Blue White Illustrated

F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K A T DeAngelis, Carson Landis; PR: Mark Allen, Zech McPhearson, DeAndre Thompkins KEY LOSSES KR: Saquon Barkley; P: Daniel Pasquariello; PK: Alex Barbir, Tyler Davis; PR: Troy Apke NEWCOMER PK: Jake Pinegar OUTLOOK New special teams coach Phil Galiano has a big set of shoes to fill with Barkley leaving after averaging 28.4 yards per kickoff return and taking back two for touchdowns. Galiano also needs to find a new place kicker following the graduation of Davis, a three-year starter who was on pace to go down as one of the most accu- rate kickers in school history before an er- ratic senior season. And while his premature departure didn't attract as much attention as some of the Lions' other losses, wideout Irvin Charles was an unsung hero in the kicking game, ex- celling as a gunner on a very effective punt-defense unit. The kick-return job could fall to Sanders, who has done it intermittently the past two seasons. He hasn't yet ex- hibited Barkley's breakaway potential, but really, who has? The other returning players who have handled the position are Polk and Farmer, although it would be a surprise to see the latter reprise this role now that he's a defensive mainstay. Ex- pect a spirited competition here, espe- cially if the coaching staff opts to pull Sanders out of the mix to let him concen- trate on his job as the likely starter at run- ning back. It wouldn't be surprising to see a freshman or two get a look. The place-kicking job is wide open. Barbir had seemed as though he would be Davis's heir apparent when he came aboard as a scholarship player in the Class of 2016. But in December, it was announced that he was planning to transfer. Barbir's exit will put Landis and DeAn- gelis at the forefront this spring. A fresh- man from Macungie, Pa., Landis kicked a school-record nine field goals in his final season at Emmaus High, including the winner in double overtime of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship game. DeAngelis, of Ramsey, N.J., trans- ferred to Penn State from William Pater- son University following his sophomore year. He hit 9 of 15 field goal tries in his two seasons at the Division III school. In the summer, Landis and DeAngelis will get some competition from Pinegar. An incoming freshman from Ankeny, Iowa, Pinegar displayed both range and accuracy during his high school career at Ankeny Centennial, making 9 of 16 at- tempts, including a pair of 60-yarders. It's tempting to cite the place-kicking vacancy as one of Penn State's biggest potential concerns heading into the 2018 season. But the truth is that Davis's 52.9 percent success rate didn't have a huge impact on the Lions' 2017 season. Penn State was very good at producing touch- downs in the red zone, doing so on 77.9 P hil Galiano was thinking about his next career move when an old ac- quaintance, Penn State defensive line coach Sean Spencer, told him that something might be coming up with the Nittany Lions. The two coaches went way back – back to the mid-1990s when Galiano was playing football at Shippensburg and Spencer was coaching the Red Raiders' running backs. Galiano had made a number of stops since then, both at the college and NFL levels, and was helping out with the Miami Dol- phins' special teams units when Spencer told him that the Lions were looking for a defensive consultant. He got the job, and after only a year, it's turned into something bigger. Galiano was named Penn State's spe- cial teams coordinator in December by James Franklin. He takes over for Charles Huff, who left to join Joe Moorhead's new staff at Mississippi State. "I was looking to try to find a place and had a couple of full-time job op- portunities that I wound up turning down, choosing to come here to Penn State because this is where I wanted to be and where I would like to be for a very long time," Galiano said. "I knew one year I might just have to go and prove myself and try to do the best job I could and hopefully get re- warded for it. I appreciate Coach for seeing the job I did and rewarding me for it." In hiring Galiano, Franklin cited his experience with the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers and at Rutgers. Galiano had two stints with the Scarlet Knights early in his career and was one of the coaches that Greg Schiano took with him when he was hired by the Buccaneers in 2012. When the staff was dismissed after the 2013 season, Galiano returned to Rutgers for two years before heading to Miami. Franklin also liked his local ties. A native of Norristown, Galiano is one of five Pennsylvania natives on the coaching staff. "He's got a lot of ties," Franklin said. "We have a lot of similar people who we both know – basically in the same conference of high schools that play against each other, and then I've just kind of been around him. He's got tremendous experience. He's really passionate and he's a really sharp guy. His family was living in the Bethle- hem/Allentown area, so they are going to be moving to town, which is awe- some." Franklin said he expects Galiano to "tweak" Penn State's special teams units, but not too much. One of the reasons he opted to hire from within was because he wants a smooth transi- Galiano aims to keep Lions' kicking game on upward path |

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