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F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K defensive end with what we do and gives you some flexibility to move him inside and rush from there." On a more concerning note, Miller missed the first half of the Fiesta Bowl, while Toney didn't play at all. Franklin didn't elaborate on the reason for their absences, saying only that they weren't in the rotation. But as of this writing, there was no indication that their long- term status with the program was in question. The Lions could certainly use some help at defensive tackle, because they've grad- uated three of their top four interior line- men in Cothran, Cothren and Chavis. The competition for those spots appears to be wide open. Givens has started 11 games over the past two years, and at 6-1, 287 pounds, he's big enough for the three- technique position while still boasting enough speed and athleticism to fill in at defensive end if necessary, as he did when Buchholz got hurt late in the season. Windsor is a veteran who is getting ready for his redshirt junior season, so he'll be a contender, too. But this could be another area in which the freshmen will be called on to lend a hand. Hansard, a former four-star prospect who stands 6-3, 310 I t's not easy to make an impact your freshman year, especially at a program like Penn State. It's even more difficult when you're joining a youthful team that is coming off a major bowl appear- ance. For a coach, it's a great position to be in. For an incoming high school prospect, not so much. But if there was a spot on the Nittany Lions' depth chart that could have used some fresh legs in 2017, it was defensive end. With Evan Schwan graduating and Garrett Sickels leaving early for the NFL, the Lions needed help, especially given position coach Sean Spencer's penchant for rotating players. Enter Spotsylvania, Va., native Yetur Gross-Matos. "I came in wanting to play and want- ing to compete against the guys already here," said Gross-Matos, who enrolled in June. "It was hard at times. When I got there, I wanted to make an impact right away, but that's not easy to do. Just learning everything – it's a lot dif- ferent than high school, trying to un- derstand what my role is on the defense and not trying to do too much. That's how you make mistakes." Once preseason arrived, it didn't take long for Gross-Matos to make an im- pact. By the end of the first week, mul- tiple upperclassmen, from Torrence Brown to Ryan Buchholz, had already seen enough to understand that this freshman wasn't taking a redshirt. He needed to see the field in year one. So, like those before them, the upper- classmen took it upon themselves to put Gross-Matos in a position to suc- ceed. "A lot of guys have helped me out," he said. "Torrence Brown has been impor- tant to me, but so have guys like Ryan Buchholz and Shaka Toney. Through- out the season, all of the older defen- sive ends have helped me in one way or another. A lot of it has been in film study. That's always been important to me, but at [college], it's a different level. That's where those guys have re- ally helped." Gross-Matos said that Spencer has also gone above and beyond over the past six months. "He's taken special care of me. He's really taken me under his wing," Gross- Matos said. "We've organized meet- ings, outside of practice, just to help me out on some things. That means a lot to me." Prior to the Fiesta Bowl, Gross-Matos was looking to get the four tackles that would have brought him to 20 for the season. Four stops would have been a career-high. He didn't get there, fin- ishing with only one tackle in Penn Gross-Matos encouraged by performance as freshman |

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