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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> Oruwariye finds inspiration in both the past and the future. Eleven-win seasons are now the benchmark at PSU and are the heights the Nittany Lions want to reach again, if not surpass. Oruwariye aims to fulfill those team goals, and he wants to play an even bigger part in the team's success than he did in his first three active seasons. He has the credentials to make good on those aspirations. He's an All-Big Ten honoree. He led the defense with four in- terceptions last season. He's been a fix- ture on Saturdays, playing in 35 games the past three years. He hasn't been in the starting lineup yet, but that's about to change – part of a larger overhaul that helps account for the buzz inside the weight room this winter. "Having guys who didn't get to con- tribute, [it's about] taking that and learn- ing from it and using it for motivation these next couple months while we're training," Oruwariye said. "Then there are a lot of younger guys who are just hungry to fill some of these roles for a lot of these guys who are departing." When strength coach Dwight Galt whistled his 30th workout to a stop in late February, it was Oruwariye whom he called upon to break the team down after his closing words. Afterward, Oruwariye said the gesture "is definitely a represen- tation of how I have to step up." "It means a lot," he added. "They feel like I'm capable of [taking a leadership role] and I think it'll be good for me be- cause, going through high school or since I've been here, I just never really had that role, so I can find something that I've never had. I'm excited to see where that goes." In high school, Oruwariye considered himself to be a lead-by-example guy. Once he enrolled in college, there were older and more experienced players ahead of him who handled the job admirably. That's been the case the past four years. He didn't take a back seat – anything but. Rather, he waited his turn. Now it's here, and he said, "I would def- initely say that it flew by." It likely would not have arrived had his career began in a different fashion. Signing in February 2014, Oruwariye was joined by five other defensive backs in the 25-member class: Marcus Allen, Christian Campbell, Grant Haley, Koa Farmer and Daquan Worley. While there was some attrition, with Farmer eventu- ally moving to linebacker and Worley transferring to Duquesne, there was also an addition, as Troy Apke moved from re- ceiver to safety. Not everyone was going to play. Oruwariye was one of three who red- shirted. "Every high school prospect coming in wants to be that main guy, play as a true freshman," Oruwariye said. "I came in and worked and competed, but I just was- n't ready at the time and I fully agree that I wasn't. I think it's paying off in the long run as far as my development. I don't see it as a bad thing. Some people are just ready before others. It's just a matter of time." The decision to sit four years ago puts him in position to not only lead the Nit- tany Lion secondary this coming fall, but also to push for a spot among the best de- fensive backs in the conference. Playing in 11 games in 2017, Oruwariye earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. He wasn't a starter, technically, but he often played more snaps than many first-stringers. In an early-season matchup against Pitt, for instance, he was on the field for 55 plays compared to 52 for Campbell, the starter. Oruwariye's average of 0.36 intercep- tions per game led the team and is sec- ond-best among returning Big Ten defensive backs, topped only by Michigan State's David Dowell. Now that he's on track to start for the first time – finally – it's not unrealistic to expect more from the 6-foot-1, 204- pound Oruwariye as a senior. "I'm assuming a new role," he said. "I got a good amount of playing time last year but just didn't really have that actual starter's role, so that will be new for me. Then from the other side of it, just from a leadership standpoint, I'm having to step up to be more of a vocal leader and lead by example for these younger guys, which I didn't have to do before, so that'll be a lit- tle different." Oruwariye is open to new territory. When he joined Penn State in 2014, not only was the former Vanderbilt pledge taking a leap of faith by following Franklin to his new program, he was also choosing a school located even farther from home. Vandy was about a 12-hour drive from his hometown of Tampa. PSU was six hours past Nashville. Looking back now, he has no regrets about where he is. In addition to playing a key role the past few seasons, he also graduated with a degree in telecommuni- cations in December and is on track to re- ceive a second bachelor's in broadcast journalism next December. Additionally, he has earned a certificate of business fundamentals stamped by the Smeal Col- lege of Business. It's been his own path, but he would en- courage others to consider taking it. In the incoming freshman class, two players – defensive tackle Judge Culpep- AMANI ORUWARIYE YEAR-BY-YEAR YEAR G SOLO ASST TOTAL FF FR PBU INT/YDS 2015 13 1 4 5 0 0 1 0/0 2016 11 13 10 23 0 0 1 1/30 2017 11 19 9 28 0 0 8 4/17 TOTAL 35 33 23 56 0 0 10 5/47 Steve Manuel

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