Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/94528
loses a few players along the way, and Penn State's was no exception, as Price, Ware and Wedderburn weren't able to complete their eligibility. Wedderburn, a tight end from Philadelphia and the younger brother of former Penn State All-Big Ten of- fensive lineman Floyd Wedderburn, got into academic trouble and didn't make the trip to Tampa for the Nittany Lions' matchup with Florida in the Outback Bowl. He eventually trans- ferred out. Price redshirted in 2008 but had trouble adding weight to his slender frame and didn't catch a pass during his only active-duty season. The two- star receiver from Reston, Va., was re- leased from his scholarship in May 2010. Ware's departure was as noisy as Price's was quiet. He was a 345-pound wrecking ball coming out of Harrisburg High, but he quickly ran afoul of Pa- terno for gaining even more weight – he was reportedly close to 380 at one point – and for breaking team rules. Had the coach known about his infa- mous Twitter account, a compendium of X-rated humor and complaints about his classes, he probably would have been even deeper in the doghouse. After a series of false starts, Ware's career seemed finally to be on the right track in the spring of 2011. Pa- terno praised his diligence and sug- gested that he had a long future in the NFL. "He could be a good player," Paterno said, "not only here, but for the next eight, nine years." But that turned out to be a false start, too. By the summer, he was gone. Three of those incoming freshmen saw action their first season. Beachum and Mauti had enrolled early and were on the field when Penn State opened its 2008 season against Coastal Car- olina. Beachum, who was stationed at tailback after arriving at Penn State, rushed for 43 yards on eight carries in the opener, and went on to play in every game. Mauti proved to be every bit as good as the recruiting services said he was, playing in every game and making a big impression against Michigan when he splattered Sam McGuffie on a kickoff return, causing BACKUP PLAN McGregor was among the walk-ons whose behind-the-scenes contributions helped the Nittany Lions excel this fall. John Beale a fumble that contributed to Penn State's 46-17 romp. But even though the class made an impact right away, nothing came easy. Three of its members – Mauti, Massaro and Beachum – were forced to sit out a year due to major knee injuries. Im- probably, Mauti and Massaro blew out both knees during their five years at Penn State, and Mauti appeared to suffer another major knee injury against Indiana in his next-to-last col- lege game. Stankiewitch missed half of his junior season with mononucle- osis. Lynn had to be carried out of the Eastern Michigan game last fall on a stretcher, although the neck injury he received only caused him to miss two games. Four members of the class – Craw- ford, Lynn, Mauti, Stankiewitch – went on to become full-time starters for more than one season. That's not a lot, but the class was bolstered by a strong contingent of walk-ons that in- cluded a guy who will likely go down as the greatest walk-on in the pro- gram's history: McGloin. And anyway, the impact the seniors made can't be measured just by counting up tackles and sacks and interceptions. Take McGregor, for instance. He's been one of the most visible students on campus the past few years, and not just because he happens to have the team's most spectacular hair, a cut so wavy and blond and expertly layered that it has inspired a Twitter account called, appropriately, ShaneM- cGregor'sHair. (Sample tweet: "Work hard, play hard, pray harder… and use volumizing conditioner.") He's taken