Blue White Illustrated

strength and technique. It's a position at which a walk-on could turn out to be as good as, or better than, a scholarship guy. If one were to handicap the competi- tion at this admittedly way-too-early juncture, Pinegar and Checa would seem like the guys to watch. Checa attended St. John's College High in Washington, D.C., where he made 11 of 14 field goals and 46 of 46 PAT tries as a senior. His longest field goal was 47 yards. Pinegar hit 9 of 13 attempts in his final season at Centennial High in Ankeny, Iowa, in- cluding a pair of 60-yarders. Some coaches don't like handing scholarships to kickers until after they've proven themselves, but Franklin and his predecessors have shown no such reservations. Sometimes it's worked out (Sam Ficken), sometimes it hasn't (Alex Barbir). But it's a show of faith in either case, and there's reason to believe that Penn State's faith will be re- warded when Pinegar gets here. RICKY SLADE It's not uncommon for true freshmen to make an impact at running back. Over the years, a number of freshmen have led the Nittany Lions in rushing, a list that includes D.J. Dozier, Curtis Enis, Eric McCoo and Barkley. Slade certainly appears to have the athletic ability to compete for playing time when he gets to campus this sum- mer. He's the second-ranked all-pur- pose running back in the country according to Rivals, having rushed for 1,978 yards as a senior at C.D. Hylton High in Woodbridge, Va. At 185 pounds, he's not a Barkley clone, but he could give Penn State something that his pred- ecessor offered: an ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Slade had 25 catches for 338 yards as a junior, and 22 for 283 yards last fall. He totaled nine re- ceiving touchdowns during his last two high school seasons. At the Under Ar- mour All-America Game in January, he had more yards receiving (26) than rushing (23). Franklin has described Slade as "a highly regarded guy who was very pro- ductive in high school." He'll have four scholarship players ahead of him when he arrives on campus, including Barkley's heir apparent, junior Miles Sanders. But this is a position with a manageable learning curve and no firmly established pecking order. Don't count out the new kid as a potential contribu- tor. P.J. MUSTIPHER Freshman defensive tackles typically redshirt, but the 6-4, 300-pound Mustipher might be an ex- ception. That's partly because Penn State has some very acute needs in the middle of its defensive front, having graduated Parker Cothren, Curtis Cothran and Tyrell Chavis. As Franklin said recently, "I do think we have some things that we've got to get resolved at D-tackle." The Lions recruited three defensive tackles, with Aeneas Hawkins and Judge Culpepper joining Mustipher in the class. All were coveted four-star prospects, but Mustipher has 20 pounds on Hawkins and 25 on Culpepper. In ad- dition, he turned in an outstanding per- formance at the Under Armour All-America Game in January, display- ing what Rivals analyst Adam Friedman described as "energy, strength and an ability to disengage from offensive line- men." Franklin said he's heard good things about the preparation that Culpepper and Hawkins have been doing, but Mustipher still looks like the most likely of the three incoming defensive tackles to make an immediate impact at Penn State. "P.J. Mustipher is a guy who has the body type that makes you think he may be able to come in and play as a true freshman," Franklin said, "which is un- usual at that position." ■ Franklin: CB Reid 'full-go' this spring It's not often that James Franklin directly addresses injuries, but dur- ing a teleconference on national signing day to formally announce his Class of 2018, the Penn State coach provided an update on cornerback John Reid. Reid suffered a knee injury during spring practice a year ago. He under- went surgery and missed the 2017 sea- son. But as winter workouts continue and the Blue-White Game approaches, he is inching toward a comeback. "We are expecting him to be full-go for spring ball," Franklin said. "He's participating in the morning work- outs right now. Obviously, there's no rush to bring him back; he's played a lot of football for us. But I know the coaches are excited about working with him. I know John is excited about getting back on the field." Reid played in every game as a sophomore during Penn State's Big Ten championship season and run to the Rose Bowl. He totaled 36 tackles, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception. He also returned 22 punts for an average of 7.6 yards per attempt. In 2015, Reid started at cornerback as a true freshman and totaled two interceptions, three pass break-ups and 29 tackles. Because he had a redshirt available last season, Reid will still have junior eligibility in 2018. Penn State has graduated both of last year's starting cornerbacks, Grant Haley and Chris- tian Campbell, creating an opening for Reid to assume the spot he left behind. When that day arrives, team- mates and coaches plan to welcome him with open arms. "We're expecting him to have a huge role on our team, not only as a player but also as a leader," Franklin said. "He's got so much respect from our players and from our coaches. It will be exciting to get him back full-go in the spring and the summer." –TIM OWEN

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