A Couple Updates

• Looks like Sean Lee is still outside with Michael Mauti and Josh Hull battling for the starting spot in the middle. This is potentially good and devastating news at the same time. If the staff starts Hull over Mauti this could be devastating as this type of decision is the difference between a 10-2 season in 2009 and a 12-0 one. Let's be positive and say Mauti starts, this is a good move because now they won't have to move Mauti in 2010. Assuming Bowman goes pro early, in 2010 Mauti stays in the middle and will be flanked by Nate Stupar and either Mike Yancich or Bani Gbadyu, not bad. The biggest loser in all of this is Chris Colasanti. Even if Colasanti redshirts he will be the same year as Mauti, the guy he's backing up. It might be time to try Colasanti at defensive end. I actually think that would be an outstanding move.
  

• Jerome Hayes is still hurt so Kevion Latham is currently running first team at end. Nick Sukay moved back to safety and is running second team with Andrew Daily ahead of him and Gerald Hodges in the #3 spot. Other than that, my prespring two-deep was pretty spot on to what practice observers have reported this week.

• The drama never ends in Ann Arbor, who I hear is a whore. Just heard that back-up quarterback Nick Sheridan broke his leg. Tate Forcier, not only are you the future, the starter for 2009, but you are also the only scholarship quarterback on your squad. You might not have to worry about losing your starting spot, but with your slight build and pourous line protecting you, you will have to worry about internal bleeding. Fall can't come soon enough.
  

Mailbag!

I got some good questions and now it's time for my first mailbag. Don't hesitate to send me questions so we can do this more often. Let's begin.

SickOLBs,
I love your blog! I have two questions. Jack Crawford starting? Really? Also, you forgot Colasanti on your two-deep.
Joe from Mechanicsburg

Joe,

Jack Crawford? Oh yeah! With Maybin and Evans leaving early we're a bit thin at DEnd and with Jerome Hayes still not fully recovered from his torn ACL, Crawford is heading into spring as our top DEnd. The staff knew Evans wouldn't be coming back and I'm sure they had a feeling that with enough playing time Maybin might leave early as well which makes their decision to play Crawford early and often last season a huge plus. As far as Chris Colasanti, I see Colasanti redshirting this year. Colasanti, a true junior, played mostly just special teams his first two years and with Lee shifting over to middle linebaker this is almost a no-brainer. Sean Lee and Josh Hull, both seniors, man the top two rungs at middle on the depth chart and Colasanti redshirts with two seasons remaining to be a significant contributor.

SickOLBs,
Huge fan. Who's rocking #24 next season?
Paul from Mechanicsburg

Paul,

No one. Hope some stud freshman coming in takes it, maybe a wide receiver who hopes to play this year. If not just go ahead and redshirt your Norwood jersey and pull it back out in 2010; I have a strong feeling our jerseys will not change too much between now and then.

SickOLBs,
You're the next big thing in my part of the country. Can you break down the running back situation for us for this year?
Frank from Phoenix

Frank,

Phoenix, wow, I've never even been there. Someone in your town needs to tell Shaq to close his mouth. I see Royster one, Green two, and Carter three. Brandon Beachum has a redshirt available but I don't think he will redshirt this season and I have three reasons why. This is not a video game. Also, all three of our running backs ahead of Beachum got hurt last season. Plus, believe it or not we have an even weaker schedule this season than last and there will be plenty of fourth quarter blowout carries for Beachum. For those who think that Beachum will overtake redshirt junior Brent Carter on the depth chart I think you're nuts. I think Carter is the best third string running back we've had in some time here. This situation used to be a commonality in the 90s for Penn State. Believe me, Brent Carter would start for a handful of Big Ten teams. In general, I would really like to see Penn State run the ball more this year and specifically I'd like to see Carter and the rest of the running backs get more carries. I'd like to see the half dozen designed runs for Derrick Williams to go to Brent Carter. We have three very good running backs all with different styles and I want to see us take advantage of that and run the ball.

As for fullback, Michael Zordich was listed as a linebacker on the official prespring roster but I think he's going to be our fullback moving forward. Either that or we won't have one. I don't think Joe Suhey will slide over and try to grab the fullback job, I see him doing what he did last year and that is playing the role of a third down back in the fourth quarter of blowouts. Suhey can block and catch but he just doesn't have the talent to take away playing time from any of our big three. Keep in mind he was only a redshirt freshman last season so when our big three move on I'm sure Suhey will be part of the gameplan at running back alongside Beachum and incoming freshman Curtis Dukes.

Mid-March two-deep + tidbits

I had a request for how I thought the depth chart looks right now. Let's take a look at it:

QB: Daryll Clark Sr(RS), Kevin Newsome Fr

RB: Evan Royster Jr(RS), Stephfon Green So(RS), Brent Carter Jr(RS)

FB: Michael Zordich Fr(RS)

WR: Brett Brackett Jr(RS), James McDonald Sr(RS), Shawney Kersey Fr

WR: Chaz Powell So(RS), Curtis Drake Fr, Devon Smith Fr

WR: Derek Moye S0(RS), Graham Zug Jr(RS), Justin Brown Fr

TE: Mickey Shuler Sr(RS), Andrew Quarless Sr

LT: DeOn'tae Pannell So, Nerraw McCormack Sr(RS)

LG: Johnnie Troutman So(RS), Matt Stankiewitch Fr(RS)

C: Stefen Wisniewski Jr, Doug Klopacz Jr(RS)

RG: Lou Eliades Jr(RS), J.B. Walton S0(RS)

RT: Dennis Landolt Sr(RS), Eric Shrive Fr

Rush End: Jerome Hayes Sr(RS), ****

DT: Jared Odrick Sr, Devon Still So(RS)

DT: Abe Koroma Jr(RS), Ollie Ogbu Jr(RS)

DE: Jack Crawford S0, Eric Latimore So(RS)

Sam: Michael Mauti So, Nate Stupar S0(RS)

Mike: Sean Lee Sr(RS), Josh Hull Sr(RS)

Fritz: Navorro Bowman Jr(RS), Bani Gbadyu Jr(RS)

CB: A.J. Wallace Sr, Knowledge Timmons Sr(RS)

CB: D'Anton Lynn S0, Darrell Givens Fr

FS: Gerald Hodges Fr, Andrew Dailey So(RS)

Hero: Drew Astorino So(RS), Cedric Jeffries Jr(RS)

****with Maybin and Evans both off early to the NFL we have a bit of a void at DE. There are numerous options at this spot and I suspect the coaching staff goes with one of the options but does not make that decision for a while yet. Best possible options:

1) Move Nate Stupar to rush end to back up Hayes and get some PT. Assuming Mauti starts, Stupar is the next player that needs to see the field. This move would also allow Fr(RS) Mike Yancich to crack the two-deep.

2) Move Fr(RS) TE Mark Wedderburn to DE. Not only is Wedderburn behind both Shuler and Quarless on the DC, he's also behind So(RS) Andrew Szczerba.

Looking at our depth chart on paper it is easy to see why I am so excited for the upcoming season. I believe we are going to be better in 2009 than we were in 2008.


Tidbits:

• You can go ahead and add California and North Carolina to the states that Penn State actively recruits for football. The list how I have it alphabetically:

California
Connecticut
Delaware
Maryland
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Virginia

• The funniest thing that most Penn State fans aren't aware of is the fact that Penn State rarely recruits against other Big Ten schools. While it's true that with Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, we do recruit more head-to-head against Michigan than in years past, other than Michigan we recruit very little against the rest of the conference. We battle Illinois over D.C. prospects and typically throw our hat into the ring for the best player in Illinois every couple of years. For example, we did go after Juice Williams for the 2006 class and we have thrown our hat in the ring for 2010 elite WR prospect Kyle Prater. Outside of Youngstown, Ohio State owns Ohio and takes what they want from the cream of the crop in Pittsburgh. We've also been known to go head-to-head with Ohio State over top talent in Maryland. For example, Ohio State fans were in meltdown mode a couple years ago when Navorro Bowman selected Penn State over the Buckeyes.

• Speaking of Michigan recruiting, the saga continues regarding their quarterback position and quarterback recruiting. Let's review: Newsome and Beaver commit early to Michigan. Michigan has a horrible season highlighed but inconsistent, poor quarterback play. Tate Forcier commits to Michigan. Newsome drops Michigan in favor of Penn State, Beaver drops Michigan in favor of Tulsa. Rodriguez is unable to bring in a second quarterback. Steven Threet, by far the better of Michigan's quarterbacks from 2008, transfers. Michigan is left with Nick Sheridan, a horrible, horrible quarterback and Tate Forcier, an early-enrollee true freshman with the expectations of program savior on his shoulders. Last week's problem is that these expectations are on weak shoulders. Forcier is currently at Michigan at 6' even and a rail-thin 178 lbs; that's not going to cut it in the Big Ten. This week's problem, 2010 high school star QB Devin Gardner committed to Michigan. Let me get this straight, Tate Forcier is the program's savior...until Gardner arrives next season? Here are two predictions, Gardner will change his mind at some point and not follow through with his committment to Michigan just like the two quarterbacks who committed early to the Wolverines did last year. Also, Forcier will not make it through the season without injury, especially not behind that joke of an offensive line.