Blue White Illustrated

ter, that actually has to be the most important thing: to make sure [Adam] gets a good base academically. If he has any trouble, [he shouldn't] be afraid to ask for help, talk to the coaches or anyone on the academic staff. Back to football. What did O'Brien say about Adam's future and when he can expect to compete for playing time? He expects Adam to compete immediately once he gets back to 100 percent. He talked in general about how they hope to use the tight ends [and] how Adam fits into that. We talked about how the offense will continue to evolve and how excited he is about the talent that's already there and now is coming in. Now that they'll have a full off-season, not going through that type of a coaching transition, it's exciting to think about how much progress they may have this year and how much farther they can go. There has been so much talk lately about O'Brien being a legitimate NFL candidate this year and in the future. Did you ask about that at all? I know it's pretty clear he's not going anywhere this year, but down the road, did you ask about that? One thing O'Brien really made clear to us is that he's not going anywhere. He plans on being at Penn State as long as they would like to have him. I'm paraphrasing a bit, but the sense we got is that there is no reason to worry. He made it clear that no one [from other college programs or NFL teams] has contacted him, that there isn't anything there to that as far as this year. But he also said with a coach like himself and others who have that NFL experience, his and other names are going to get thrown out there. That's just the way that stuff works [during] this time of the year. So he said that we can probably expect to hear that stuff down the road, especially if he's doing well, but he wants us to feel confident in his commitment to Penn State. Walk-on program crucial for PSU B ill O'Brien and his staff won't officially decide until February which prospects will join the Class of 2013 as preferred walk-ons. But now that the high school season has come to a close, plenty of candidates have emerged. Throughout Penn State's football history, fans have come to expect quality young men to come through the walk-on program – men who win both on and off the field. Two prospects who fit that mold are linebacker Brandon Smith of Lewisburg, Pa., and defensive lineman Tom Devenney of Litiz, Pa. Neither Smith nor Devenney is a top-20 prospect in Pennsylvania this year. In fact, neither one has been given a rating by Rivals.com, but both are coming off of excellent senior seasons. They also are focused on their studies and have garnered interest from a few Ivy League schools. Now they have a decision to make. Does an Ivy League education outweigh a chance to play at the school they grew up watching? Many potential walk-ons are thinking twice about Penn State before accepting a scholarship – and potentially more playing time – in the Football Championship Subdivision. "Penn State is big-time football," said Michael Wiand, a linebacker from Mifflinburg, Pa., who has received interest from Old Dominion, Eastern Kentucky, Bucknell and Lehigh. "Because of the limited scholarships, it actually gives a player like myself a little more incentive to take them up on the opportunity. There will be a lot of walk-ons at Penn State, and some of us will get an opportunity to contribute and maybe earn an offer down the road." Look for academically sound players like Smith, Devenney and Wiand to comprise about two-thirds of Penn State's allotted walk-on roster spots, which could be as many as 40 players once the scholarship limitations take effect. Players like Smith, Devenney and Wiand will also play a role beyond the practice squad. Their enrollment will allow the staff to roll the dice on a few players who may not be as academically fit. Penn State places a lot of importance on graduating its players and ranking near the top of the NCAA when it comes to the team's cumulative GPA, and assembling a broad base of academically stable walkons is part of the balancing act. It's not often talked about in the recruiting world, but it's an issue that all Division I programs deal with. If there are certain athletes on the team who are struggling academically, there is a limit on how many prospects a school can recruit who might need academic assistance throughout their college careers. Two prospects who fit the latter category are wide receiver Aris Scott, originally from Harrisburg, Pa., and defensive back Sterling Parks from Upper Marlboro, Md., both of whom attended Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y. They are excellent athletes who have serious Division I potential, but both had to go to prep school in order to improve their academic standing. They meet the NCAA's eligibility standards, but it remains to be seen whether they can handle a full course of college classes. That's a situation that the staff must carefully assess, especially since it can't afford to have a player drop out of school a year later. Clearly, the staff has a lot to figure out in January and February, but look for this mixture of academics and athletics to be Penn State's approach with walk-ons during the next half-decade.

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