue, set the stage for a productive off- season. Described by Franklin as "very mature" and "businesslike with his approach" through the team's winter workouts, Johnson matched his impressive physi- cality with a tireless attention to detail. He was diligent in the weight room, the film room, and on the practice field, where he paid special attention to the most fundamental skill that his position requires: catching the ball consistently. It was clear within the first two weeks of practice that his determined approach was paying dividends. Johnson said he noticed major differences in his perform- ances from what he had accomplished previously. He was more consistent from one day to the next, a departure from the two previous years in which he would fol- low a great practice with something lack- luster and disappointing. Johnson described them as "continuous good practices, good practices, good practices, and even better than it was last time." Citing a block downfield for quarter- back Trace McSorley as his best play, Johnson paid attention to the details. He learned the intricacies of opposing de- fenses and the seemingly minor footwork adjustments that can make the difference between a big play and an incompletion. Those improvements enabled him to take his gains in the weight room and put them to use on the practice field. And when he O n the heels of its outstanding 2016 season, one of Penn State's top prior- ities has been to avoid complacency. Head coach James Franklin has talked frequently about his desire to focus on the future and resist the temptation to dwell on last year's Big Ten champi- onship and subsequent Rose Bowl ap- pearance. To hear his teammates tell it, Nittany Lion quarterback Trace McSorley is in the same camp. Throwing for more than 3,600 yards and 29 touchdowns, McSorley was fre- quently spectacular in his 9rst season under center. But in spring practice, he was as determined as ever, displaying no signs of satisfaction at previous accom- plishments. Wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins said the Penn State signal- caller was eager to continue taking steps forward throughout the spring. "This whole spring, he's just been asking a lot of himself and putting a lot of necessary stress on himself to make the perfect play, and that's all you can ask from a quarterback," Thompkins said. Excluding the interception that sealed the Lions' fate in the Rose Bowl, McSor- ley was able to minimize his mistakes last season despite frequently throwing the ball down9eld. Thompkins, however, believes that the redshirt junior expects perfection and spent the spring working to achieve it. "You expect things to go perfect, and if they don't, just be ready for something that does happen and be prepared to make it a better play," Thompkins said. "That's something he's done this spring, taking a bigger role and asking more of himself to eliminate mistakes." Running back Mark Allen said McSorley didn't limit his focus to throwing the ball down9eld, and he can see the quarterback making strides in a number of areas. "He's been improving on deep balls, speed, scrambling out of the pocket, everything," Allen said. "Trace is just a weapon himself, so everything he's been doing this spring is going to show up throughout the summer and in games." While the Nittany Lions spent spring practice trying to continue their evolu- tion, there was one facet of his game in which McSorley wasn't looking to change too much: his leadership. To Allen and Thompkins, that was because there wasn't much room for improve- ment. "Personally, I think he's always been vocal, so that's not really something I expect him to work on," Thompkins said. "He's always been one of those guys who will express his emotions and let everybody know what he feels. He's been doing that all spring, and even all of last year." Allen was also complimentary of Mc- Sorley's skills as a leader, noting that they were evident even before he was contending for the starting job. "He's always been a leader, whether it was under [Christian] Hackenberg or not," Allen said. "He was leading the younger guys when he was going in with the threes. Trace has a knack for leader- ship. He won about three or four cham- pionships in high school. He was leading his team there. He's used to it, so it doesn't take him years to develop. He's already used to it. He's doing a great job this year as well." –DAVID ECKERT Teammates laud McSorley's development this spring P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >>

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