Blue White Illustrated

O F F - S E A S O N R E P O R T know what to expect from the senior middle linebacker. "Jason has already taken over that group," Franklin said. "He has been voted a captain. He plays and he con- ducts himself the way you think a Penn State linebacker would. For us, the stan- dard we talk about is Mike Hull. Mike Hull brought an unbelievable standard that he set for the defense and that he set for that room. Jason talks about it all the time, 'Mike Hull, Mike Hull, Mike Hull.' It's kind of what I [emphasize], the upperclassmen teaching players how to be a Penn State player, how to be a pro, and how to approach things the right way." SECONDARY OBJECTIVES With Malik Golden grad- uating, the Lions went into spring prac- tice looking to find a new starter at free safety. ACCOMPLISHMENTS The coaching staff may have found Golden's replace- ment in Ayron Monroe. A 5-11, 212-pound redshirt sophomore, Monroe was one of the breakout players during spring drills. Starting for the White, he finished the spring game with five tackles, one pass breakup and an interception. Monroe played sparingly in his first sea- son of action, making 12 tackles as a member of the punt and kickoff teams. But he's bracing for a much bigger role this coming fall. "When I'm out there, they're going to find out that I'm not someone you will see as a liability," Monroe said. "I want to be looked at as someone you can count on and someone you can look at and know that they're going to change the game. This doesn't just go with football, this goes with everything. When I'm playing, I want to be the person who is seen as making a difference." Another contender for Golden's job is senior Troy Apke, who started for the Blue in the spring game, with Nick Scott potentially seeing time there as well. At free safety, the Lions took a precaution- ary approach with veteran starter Marcus Allen, holding him out of the Blue-White Game. The Nittany Lions' secondary did suf- fer a big setback this spring, as starting cornerback John Reid went down with what is believed to be a serious knee in- jury. The coaching staff doesn't com- ment on players' health status, but it is expected that Reid will miss much or all of the upcoming season. That means Christian Campbell will likely step into a starting role opposite fellow senior Grant Haley. Campbell is a veteran himself, having played in 30 games and made three starts during his first three years at PSU. Referring to Campbell and Haley, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said, "We consider both of those guys returning starters." One factor that helped Penn State weather Reid's loss is that the team has prioritized the cornerback position since Franklin's arrival in 2014. As a re- sult, it has stockpiled a lot of potential contributors. The talent pool includes veteran Amani Oruwariye and freshmen T.J. Johnson, Zech McPhearson and La- mont Wade. A January enrollee, Wade impressed coaches and teammates dur- ing his first few months on campus. "He's playing really well," Smith said in early April. "And we're starting to get Amani Oruwariye back as well, so Amani is doing really well. We have four guys who I'm feeling really good and positive [about]." SPECIAL TEAMS OBJECTIVES With their place-kicker and punter both returning, the Lions' big questions in the spring concerned their return game. ACCOMPLISHMENTS The Lions audi- tioned a number of potential punt return- ers. They would likely have preferred to find someone new for that role no matter what, but when Reid went down, they were left with no choice. As is always the case, Penn State didn't do any live kicking in the Blue-White Game, so it's hard to say who, if anyone, has an edge heading into the summer. Potential return men inclue McPhearson, Wade and freshman wideout K.J. Hamler. "They weren't able to get in any live work [in the spring] because we were trying to protect those guys, but what we were able to see after reps and charting every catch was who was able to make decisions," said Huff, Penn State's spe- cial teams coordinator. "Obviously, catching the ball is difficult, but these guys do a decent job of catching the ball. The issue is the decision-making. When do I sprint? When to be a little more ag- gressive? When to make a guy miss or fair catch the ball? These are the things when going through practice we can evaluate, but you don't really know until you get them into a game situation. We were able to find out a little bit this spring." The kickoff return spots may also be up for grabs. Brandon Polk was one of the deep men in the spring game, while last year's leading kick returner, Sanders, missed the game with an apparent injury. Sanders watched from the sideline with his arm in a sling. While the Lions' special teams were much improved last year, the return game was not highly productive. Penn State finished 10th in the Big Ten in kickoff re- turns (19.7 yards per attempt) and 11th in punt returns (6.5). The coaching staff was also was looking for a new holder and snapper this spring. Punter Blake Gillikin and backup quarter- back Billy Fessler vied for the holder po- sition and will probably continue to do so in preseason practice, while junior walk- on Kyle Vasey is in line to succeed Tyler Yazujian as the snapper. "Vasey has done a tremendous job for us snapping the ball," Franklin said. "We've been very pleased with him." One other element of uncertainty in- volves kickoff specialist Joey Julius. The redshirt junior did not appear in the Blue- White Game, and he later revealed via Facebook that he had returned to a clinic in the St. Louis area that he had visited the previous summer for treatment of an eating disorder. "I am doing well and the treatment is helping," he wrote in early May. "There is light at the end of the tunnel. It is just a very long tunnel." Julius did not say when he plans to re- turn to Penn State. ■

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