Blue White Illustrated

JAKE PINEGAR The Lions have spent a scholarship on Pinegar, and the coaches would probably like to see him validate that decision by claiming the place kicker position in preseason camp. But they would also like to win as many games as possible in 2018, so this competition will ultimately be decided like all the others: on the practice field. If one of the three walk-ons who are expected to be on hand for preseason camp proves to be more ac- curate than Pinegar, so be it. That's who will take over for the graduated Tyler Davis. One wild card here is punter Blake Gillikin. He was an excellent high school kicker who has expressed a desire to ex- pand his repertoire this coming season. Gillikin didn't attempt any kicks in the Blue-White Game, and given Franklin's oft-stated desire that his specialists focus on their primary responsibilities, this feels like a long shot. But it's not an im- possibility. Considering that the compe- tition hasn't even really begun, it would be premature to declare anyone the fa- vorite. P.J. MUSTIPHER Here's another prospect who appears to have the physical ability to play a position of immediate need. A four-star player from Owings Mills, Md., Mustipher stands 6-4, 300 pounds and could end up helping Penn State over- come the graduation of three of last sea- son's top four defensive tackles. Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor are the likely starters, but the rest of the rotation is very much in flux. JUSTIN SHORTER The Lions' other five- star recruit, Shorter is joining an offense that has lost four of last season's top six pass-catchers. Penn State has a lot of re- ceivers with high ceilings, including a couple of very promising redshirt fresh- men in K.J. Hamler and Mac Hippenham- mer. But only one of its returning wideouts – redshirt junior Juwan Johnson – has ever caught more than 30 passes in a season. Johnson was wearing a protec- tive boot on his left foot at the Blue- White Game, and while there's been no talk of him missing time this fall, there is definitely an opportunity for one of the Nittany Lions' three incoming freshman wideouts to see action. Shorter, who caught 112 passes for 1,822 yards and 21 touchdowns in his three starting seasons at South Brunswick (N.J.) High, seems to be the most likely candidate for early playing time. RICKY SLADE The No. 2 all-purpose running back in the country according to Rivals.com, Slade is stepping into a back- field without a lot of proven depth. It's possible that the combination of Miles Sanders, Mark Allen, Journey Brown and Johnathan Thomas will prove sufficient this fall. It's also possible that the 5-9, 185-pound rookie will prove too good to keep of the field. That would hardly be unprecedented. The Lions have now re- cruited three four-star running backs under Franklin, and the first two – Saquon Barkley and Sanders – both saw action as freshmen. ■ N E W C O M E R S O F I N F L U E N C E Redshirt freshman WRs make splash this spring I t didn't take long for Mac Hippen- hammer to show that all the whis- pers coming out of spring practice were true. On the Blue's first possession in Penn State's spring game, the redshirt freshman wideout got open in the end zone and caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Trace McSorley, his second catch of the 75-yard drive. He caught another TD pass in the fourth quarter, a 29-yarder from classmate Sean Clif- ford. Hippenhammer finished his first game in Beaver Stadium with four catches for 43 yards. Afterward, offen- sive coordinator Ricky Rahne said the FAST COMPANY Hamler was one of the standout per- formers for Penn State this past spring. Photo by Bill Anderson

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