Blue White Illustrated

P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> n Kevin Givens' three years of football at Penn State, he has lined up along- side six defensive line teammates who have gone on to the NFL. Anthony Zettel, Garrett Sickels, Carl Nassib, Austin John- son, Tarow Barney and Evan Schwan have all appeared on active NFL rosters or practice squads. Another three line- men – Parker Cothren, Curtis Cothran and Tyrell Chavis – are fighting for roster spots after signing free agent con- tracts following the 2018 draft. Givens, a fourth-year junior with heavy experience in each of the past two seasons, could be the next Penn State defensive lineman to reach that upper echelon of success. But first, he has to live up to his own ex- pectations as a Nittany Lion in the season ahead. "It's definitely a respon- sibility," Givens said. "Being here with those guys… it's definitely a stan- dard that you want to play up to, because you don't want to be the guy that messed up everything." The Nittany Lions are convinced that won't be a problem this coming fall. In fact, they're convinced Givens is ready to live up to those standards, and possibly more. Named the Jim O'Hora winner at the Blue-White Game last month – the award goes to the player who showed the most "loyalty, positive attitude and constant improvement" during spring practice – Givens continued an upward trajectory that has seen him move from linebacker in high school to defensive end at Penn State, then to tackle. Along the way, he's earned Big Ten All-Freshman team GIVING CHASE Givens pressures Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke during a game last season. As a sophomore, Givens finished with 3.5 sacks. Photo by Steve Manuel NEXT IN LINE | Kevin Givens striving to join PSU's lineage of great defensive linemen I

• Cover