Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> His father, Ed Polk, coached a youth team back home in Virginia. Brandon was too young to see action in games, but Ed would let him practice alongside the older kids. Even then, run- ning jet sweeps as a peewee, he was faster than most. Polk gives credit for his speed to his mother, Sharon, a former high school track athlete who was talented enough to compete at the Penn Relays. Brandon started out as a run- ning back, but later moved to re- ceiver and developed into the No. 17 wideout in the country according to Rivals.com during his three varsity sea- sons at Briar Woods High. After joining high school teammate Mc- Sorley at Penn State in 2015, Polk made an instant impact, rushing 33 yards on the Nittany Lions' first play from scrimmage in their season opener at Temple. Capi- talizing on those running back skills, Penn State used him primarily on jet sweeps, and he finished his debut season as the team's third-leading rusher with 159 yards on only 18 carries. He also had six catches for 57 yards. Polk seemed primed for a bigger sopho- more season, but in week three against Temple he got hit while running a route over the middle and felt a bolt of sharp pain in his leg. The injury affected his mo- bility, and while he didn't need surgery, the decision was made to hold him out. He ended up taking a medical redshirt. So Polk watched from the sideline as a previously ineffective Penn State offense evolved into one of the best in the coun- try. He was frustrated at the time, but looking back, he sees it as a stepping- stone. "It gave my body time to recover and get stronger, and I understand the game a lot more," he said. "I guess during that season, yeah, it was very frustrating. I wanted to be out there with my team. But now, when I look back on it, I hon- estly think it was the best thing possible. Obviously, you don't want to wish an in- jury on anyone, especially yourself, but the fact that I got to understand the game a lot better, know the plays a lot more, read defenses, it just helped my game." Polk returned last season as part of a deep receiver corps that was led by Hamilton and Johnson. He finished with 10 catches for 130 yards and no carries, as the jet sweep has pretty much disap- peared from Penn State's play-calling repertoire. But now, with four of the Lions' top six pass-catchers from last season having departed, the 5-foot-9, 171-pound Polk has an opportunity to play a much more substantial role. "He's a guy who has been here for a while and has had some little nicks and nags and things like that that have held him back over his career," Franklin said. "This is a huge spring and summer for him. We need him to step up big-time for us. Obviously, we all know he can play in space. He's got to get stronger, and he's going to have to take advantage of these opportunities right now. He's a guy we need to step up big-time for us. He's been in the program long enough and he's got enough ability to do it." Another young receiver who is looking to make an impact this fall is redshirt freshman K.J. Hamler. Franklin said everyone in the Lasch Building has been buzzing about Hamler's performance in practice lately. "He's just so quick and so fast," the coach said. "Usually you get a guy who's really fast or a guy who's really quick. He's both." The 5-9, 172-pounder showed off that speed during a scrimmage earlier this spring. Facing a two-deep zone, he ran a deep post and blew past everybody on his way to the end zone. Thompkins watched it happen, and he was suitably im- pressed. "That dude is a lightning bolt," he said. FAST COMPANY In his three sea- sons of action, Thompkins has developed a rep- utation as one of the Lions' leading deep threats. Photo by Steve Manuel

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