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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> smooth and really efficient with his movements." The Lions must replace four starters in their secondary, but they've got some experienced players waiting in the wings, especially at cornerback, where John Reid, Amani Oruwariye and Tariq Castro-Fields are all back. So if Humphries, who's listed at safety, and Gordon, a cornerback, are going to play this fall, it will most likely be in some sort of reserve capacity. 4 Are any big position changes in the o#ng this spring? That depends on your definition of big. There have already been a couple of changes, the most significant of which was Lamont Wade's switch from corner- back to safety. Additional moves might be in the offing in the weeks to come, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, where the coaches will be looking to find their best starting combinations. But for now, let's focus on the changes that aren't purely speculative. With Penn State in the process of re- building a graduation-depleted second- ary, it makes sense that the 5-9, 196-pound Wade would find himself at safety. The Nittany Lions might have some big shoes to fill at cornerback with Grant Haley and Christian Campbell having graduated. But they've got a cou- ple of experienced players returning, in- cluding a former starter in Reid. That's not the case at safety, where both spots are wide open. The two most experienced players here are fifth-year senior Nick Scott and red- shirt junior Ayron Monroe. Scott made one start last year, filling in at strong safety against Maryland when Troy Apke was suspended for the first half of the game due to a targeting penalty he re- ceived the previous week against Ne- braska. He finished his junior year with 33 tackles to rank 10th on the team. Monroe saw action in 11 games, but most of his 18 tackles were special teams stops. So there's an opening here for someone to step up, and Wade could be the guy. A former five-star recruit out of Clair- ton (Pa.) High, Wade intercepted 14 passes during his spectacular high school career. He enrolled early at Penn State and went on to play in 12 games as a true freshman, both on special teams and at cornerback, finishing with 31 tackles to rank 12th on the team. The Lions have a redshirt freshman safety whom they like a lot in Jonathan Suther- land, but with Apke and Marcus Allen gone, Wade should have a much bigger role as a sophomore than he did in his debut season. Elsewhere, receiver Dae'Lun Darien is listed at linebacker on Penn State's latest roster after starting out at wide receiver. At 6-4, 212 pounds, Darien is too lanky for the Mike position, but he might be able to supply some needed depth at the Will linebacker spot behind Cam Brown. It's also possible that with a number of veteran wideouts returning and three more blue-chippers on the way in the most recent recruiting class, the coach- ing staff didn't see an opportunity for Darien on offense and wanted to find a role for him in which he could poten- tially make an on-field impact. On offense, it wouldn't be totally sur- prising to see Ryan Bates return to guard, where there's a starting position open. If the coaching staff likes Will Fries and Chasz Wright at tackle – and they certainly held their own against Washington – then this is a move that could happen. Of course, it's also possi- ble that the staff is happy with what it's got on the offensive front and will be NO PASSING ZONE Oru- wariye battles Maryland re- ceiver D.J. Moore in Penn State's regu- lar-season fi- nale. The veteran cor- nerback led the Nittany Lions in inter- ceptions last season with four. Photo by Steve Manuel

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