It's Spring, So Let's Talk Penn State Football

Coming off an unthinkable season (for some) that saw James Franklin and company beat Wisconsin to capture the Big Ten Championship, Penn State looks to have an even better 2017 campaign and get somewhere they haven’t been since 1986, the National Championship. Penn State has been recruiting better than ever and winning has a lot to do with that. This season could catapult that recruiting train even further. If you look at the roster top to bottom it could be the most talented team Happy Valley has ever seen. That talent might be largely based on potential, and if this team can reach its potential in 2017, James Franklin could be holding the National Championship trophy high above his head in Atlanta.

Let’s take a look at some of that talent on offense.

Offense:

Quarterback: It’s amazing to think that Penn State has gone from Christian Hackenberg, a 5-star recruit and someone who many believed could be a Heisman Trophy caliber player, to Trace McSorely who is a Heisman Trophy caliber player. He’s a gun slinger who has plenty of faith in his receivers to go out and make plays. He’s not the best quarterback prospect in the country, but he’s perfect for Penn State and the offense he run. Coming off an All-Big Ten season that saw him throw for a Penn State record 3,360 yards and 25 touchdowns, McSorely looks to build off that for a better 2017 season. Although he hopefully won’t have to do it often, he can also tuck it and run compiling 365 rushing yards last season that included a 26-yard season-saving run against Minnesota at the end of regulation to setup Tyler Davis for the game tying field goal. The hype surrounding this team is largely based off running back Saquon Barkley but like most teams, they go as their quarterback goes.

(McSorley is a redshirt junior)

Other Guys: Tommy Stevens. Stevens will get some touches this season potentially in the ‘wildcat’ formation.  

(Roarlionsroar.com)

Running Back: Saquon Barkley. This kid is really special and people are taking notice. There were moments last season that left you thinking how great this kid could actually be. His run against USC in the Rose Bowl was one of those moments. He’s a special talent that doesn’t come around that often and Penn State fans have been lucky enough to see him for two full seasons so far. In those two season he has rushed for over 2,5that season. Oh, he also ran a 4.33 40-yard dash.
00 yards and 25 touchdowns. This season could be just as special as those two season combined. His offensive line is a year better, he’s had another year with offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, and another offseason in the weight room which he really doesn’t need. As I mentioned, Barkley is a special talent, and if Penn State is going to have a special season they will need their Heisman candidate to have

(Barkley is a junior)

Other Guys: Miles Sanders. Andre Robinson. Mark Allen. Penn State has four running backs who all can make plays. And they are all different. We all know about Barkley but these other guys are impressive in their own right. Sanders is the best of the bunch having the same type of ability Barkley does and is expected to have a breakout season. Robinson and Allen are a combination of Barkley, Robinson has the power and Allen has the shiftiness and speed. Expect all of these names to be called at some point this season.

Wide Receiver: Usually losing someone like Chris Godwin to the NFL would be a big loss, and while it is still a big loss, Penn State has the talent at receiver to make up for the loss of production. Penn State fans might not know all of the names that will see the field but they will surely know them after a few games. DaeSean Hamilton is the veteran of the group as he heads into his final season. Hamilton has seen his production drop over the last couple of seasons but this season he could be called upon to be a go-to target for Trace McSorley. Along side Hamilton will be senior Saeed Blacknall. Blacknall missed Penn State’s Rose Bowl loss due to disciplinary reasons but looks to be a major factor for Joe Moorhead’s offense. He had his biggest game in the Big Ten Championship against Wisconsin where he had 6 catches for 155-yards and 2 touchdowns. The biggest question for the receivers is who will be the third and fourth options; many expect it to be combination of redshirt juniors Juwan Johnson and Irvin Charles. Both stand at 6’4”. Senior DeAndre Thompkins had an up and down season and looks to bounce back in a big way.

Other Guys: Keep an eye on Brandon Polk. He’s the speedster of the group and missed last season due to injury but could provide a spark for the offense.

Tight Ends: Perhaps one of the biggest moves in the offseason was that Mike Gesicki was coming back for his senior season. Many believed he would likely return but reassurance was nice. The reason why the announcement was so big is because if Gesicki can better his numbers from last season (48 catches, 679 yards and 5 touchdowns), Penn State’s offense will be that much better. He is another big target at 6’6, and had the bounce back season of all bounce back seasons in 2016 and proved to be one of the top tight ends not only in the Big Ten but the entire country.

Other Guys: Not many people know about the guys who are behind Gesicki, which is partially because the offense doesn’t allow for a lot of multiple tight end sets. Nonetheless there are guys behind him; Jonathan Holland, Nick Bowers, Tom Pancoast, Danny Dalton.

Offensive Line: This has been the most important group on the field for Penn State over the last three seasons. After giving up 83 sacks over two seasons the unit only gave up 24 sacks in 2016. Expect that number to drop even lower this season. The thing that has held Penn State back was the loss of scholarships which resulted in the inability to build depth at some positions such as offensive line, which led to true freshman and redshirt freshman who might not have expected to see the field for multiple seasons get playing time right away. The offensive line is finally “deep” with guys who have had valuable playing time early in their careers and fans shouldn’t be as worried about this year’s unit as they have been before. They lose Brian Gaia to graduation but they return multiple starters from 2016 such as Andrew Nelson who is coming off a season-ending knee injury and he should be ready to go come the start of the season. The names to keep an eye on as the summer rolls around and fall camp starts are the young guys; Steven Gonzalez, Connor McGovern, Michael Menet, Will Fries, Sterling Jenkins. Mike Miranda is a true freshman who has gotten some praise from coaches and is also someone to watch.

Other Guys: Chasz Wright, Ryan Bates, Brendan Mahon. All three of those guys will be fighting for starting spots.

I said at the beginning that I’m basing a lot of what I say on the potential of this team. Defense is no different. It’s an athletic defense that will have to cause a lot more turnovers and they’ll get a lot more practice going up against good offenses as they go up against their own every day.

Defensive Line: Replacing guys like Evan Schwann and Garrett Sickels is never easy but alas, Penn State finally has the depth at the position. There are plenty of names that will see some playing time but not everyone knows all of those names. You know the names Torrence Brown, Kevin Givens, Parker Conthren, and Curtis Conthran, but there are some young names that should have the chance to make a big impact. Shane Simmons is someone fans should keep an eye on. Simmons was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school but redshirted last season so he could add some weight and just focus on getting reps in practice. He’s bulked up to around 245-250lbs and still has the explosiveness that made him a highly touted recruit. Should he see the field as many believe he will he could be a force for the defense. Shareef Miller is another guy to watch. He got some time last season totaling 2 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss but fans should expect him to add onto that production this season in a big way. I mentioned the name Kevin Givens as he has gotten the attention from nearly everyone for his offseason workouts and the progress he has made. I’m not saying this is going to be Penn State’s best defensive line ever, but again, with the thought of potential, this has the potential to be one of the best.

Other Guys: Ryan Buchholz, Shaka Toney, Antonio Shelton, Tyrell Chavis.

(Lancasteronline.com)

Linebackers: This is always the fun position to talk about. It’s been the programs best position over the years and it always seems like someone steps up and puts their name on the ‘Linebacker-U’ list. Brandon Bell did so last year along with Jason Cabinda. Cabinda is back for a senior year in which he looks to etch his name right at the top of the best linebackers to dawn the Blue and White. He’s the veteran of the group that will have young guys who will make their name known. Cam Brown and Manny Bown both saw time last year but this season like some of the other positions will call upon them to make more plays. Koa Farmer is finally at a position where it appears he will stay at and has gotten praise from Cabinda so expect him to have that breakout season fans have been waiting for.

Other Guys: Jarvis Miller, Jan Johnson, Brandon Smith, Johnathan Thomas.

Defensive Back: This is another position that has the potential to be special. It could be the most talented group Penn State has seen in quite some time. Marcus Allen is the leader of the group and is the emotional leader of the Nittany Lions defense. Allen was also the teams leading tackler with 110 on the season. He also came up with the biggest play of the season with his blocked field goal in the final minutes against Ohio State. The secondary however suffer a big loss when junior John Reid went down in practice with a knee injury and will miss the 2017 season. While that is a big loss it’s a loss that will allow one of Penn State’s biggest recruits in recent memory, 5-star Lamont Wade, the opportunity to make an immediate impact. Another name to keep an eye on is senior Christian Campbell who will also look to help replace Reid.

Other Guys: Nick Scott and Troy Apke are going to be a couple names Penn State fans will be interested in. Scott is a running back turned safety but hasn’t seen much playing time, look for him to have his name called as a potential starter.

Last year on special teams Penn State fans were able to say, “finally!”, finally the team had a reliable punter and kicker combination in Blake Gillikin and Tyler Davis. A true freshman last season, Gillikin averaged 42 yards per punt. The senior Davis was outstanding making 22 of 24 field goals (both misses were blocked) and making 62 of 62 extra points.

The next step is to have a returner who can change field position. Over the years it’s been something that the program has lacked; since 2008, Penn State hasn’t been ranked higher than 40^th in punt return yardage and while they were 10^th in kickoff return yardage in 2008, they haven’t been higher than 38^th since 2011. Last season Miles Sanders played a key role on kickoff returns averaging 20.8 yards per return, but no touchdowns. The last time Penn State had a kickoff returned for a touchdown was 2011 (Chaz Powell). A punt return? Derrick Williams in 2007. Fans hope that changes this season with a wide range of players who could do so. Sanders could have a breakout season at the running back position, but could also handle kickoff returns. Receiver DeAndre Thompkins had some mishaps on punt returns and was inconsistent but is someone who could provide a spark. Another candidate might be receiver Brandon Polk who was redshirted last season due to an injury. Regardless of who is the doing the returning, Penn State fans should hope someone can take one to the house.

There is a lot of excitement surround the 2017 version of Penn State football and rightfully so. Both sides of the ball have the potential to carry this team to a conference title and beyond. They have two Heisman caliber players on offense and an All-American caliber duo at linebacker and safety leading the way on defense. The fan base should be excited for this season because it could be the best season Penn State has ever had. And that’s saying something.

BTW, the last time Clemson won a national title, Penn State won it the following season.