Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/983252
O F F - S E A S O N R E P O R T Normally an outside linebacker, Cam Brown also has gotten an audition at Mike – perhaps an indication that the Lions are still seeking answers at ar- guably the defense's most important po- sition. Questions abound at defensive tackle, too. Gone are three seniors from last year, which means the likely starters are juniors Kevin Givens and Robert Wind- sor. They both have a wealth of big- game experience, but position coach Sean Spencer wants a steady rotation. At this point, how- ever, it doesn't ap- pear as though anyone has reached out and grabbed those No. 3 and 4 spots. Ellison Jordan is the most experi- enced player behind Givens and Wind- sor, but he's been limited due to a knee injury. After Jordan, it's redshirt sopho- more Antonio Shelton, who rose throughout the spring. He will be chal- lenged in preseason camp by redshirt freshmen Fred Hansard, Corey Bolds and Damion Barber. Shelton, Hansard, Bolds and Barber "are showing flashes," Franklin said, but no firm decisions have been made. The defensive staff, he said, is "not ready to crown anybody at this point." 3 The new receivers have been look- ing good, but Penn State appears to have a bigger challenge ahead as it seeks a successor to graduated tight end Mike Gesicki. Redshirt freshman K.J. Hamler was the team's most buzzworthy newcomer dur- ing first few weeks of practice, and since then teammates have also been singing the praises of Hamler's classmate Mac Hippenhammer. With seniors DaeSean Hamilton and Saeed Blacknall having departed, and with Juwan Johnson miss- ing some reps due to an apparent foot or lower-leg injury, the young guys have seized their opportunity. Fellow fresh- man Cam Sullivan-Brown also started making moves toward the end of spring, and it's likely that at least one member of last year's star-studded receiver class ON THE BLOCK Menet (62) has shown "as much improvement as anybody on our team," Franklin said earlier this spring. The red- shirt sophomore is eyeing a start- ing spot at guard. Photo by Bill An- derson