Notes from Coaches Clinic scrimmage: Kuntz unjured, Depth Chart shakeup (updated)

Updated: 7:30 p.m.

Penn State hosted more than 100 high school coaches today, part of the annual coaches clinic in Happy Valley. The highlight of the day, naturally, was the full-team scrimmage in Beaver Stadium. Here are some points to take away from the day's action.

• First, from Jay Paterno:


• Mike Poorman, StateCollege.com, with the depth charts:

DEPTH CHARTS

OFFENSE
(first team, followed by second team)
QB -- Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin,
RB – Stephfon Green, Curtis Dukes
WR – Derek Moye, Brandon Mosby-Felder
WR – Graham Zug, Curtis Drake
WR – Brett Brackett, Shawney Kersey
TE – Andrew Szerba, Garry Gilliam
RT – Lou Eliades, Chima Okoli
RG – Stefen Wisniewski, John Urschel
C – Doug Klopaz, Matt Stankiewitch
LG – Quinn Barham, Johnnie Troutman
LT – DeOn'tae Pannell, Mike Farrell

DEFENSE
(first team, followed by second team)
DE – Jack Crawford, Kevion Latham
DT – Devon Still, Jordan Hill
DT – Ollie Ogbu, Terry James
DE – Eric Latimore, Sean Stanley
LB – Chris Colasanti, Gerald Hodxges
LB – Nate Stupar, James Van Fleet
LB – Bani Gbadyu, Micahel Yancich
CB – D'Aton Lynn, Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
CB – Stephon Morris, Jacob Fagnano
SS – Andy Dailey, Derrick Thomas
S – Nick Sukay, Chaz Powell

• Bob Flounders, Patriot-News, on Christian Kuntz's injury:

“Kuntz, a 6-4, 207-pound redshirt freshman, fell to the ground in obvious pain after an early play. After he was examined by team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli, Kuntz limped off the field. PSU's training staff wrapped Kuntz's left knee – from the kneecap to the ankle – in ice. Kuntz's condition will likely be updated in the next few days.”

On other stuff from the scrimmage:

“Several injured Lions were held out of the scrimmage – safety Drew Astorino (shoulder), linebacker Mike Mauti (knee), defensive lineman Pete Massaro (knee) and wideout Devon Smith (ankle). Smith injured his left ankle during a practice last Wednesday.”

• Bill Kline, Allentown Morning Call, from his Tweets:

“Here's the starting OL today: LT Quinn Barham, LG DeOn'tae Pannell, C Doug Klopacz, RG Stefan Wisniewski, LT Lou Eliades” ... “FB Mike Zordich wins scrimmage MVP award with his second TD run.”

Three Four big things from today: Kuntz, the Offensive Line, Mike Zordich at fullback, and the secondary.

The Kuntz injury isn't bothering me terribly. I hate to see any player go down, but let's hope it isn't as bad as it looked. If that's the only major injury this spring, I'll take it.

On the line, I'm not sure I'm ready to look too deeply into the Wisniewski move to guard. Nothing is settled yet; don't let this day fool you. There's as good a chance this was just an experiment as there is of it being a significant change to the starting lineup. Pannell played at guard at the end of last season, so it's not unusual to see him there. Again, don't freak out over this.

Chaz Powell has seemed to move back to his natural position: safety. D'Anton Lynn is back at corner, with safety Andrew Dailey in for Drew Astorino. I like this lineup much better than we previously reported.

As far as Zordich is concerned, I really thought he would stay at linebacker. Yet again, don't read too far into anything reported today.

It sure is interesting to see what the staff has done with certain players, but until we near Blue-White Game week, I won't consider anything definite.

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. You can also Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email

11th Hour Depth Charting: Northwestern at Penn State

There actually isn't much change this week, which could be a good thing for a team that could use a little stability. The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

Blue-White Countdown 2010: Wide Receivers

Previous entries...
1: Special Teams
2: Defensive Backs
3: Linebackers
4: Defensive Line
5: Offensive Line
6: Tight EndsGraham Zug (5) has earned a cult-like following among fans.

We continue our countdown to the 2010 Blue-White Game. Penn State football is up and running, the weather is warming, and that itch you're feeling won't be fixed by a doctor, but rather a sunny day in Beaver Stadium with 80,000 fans. As we close in on the Blue-White weekend, I'll go through all the major positions, trying to give the most reasoned explanation of who we could see come out big, and why. In today's edition, the wide receivers get a look.

Background

From 2000 through 2004, Penn State had exactly one big-play threat wide receiver--Bryant Johnson in 2002. But ask most fans suffering through those "Dark Years," which positions contributed most to the poor on-field product, and they will surely point to the pass catchers. The Nittany Lions simply couldn't stretch the field on offense, allowing defenses to pile up in the box. It wasn't a fun time for the Penn State passing game.

Then, along came a kid from Greenbelt, Maryland named Derrick Williams. He was no ordinary recruit; he was the No. 1 recruit in college football for 2005. His commitment to the Nittany Lions in December 2004 gave new life to a program struggling to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

That fall, Penn State fielded what could have been dubbed the fastest group of wide receivers ever to wear the blue and white. Forty wins, three bowl wins, and two Big Ten titles later, the class of 2005 had gone on, leaving a huge hole on the outside of the offense.

Last season, new talent had to step into that void, and did so in surprisingly easy fashion. Derek Moye, Graham Zug and Chaz Powell helped quarterback Daryll Clark become the first Penn State player to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season. All three return for 2010, but that doesn't mean the wide receiver positions are going to remain the same as 2009. With a new quarterback and new tight ends, this spring will be crucial to the development of the Nittany Lions' pass attack this fall.

Receivers

Derek Moye (6) became Penn State's go-to guy last season, catching 48 passes for 785 yards and six touchdowns.

Last season, we saw the emergence of Moye and Zug as Penn State's two main receivers. They combined for 1,385 yards and 13 touchdowns.

That might not seem like much, but when combined with Andrew Quarless' 536 from the tight end spot, Powell's 336 as an all-purpose-style receiver, and nearly 400 yards from the running backs catching passes, the Nittany Lions had plenty of fire power through the air.

This spring, expect Moye and Zug to be held out of any serious competition. Powell has been moved to the defensive backfield. And the tight ends probably won't get nearly as many balls thrown their way as in 2009.

So, where does that leave Penn State? Well, not as bare in the cupboard as you'd think.

Aside from Moye and Zug, four returning receivers caught at least one pass last season--Curtis Drake, Devon Smith, Justin Brown and Brett Brackett. From the early reports out of spring practice, it looks like Brackett could be used as a flex-tight end in certain situations. But for this exercise, we'll include him in the wide receiver corps.

No.	Name	Pos.	Elig	Ht/Wt	High School	Coach
4	Shawney Kersey	WR	rFR	6-1/187	Woodbury, N.J./Woodbury	Zack Valentine
5	Graham Zug	WR	rSR	6-2/183	Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central	Mike Williams
6	Derek Moye	WR	JR	6-5/198	Rochester, Pa./Rochester	Gene Matsook
7	Curtis Drake	WR	SO	5-11/168	Philadelphia, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic	Brian Fluck
8	Brandon Moseby-Felder	WR	rFR	6-2/170	Fort Washington, Md./Oxon Hill	Kevin Wolfolk
14	A.J. Price	WR	rFR	6-4/177	Reston, Va./South Lakes	John Ellenberger
17	Christian Kuntz	WR	rFR	6-4/207	Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity	Jeff Boger
19	Justin Brown	WR	SO	6-3/208	Wilmington, Del./Concord	George Kosanovich
20	Devon Smith	WR	SO	5-7/153	White Plains, Md./Westlake	Dom Zaccarelli
25	Andrew Goodman	WR	rSO	6-0/183	Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington	Ron Cohen
26	J.D. Mason	WR	rSO	6-4/208	Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola	Jeff Vroman
27	Tariq Tongue	WR	rFR	5-8/164	Flushing, N.Y./Holy Cross	Tom Pugh
81	Ryan Scherer	WR	rSO	5-8/168	Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake	Dave Dlugosz
83	Brett Brackett	WR	rSR	6-6/232	Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence	Rob Radice

Receivers are like defensive backs and offensive linemen; you can never have enough on the roster. Including the six already mentioned, Penn State could have as many as ten wide receivers in serious contention for playing time in the fall. Four of them--Shawney Kersey, Brandon Moseby-Felder, A.J. Price and Christian Kuntz--are all redshirt freshmen, all of them looking for a chance to impress the coaches enough to land a spot in the regular receiver rotation. Spring practice and the Blue-White Game is where careers can be made. This season is no different, especially for these four young men.

A.J. Price (14) is just one of the young talented receivers trying to break into the rotation this spring.

Kersey and Moseby-Felder gained some early traction with the coaches, when in winter workouts prior to the Capital One Bowl, the two were said to have worked extraordinarily hard to help the team prepare. That is absolutely no slight to Kuntz or Price, as there have been no negative comments from the staff about them. It's just that the former two have been particularly praised going into the spring. Some reports have indicated that Moseby-Felder might not have been redshirted at all last season, had it not been for an injury during his senior year of high school.

The more experienced backups, including Drake, Brown and Smith, will all fight this spring for the vacancy left when Powell moved to defense. With Zug having played in the slot before, Brown won't have to worry about being left out. Drake and Smith are definitely more suited to play the slot position.

Brown is one of the players I'm particularly excited to see get more playing time. Not only did he show flashes on offense, but he saw even more in-game action on special teams as a punt returner. At 6-foot-3, and more than 200 pounds, he has prototypical NFL size, with speed to match. Paired up with Moye, Brown could give Penn State another huge boost down the sideline or to the post.

Smith played early last season, but managed to land himself in Joe Paterno's doghouse after the second or third game. He's one of the fastest players on the team, running several end-around plays and kickoff returns last season. If he can get his off-field issues settled, it will be difficult to keep him on the sideline. Smith was injured last week, but it's supposedly only a slight ankle sprain that shouldn't keep him out too long.

Then there's Drake. A former high school quarterback, the true sophomore earned increasingly more playing time as last season went on, eventually catching everyone's attention against Michigan State. On a fake end-around, Drake tossed one into the end zone for a touchdown. If that play was any indication of how the staff might want to use Drake this season, we could have another Derrick Williams on our hands. The coaches like to pull out a few tricks for the Blue-White Game crowd. I imagine this will be one of the players to do so.

Two final names, Brackett and running back Stephon Green, should be mentioned before we close. Brackett is entering his final spring session, but hasn't been able to capture a starting role for the Nittany Lions. He's seen plenty of action over his career, but with the de-emphasizing of tight ends this season, I won't be shocked to see his number of plays increase significantly. Green has been mentioned as a possibility to split out from the backfield. The coaches really want to keep him on the field as much as possible this season; catching passes might be the way to do it.

Next: Running Backs

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. You can also Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email

Blue-White Game Preview '11: Receivers & Tight Ends

This post is part 2 of 5 this week previewing all the offensive and defensive units heading into the Blue-White scrimmage this Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

---

Part 2: Receivers & Tight Ends

This position took a big hit last week when Derek Moye sustained a concussion that will sideline him for the remainder of the spring session. But it could turn out to be beneficial to the progress of this unit--of course, it's horrible that Moye had to miss time due to such a serious injury--that the less-prominent receivers will see many more reps the next week of practice and in the scrimmage.

The tight end spot is even rougher than the wide receivers. With two of the top candidates out indefinitely with injuries, it will be yet another season of inexperience on the end.

More on each in the following sections below the break.

Preseason Depth Chart and 2010 Roster Updates

Updated 8/17, 2:00 p.m.

Less than three weeks until kickoff, folks.

With that, I thought a quick update to the roster and depth chart was in order.

I'll do a fall camp update later this week.

Roster

Here are some new weights for some players since preseason practice began: Silas Redd [5-10, 202], Stephfon Green [5-10, 200], Jack Crawford [6-5, 268 to 272], Stephon Morris [5-8 1/2, 186], D'Anton Lynn [6-1, 204], Christian Kuntz [6-5, 215], Sean Stanley [6-1, 243 to 246], Devon Still [6-5, 295], Brandon Ware [6-3, 330], Chima Okoli [6-4, 296], Paul Jones [6-3, 235], Curtis Drake [5-11, 180], Justin Brown [6-3, 213] and Garry Gilliam [6-6, 265].

Update: P Russell Nye and RB Shaine Thompson are no longer with the team. Thompson was declared academically ineligible, but will remain in college and earn his degree. No word on why Nye left, probably no room on the roster. Good luck to them both.

Check out the latest updated version of Penn State's 2010 football roster.

Depth Chart

Projecting a depth chart is fun, but really tough to get right unless you're watching practice every day. But if you read enough of everything, you'll get most of it right.

Here are some notes on it:

Curtis Drake is out for a long time, 6-8 weeks. Don't be shocked if he takes a redshirt season. It does look like Brett Brackett will take over the R receiver position, which to me looks like the slot. But there are some out there saying that true frosh Alex Kenney is gaining traction with the coaching staff, and could see some time behind Brackett.

Brandon Beachum is on this depth chart, even though ACL recoveries don't usually get a green light by the doctors until after a full year has passed. But for now, it looks like Beachum wants to get back on the field, right now.

Sophomore receiver Justin Brown (19) should see a ton of time this fall, on both offense and special teams.

A nice corps of receivers are developing behind the "Big 2" of Derek Moye and Graham Zug. But the loss of The Drake still stings a big. I'm very excited to see Shawney Kersey and Justin Brown have a bigger role this year.

At tight end, with the emergence of Garry Gilliam as a potential candidate to "co-start" with Andrew Sczcerba, I'm not expecting Kevin Haplea to make the depth chart this year. That's not saying he's not good enough. But as long as Mark Wedderburn is around, I don't see the staff wasting a season of eligibility on Haplea in 2010.

The linebackers are a muddled mess right now, but in a good way, I swear. There are just waaayyy too many great players at this position. The starters are set, and I'm comfortable with them. But I do expect Mike Mauti to get back into the swing of things by the Big Ten opener. The other guy I'm really looking forward to seeing is Gerald Hodges, but who isn't? Basically, that entire second string could start for any BCS automatic qualifier, and be considered a strength of the defense. They're all that good.

Let's hope the special teams are settling down a bit. I like the idea of Brown fielding punts. And if Anthony Fera is really, finally keeping his head about him, I like him to take over punting duties. Then again, who knows anything definite about Penn State's special teams?

So here we go, what I think is a logical projection of the 2010 Penn State football depth chart going into the season:

OFF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
QB	#12 Kevin Newsome	#11 Matt McGloin	#10 Paul Jones; #1 Robert Bolden
RB	#22 Evan Royster	#21 Stephfon Green	#3 Brandon Beachum; #26 Curtis Dukes
FB	#37 Joe Suhey	#9 Mike Zordich	#33 Andre Dupree
X	#6 Derek Moye	#19 Justin Brown	#8 Brandon Moesby-Felder
Z	#5 Graham Zug	#20 Devon Smith	#4 Shawney Kersey
R	#83 Brett Brackett	#18 Alex Kenney	--
TE	#80 Andrew Szczerba	#89 Garry Gilliam	#13 Mark Wedderburn
LT	#67 Quinn Barham	#78 Mike Farrell	#58 Adam Gress
LG	#50 De'OnTae Pannell	#54 Matt Stankiewitch	#74 Johnnie Troutman
C	#68 Doug Klopacz	#53 Ty Howle
RG	#61 Stefen Wisniewski	#64 John Urschel	#77 Lou Eliades
RT	#77 Lou Eliades	#52 Chimaeze Okoli	#75 Eric Shrive
LS	#53 Jon Rohrbaugh	--	--
K	#36 Collin Wagner	#30 Anthony Fera	#28 David Soldner
KR	#2 Chaz Powell	#8 Brandon Moseby-Felder	--
KR	#21 Stephfon Green	#20 Devon Smith	--
Hold	#83 Brett Brackett	--	--
DEF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
DE	#81 Jack Crawford	#44 Kevion Katham	#90 Sean Stanley
DT	#71 Devon Still	#47 Jordan Hill	#75 Evan Hailes
DT	#85 Ollie Ogbu	#72 James Terry	#99 Brandon Ware
DE	#56 Eric Latimore	#59 Pete Massaro	#84 Kyle Baublitz
OLB	#15 Bani Gbadyu	#42 Mike Mauti	#51 James Van Fleet
MLB	#48 Chris Colasanti	#33 Mike Yancich	#40 Glenn Carson
OLB	#34 Nate Stupar	#6 Gerald Hodges	#11 Khairi Fortt; #40 Glen Carson
CB	#12 Stephfon Morris	#2 Chaz Powell	#5 Derrick Thomas
Hero	#1 Nick Sukay	#23 Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	#27 Jacob Fagnano
FS	#28 Drew Astorino	#13 Andrew Dailey	#10 Malcolm Willis
CB	#8 D'Anton Lynn	#4 Evan Lewis	#14 Mike Wallace
PS	#95 Russell Nye	#30 Anthony Fera	#5 Graham Zug
PR	#19 Justin Brown	#5 Graham Zug	#8 Brandon Moseby-Felder

I'm sure I won't have to ask for your own thoughts on that chart, so just let'em rip. (remember: no anonymous comments, please) But this seems pretty safe, considering there's so much uncertainty.

I think that's it for now. Start correcting me...

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email

Clear the Bench: 11 Starters Likely to Miss the Blue-White Game

Injuries will for some of Penn State's
best players to sit out of the spring game.

As if the rain wasn't going to ward away enough spectators, Penn State announced the injury report for this weekend's Blue-White Game. It's not pretty:

OUT FOR 2011 SEASON
TE Garry Gilliam (knee)
DE Pete Massaro (knee)

OUT FOR BLUE-WHITE GAME, POSSIBLE FOR SEASON
WR Curtis Drake (leg)

OUT FOR BLUE-WHITE GAME, EXPECTED TO BE 100 PERCENT FOR SEASON
S Drew Astorino (hamstring)
DE Jack Crawford (foot)
RB Derek Day (elbow)
FB Andre Dupree (shoulder)
DT Evan Hailes (leg)
WR Shawney Kersey (head)
WR Christian Kuntz (collarbone, knee)
DE Eric Latimore (wrist)
CB D'Anton Lynn (back)
CB Stephon Morris (head)
WR Derek Moye (head)
LB Nate Stupar (hamstring)
FB Joe Suhey (shoulder)
S Nick Sukay (chest)
TE Andrew Szczerba (back)
FB Zach Zwinak (knee)

At least the guys lower on the depth chart will get a lot more snaps.

Speaking of that weather situation, Penn State released this a little while ago:

The recent rain and expected inclement weather on Saturday has led to additional parking changes for the Penn State Blue-White Game presented by AAA.

Fans attending Saturday's Blue-White Game are encouraged to leave their RVs at home this weekend due to the saturated fields that have reduced the number of available parking spaces around Beaver Stadium.

Let's set the over/under for attendance at 20,000.

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email

11th Hour Depth Charting: Penn State at Ohio State

Another week with little change. It becomes more clear why Penn State has been able to play so well the last three games--stability! The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

11th Hour Depth Charting: Penn State at Indiana (updated)

Will we get "The Scranton Slinger,"
or "McSix" this week?
(Photo: Mike/LBU)

Another week with little change. The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

Offense
-No major changes. Matt McGloin is still the starter.

Defense
-Michael Mauti is out this week with that shoulder injury (dislocation). Nate Stupar should fill in nicely, but there will still be a big leadership void on defense.

Sp. Teams
-Anthony Fera's appendix nearly exploded all over his innards. The surgery will set him back at least the rest of the regular season, if not longer. True frosh Alex Butterworth takes over.

Update: Apologies for not mentioning Sean Stanley or Silas Redd. I believe Redd won't be punished by the team. There's no reason to. He wasn't drunk, and how many of us have done what he did? Sean Stanley, on the other hand, is up in the air. I'm leaving him as the main backup to Pete Massaro on the weak side, but if he doesn't play, it wouldn't shock me. The defensive line is very weak and thin this year, so him playing may happen. Still, Stanley's situation is much different than Redd's, because Stanley was out drinking the night before the Ohio State game. No matter if he got caught or not, what does that say about his commitment to the team? Nothing good, that's what.

The depth chart:

2010 PSU Eligibility Breakdown

Updated 2/5/10

Barring some twist, Penn State's roster is set for the season. With that, today we'll break down the team by position and eligibility. In particular, eligibility determines not only the recruiting strategy for the next season, but which players are redshirted, which players change positions, and so much more. This breakdown will be critical to understanding what happens with certain players, and why, in the coming months.

(Full analysis below the chart)

Pos.	(14) Seniors	(26) Juniors	(35) Sophomores	(49) Freshmen
QB			(4) Matthew McGloin, Kevin Newsome*, John Kelly, Shane McGregor	(4) Steven Hill, Garrett Venuto, Robert Bolden^, Paul Jones^
RB	(3) Evan Royster*, Josh Matzkin (FB), Brent Carter,	(3) Brandon Beachum, Stephfon Green*, Joe Suhey* (FB)	(2) Derek Day, Kevin Kowalishen	(5) Curtis Dukes, Pat Zerbe (FB), Andre Dupree (FB), Silas Redd^, Zach Zwinak^ (FB)
WR	(2) Graham Zug*, Brett Brackett	(2) Chaz Powell*, Derek Moye*	(7) Curtis Drake, Justin Brown, Devon Smith, Andrew Goodman, J.D. Mason, Ryan Scherer, Sean Luchnick	(7) Shawney Kersey, Brandon Moseby-Felder, A.J. Price, Tariq Tongue, Christian Kuntz, Alex Kenney^, Levi Norwood^
TE		Andrew Szczerba*,	Mark Wedderburn,	Kevin Haplea^,
OL	(3) Stefen Wisniewski* (C), Doug Klopacz (C), Lou Eliades* (G)	(4) DeOn'tae Pannell* (T), Quinn Barham* (G), Anthony Tortorelli (C), Johnnie Troutman* (G)	(2) Matt Stankiewitch* (G), Mike Farrell	(11) Adam Gress, Ty Howle (C), Frank Figueroa, Mark Arcidiacono, John Urschel, Eric Shrive (T), Nate Cadogan, Luke Graham^, Khamrone Kolb^, Tom Ricketts^, Vinh Vuong^
DL	(2) Tom McEowen (DT), Ollie Ogbu* (DT)	(6) Kevion Latham (DE), Jonathan Stewart (DE), Eric Latimore* (DE), Devon Still* (DT), Jack Crawford* (DE), Chimaeze Okoli (DT)	(7) Jordan Hill (DT), Pete Massaro (DE), Sean Stanley (DE), James Terry (DT), Mikel Berry, Matt Kenney (DE), Brandon Ware (DT)	(8) Garry Gilliam, J.R. Refice, Brad Bars^, Kyle Baublitz^, Miles Dieffenbach^, Evan Hailes^, DaQuan Jones^, C.J. Olaniyan^
LB	(2) Bani Gbadyu*, Chris Colasanti*	(2) Shaine Thompson, Nathan Stupar	(6) Michael Zordich, Michael Yancich, Michael Mauti*, Ken Pollock, Brian Irvin, James Van Fleet	(5) Nick Delligatti, Khairi Fortt^, Mike Hull^, Dakota Royer^, Don Duckett^
DB	(3) Cedric Jeffries (S), Shelton McCullough (CB), Jesse Alfreno (CB)	(7) D'Anton Lynn* (CB), Andrew Dailey (S), Nick Sukay* (S), Drew Astorino* (S), Kyle Johnson (S), Tyler Ahrenhold (S), Stephen Joseph (S)	(3) Gerald Hodges (S), Stephon Morris* (CB), Jacob Fagnano	(6) Evan Lewis, Mike Wallace, Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, Malcolm Willis, Derrick Thomas, Shyquawn Pullium^
ST	Collin Wagner* (K),	Ryan Breen* (P),	(3) David Soldner (K), Jon Rohrbaugh (LS), Michael Fuhrman (K)	(2) Anthony Fera (K), Emery Etter (K)

*Possible/probable starter
^True freshman

Recruiting

The first thing anyone will notice is the lack of any upperclassmen quarterbacks. All eight passers have sophomore or freshman eligibility. With the addition of two very highly-rated quarterbacks--Bolden and Jones--Penn State is pretty much relieved of any pressure to recruit and sign a high-quality quarterback prospect for the 2011 recruiting class. Newsome, Bolden and Jones were all top-10 quarterbacks nationally out of high school. There hasn't been this kind of quality depth at this position in years, if not ever for Penn State.

There are only eight total seniors currently listed as offensive players; only 10 offensive players are juniors. This creates a huge backlog of players, all with loads of talent. I would imagine that with so many sophomores and juniors on this side of the ball, Penn State could afford to recruit lightly for offensive prospects next recruiting season.

The defense is another story. While there are only seven senior defenders, there are 15 juniors and 16 sophomores. Compared to the 28 offensive players with freshman eligibility going into 2010, the defense only has 19 redshirt or true freshmen. While its depth is not at all thin, the defense could use another jolt from next season's recruiting class, particularly in the defensive backfield, where the Lions only picked up one player in this year's class.

Redshirting

Penn State loves to redshirt freshmen whenever it can. Last season, the Nittany Lions had a senior-heavy starting lineup, necessitating the early playing time by true freshmen like Stephon Morris and Curtis Drake, among others. Now that the roster has some experience, and most of the positions are down to no more than two players competing for the job, the 2010 true freshmen won't get nearly the amount of playing time that we saw last season.

Since Paul Jones is enrolled for the spring semester, he does have a leg up on Robert Bolden to become the second or third quarterback for 2010. However, if Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin have a really great spring sessions, don't be surprised if Bolden is redshirted along with Jones. I'm not counting on it yet, as Newsome hasn't been given enough live action to show what he can really do on the field. But no matter what happens with Newsome and Jones, you can bet now that Bolden will take a redshirt season for 2010.

Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not counting on Silas Redd, Mike Hull, or Khairi Fortt to see anything but the bench in 2010. Seriously, how many snaps would these guys get, 30? 40? That is not worth wasting a year of eligibility for young players who will have their shot to make a difference on the team. The only area where I could see one or two true freshmen playing is along the defensive line, as Larry Johnson, Sr. loves to sub players in and out on almost every play. But overall, this is not the year to play freshmen. Should the coaching staff agree with that, it could pay huge dividends in the next four years.

Position Changes

There has been talk about a few position changes for the spring, but nothing has been confirmed; if it was confirmed, don't count on it staying that way. Penn State makes about a dozen or so position changes by the time spring turns to summer.

However, there are a few that could stick. The former defensive back recruit, safety Gerald Hodges, is supposedly moving to linebacker to take advantage of his great size and incredible speed. This is just another reason why I said above that there is no reason to waste Mike Hull's freshman season on a few snaps. I would have liked to see Hodges stay at safety, as Penn State hasn't had an elite talent back there in a number of years--not to mention all the blown coverages by a few of the safeties since the 2009 Rose Bowl.

Of course, that all could be assuaged if this next possibility comes true: Chaz Powell will move back to his old safety position. If this happens in concert with Hodges' move to linebacker, it would be very satisfying. Powell was a very highly-rated safety out of high school, with good speed and knows how to handle the ball. Plus, a defensive back with wide receiver experience is always great.

That's all for now. As spring practice starts up, we'll keep the updates coming. It should be one of the most interesting spring sessions we've seen in a long time. I know I'm looking forward to it.

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email

11th Hour Depth Charting: Michigan St at Penn St

Some important injuries this week, though not nearly as destructive as other points this season.

RG John Urschel could start,
depending on Doug Klopacz's status.
 (Photo: Mike/LBU)

The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

-The players marked with an asterisk (*) are only projected to either start or not start, based on how the injury situation plays out at each position.
-The offensive line depends on whether or not Doug Klopacz is ready to go. If not, then Stefen Wisniewski will move to center, as he did against Indiana, while John Urschel will move up to start at RG.
-Michael Mauti could end up playing, but I'll go with Nate Stupar as the starter again this week.
-It's senior day, so Bani Gbadyu will start. But that doesn't mean he'll stay there the full game. Watch for Gerald Hodges to come in early.

Spring roster update: Cuts and Jersey Numbers

Penn State "released" it's spring roster. By released, I mean they quietly updated the roster on GoPSUSports.com. Naturally, we try to stay as updated as we can here, so I have made all the changes to our own roster at Linebacker-U.com.

Some updates to the roster:

Outback Bowl '11: Penn State Depth Chart

Updated

Michael Mauti is emerging as the
next great leader at Linebacker U.
(Photo: Mike/LBU)

Not many changes for the Outback Bowl. Michael Mauti returns to full strength, which should be a real boost for the defense.

No commentary this week, due to the fact that there isn't anything do analyze. Mark Wedderburn and Kevin Newsome are no longer on the chart, as they have stayed home, and will likely leave the team this off-season.

Here is this week's bowl depth chart.

Joe Paterno Press Conference Recap: Youngstown State

Chaz Powell could play offense
or defense this Saturday, depending on
some key injuries in the Penn State secondary.

Here's the long and short of what happened today at Joe Paterno's first game week press conference. The season opener against Youngstown State is four days away (!), and the quarterback situation isn't getting any better. But more on that in a minute.

Quick hits:

• Being a team captain is a lot like being an officer on Omaha Beach. Yikes.
  
• Andrew Szczerba's back isn't any better, and might not play for a few weeks. (I guess injury information isn't secret after all)
• Chaz Powell is moving back to offense. This is due to an unusually high number of injuries at the wide receiver position--Curtis Drake's broken leg, and Christian Kuntz's knee injury this past weekend. And with Szczerba's absence, they may take some time working in a sufficient gameplan for TE Garry Gilliam, meaning more WR sets.
• Linebacker will be a strength of the team, despite what the pundits are saying. Mike Mauti is fine.
• Stephfon Morris might be out, but it depends on how his neck injury heals. Powell can be moved back to defense if Morris can't go.
• Drew Astorino is doing alright, and should go.
• The offensive line is getting better. Joe and the staff are "very encouraged," which means they might actually be good. Joe doesn't praise units that aren't doing remarkably well. If they weren't, the wouldn't remark on them, right?
  
• Joe Paterno was asked about the quarterbacks, a lot. The gist of it all? Everything is fine, but unknown.
• Paul Jones was redshirted because of academics. Joe's worried about a few players, but wouldn't name them, and asked the guys not to ask about them.
• Both quarterbacks, Newsome and Bolden, can play. But they're obviously young.
• Hopefully a starter will be named tomorrow night.
  

So how many questions did Joe get about the quarterbacks? This many...

Way Too Early 2011 Depth Chart: Pre-Spring Offense

Admit it, you've been already fighting off the football itch, and it's not even letter-of-intent signing day. So as we dive deeper into the worst part of the off season--yes, worse than after spring practice, when at least the preview magazines start rolling out--we're going to roll out a few football posts here and there looking at Penn State's 2011 spring practice. Today, we're starting off with arguably the most entertaining--albeit the most unpredictable--part of any season preview: The Depth Chart.

2009 Penn State Football Roster

Updated 1/1/10

For the current football roster, click here.

2011 Penn State Football Roster

Penn State released its first roster for the 2011 season. There are what look like a few eligibility mistakes on this list, so take all the new info with a grain of salt. It will get worked out as the spring goes on. For now, have at it...

2010 Penn State Football Roster

Updated 8/16/10

You can still view old rosters by visiting our Archived Football Rosters page.

No.	Name	Pos.	Elig.	Ht./Wt.	Hometown/High School/Last College	High School Coach
1	Robert Bolden	QB	FR	6-4/208	Orchard Lake, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's	George Porritt
1	Nick Sukay	Saf	JR	6-1/209	Mt. Pleasant, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic	Wlliam Colosimo
2	Chaz Powell	CB	JR	6-1/196	New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock	Tom Waranavage
3	Brandon Beachum	RB	JR	6-0/225	Struthers, Oh/Cardinal Mooney	P.J. Fecko
4	Shawney Kersey	WR	FR	6-1/197	Woodbury, N.J./Woodbury	Zack Valentine
5	Graham Zug	WR	SR	6-2/185	Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central	Mike Williams
5	Derrick Thomas	CB	FR	6-0/178	Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt	Tom Green
6	Derek Moye	WR	JR	6-5/202	Rochester, Pa./Rochester	Gene Matsook
6	Gerald Hodges	LB	SO	6-2/228	Paulsboro, NJ/Paulsboro	Glenn Howard
7	Curtis Drake	WR	SO	5-11/172	Philadelphia, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic	Brian Fluck
8	Brandon Moseby-Felder	WR	FR	6-2/176	Fort Washington, Md./Oxon Hill	Kevin Wolfolk
8	D' Anton Lynn	CB	JR	6-1/200	Celina, Texas/Celina	Butch Ford
9	Michael Zordich	LB	SO	6-1/236	Canfield, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney	P.J. Fecko
10	Malcolm Willis	Saf	FR	5-1.5/217	Marbury, Md./Lackey	Doug Lamb
10	Paul Jones	QB	FR	6-3/246	McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox	Jason Ruscitto
11	Khairi Fortt	LB	FR	6-2/233	Stamford, Conn./Stamford	Kevin Jones
11	Matthew McGloin	QB	SO	6-1/209	Scranton, Pa./West Scranton	Mike DeAntona
12	Kevin Newsome	QB	SO	6-2/225	Portsmouth, Va./Hargrave Military Academy	Robert Prunty
12	Stephon Morris	CB	SO	5-8/185	Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt	Tom Green
13	Mark Wedderburn	TE	SO	6-6/226	Upper Darby/Cardinal O'Hara	Dan Algeo
13	Andrew Dailey	Saf	JR	6-2/217	Massillon, Ohio/Washington	Tom Stacy
14	Mike Wallace	CB	FR	5-9/184	Silver Springs, Md./Good Counsel	Bob Milloy
14	Evan Lewis	CB	SO	5-10/182	Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg	Sam Leedy
15	Bani Gbadyu	LB	SR	6-1/241	Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard	Dave Mencarini
15	Alex Kenney	WR	FR	6-0/190	State College, Pa./State College Area	Al Wolski
16	Shelton McCullough	CB	SR	6-0/193	Randallstown, Md./Randallstown	Albert Howard
16	Shane McGregor	QB	SO	6-1/205	Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria	Ken Bussard
17	Christian Kuntz	WR	FR	6-4/212	Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity	Jeff Boger
18	Andrew Goodman	WR	SO	6-0/185	Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington	Ron Cohen
19	Garrett Venuto	QB	FR	6-0/215	Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca	Ed Redmond
19	Justin Brown	WR	SO	6-3/216	Wilmington, Del./Concord	George Kosanovich
20	Devon Smith	WR	SO	5-7/157	White Plains, Md./Westlake	Dom Zaccarelli
21	Stephfon Green	TB	JR	5-10/197	Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy	Alex Vega
22	Evan Royster	TB	SR	6-1/228	Fairfax, Va./Westfield	Tom Verbanic
23	Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	Saf	FR	5-10/196	Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy	Alex Vega
24	Derek Day	RB	SO	5-9/196	Bellefonte, Pa./Central Dauphin	Glen McNamee
25	Silas Redd	TB	FR	/200	Norwalk, Conn./King Low Heywood Thomas	Dan Gouin
26	Curtis Dukes	TB	FR	6-1/237	Evans Mills, N.Y./Indian River	Cory Marsell
27	Jacob Fagnano	Saf	SO	6-0/203	Wiliamsport, Pa./Williamsport	Tom Gravish
27	Tariq Tongue	WR	FR	5-8/164	Flushing, N.Y./Holy Cross	Tom Pugh
28	Drew Astorino	Saf	JR	5-10/193	Edinboro, Pa./General McLane	Jim Wells
28	David Soldner	K	SO	6-1/227	Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township	Mike Melnyk
29	Kevin Kowalishen	RB	SO	5-10/187	Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area	Robert Steckel
29	Russell Nye	PK	SO	6-0/170	State College, Pa./State College Area	Al Wolski
30	Anthony Fera	PK	FR	6-2/210	Cypress, Texas/St. Pius X	Robin Kirk
30	Ryan Keiser		FR	6-1/191	Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove	Ray Moyer
31	Nick Delligatti	LB	FR	6-0/206	Grove City, Pa./Grove City	Jeff Bell
32	Dakota Royer	LB	FR	6-1/210	Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Central	Mike Williams
33	Michael Yancich	LB	SO	6-2/236	Washington, Pa./Trinity	Ed Dalton
33	Andre Dupree	FB	FR	5-10/224	Waldorf, Md./North Point	Ken Lane
34	Nathan Stupar	LB	JR	6-1/231	State College, Pa./State College Area	Al Wolski
35	Pat Zerbe	FB	FR	6-1/236	West Lawn, Pa./Wilson	Doug Dahms
36	Kyle Johnson	Saf	JR	6-0/192	Landenberg, Pa./Avon Grove	C.J. Hoffman
36	Collin Wagner	K	SR	5-9/183	State College, Pa./State College Area	Al Wolski
37	Joe Suhey	RB	JR	6-1/227	Deerfield, Ill./Loyola Academy	John Holecek
38	Tyler Ahrenhold	Saf	JR	6-0/185	Blue Bell, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy	Richard Knox
40	Glenn Carson	LB	FR	6-3/237	Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional	Charles Donohue Sr.
40	Zach Zwinak	FB	FR	6-1/227	Frederick, Md./Linganore
41	J.R. Refice	DL	FR	6-0/265	Jessup, Pa./Valley View	George Howanitz
42	Michael Mauti	LB	SO	6-2/231	Mandeville, La./Mandeville	Guy LeCompte
43	Mike Hull	LB	FR	6-0/211	Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan	Guy Montecalvo
44	Michael Fuhrman	KS	SO	5-10/215	Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny	Art Walker
44	Kevion Latham	DE	JR	6-2/252	Greensboro, N.C./Page	Kevin Gillespie
45	Alex Butterworth	K	FR	5-10/192	Indianapolis, Ind./Heritage Christian	Ron Qualls
46	Ken Pollock	LB	SO	6-0/194	Dallas, Pa./Lake Lehman	Carl Kern
47	Jordan Hill	DT	SO	6-1/309	Steelton, Pa./Steelton-Highspire	Rob Deibler
48	Chris Colasanti	LB	SR	6-2/241	Leonard, Mich./Brother Rice	Albert Fracassa
49	A.J. Firestone		FR	6-0/222	Mercersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy	Dan Walker
50	DeOn'tae Pannell	T	JR	6-5/317	Southfield, Mich./Groves	Brendan Flaherty
52	Chimaeze Okoli	T	JR	6-4/293	Virginia Beach, Va./Salem	Robert Jackson
52	Brian Irvin	DE	SO	6-3/240	Orrtanna, Pa./Gettysburg	Sam Leedy
53	Jon Rohrbaugh	KS	JR	6-0/212	Ellicott City, Md./Howard	Bruce Strunk
54	James Van Fleet	LB	SO	6-0/224	Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock	Richard Delaney
54	Matt Stankiewitch	G/C	SO	6-3/293	Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain	Chuck Kutz
55	Tom Ricketts	OL	FR	6-5/268	Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny	Art Walker
56	Eric Latimore	DE	JR	6-6/280	Middletown, Del./Middletown	Mark Delpercio
57	Emery Etter	KS	FR	6-1/230	Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area	Dave Carruthers
58	Adam Gress	T	FR	6-6/293	West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin	Tim Brennan
59	Pete Massaro	DE	SO	6-4/255	Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown	Ray Gionta
60	Ty Howle	C	FR	6-0/290	Wake Forest, NC/Bunn	David Howle
61	Stefen Wisniewski	G/C	SR	6-3/306	Bridgeville, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic	Terry Trotten
62	Frank Figueroa	G	FR	6-3/285	San Antonio, Texas/Thomas Edison	Vaughn Lewis
63	Alex Mateas		FR	6-3/310	Ottawa, Canada/Ottawa Sooners
64	John Urschel	G	FR	6-3/286	Williamsville, N.Y./Canisius	Brandon Harris
65	Miles Dieffenbach	OL	FR	6-3/290	Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel	Bryan Deal
67	Quinn Barham	G/T	JR	6-3/298	Durham, N.C./Hillside	Ray Harrison
68	Doug Klopacz	C	SR	6-3/286	Hasbrouck Heights, N.J./St. Joseph Regional	Tony Karcich
70	Anthony Tortorelli	G	JR	6-0/261	State College, Pa./Haverford	Joe Gallagher
71	Devon Still	DT	JR	6-5/311	Wilmington, Del./Howard	Dan Ritter
72	Khamrone Kolb	OL	FR	6-5/335	Burke, Va./Lake Braddock Secondary	Jim Poythress
73	Mark Arcidiacono	G	FR	6-4/279	Holland, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep	Gil Brooks
74	Johnnie Troutman	G	JR	6-4/323	Brown Mills, N.J./Pemberton Township	Hohn Rosnick
75	Evan Hailes	DT	FR	6-1/307	Chesapeake, Va./Oscar F. Smith	Richard Morgan
75	Eric Shrive	T/G	FR	6-6/299	Scranton, Pa./West Scranton	Mike DeAntona
76	Nate Cadogan	T	FR	6-5/297	Portsmouth, Ohio/Portsmouth	Curt Clifford
77	Lou Eliades	G/T	SR	6-4/310	Ocean, N.J./Ocean Township	Sal Spompanato
78	Mike Farrell	T	SO	6-6/303	Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy	Dave Havern
79	Luke Graham	OL	FR	6-4/278	Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford	Art Tragesser
80	Andrew Szczerba	TE	JR	6-6/254	Wilmington, Del./Salesianum	Bill DiNardo
81	Ryan Scherer	WR	SO	5-8/167	Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake	Dave Dlugosz
81	Jack Crawford	DE	JR	6-5/256	Longport, N.J./St. Augustine	Dennis Scunderi
82	Kevin Haplea	TE	FR	6-4/243	Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon	John Mattes
83	Brett Brackett	WR	SR	6-6/246	Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence	Rob Radice
83	Brad Bars	DE	FR	6-3/223	Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy	Dan McGugin
84	Kyle Baublitz	DE	FR	6-5/248	York, Pa./Central York	Brad Livingston
85	Ollie Ogbu	DT	SR	6-1/285	Staten Island, N.Y./Milford Academy	William Chaplick
86	C.J. Olaniyan	DE	FR	6-3/229	Warren, Mich./Warren Mott	Tom Milanov
87	Jonathan Stewart	TE	JR	6-2/246	North Huntingdon, Pa/Norwin	Daniel Conwell
88	J.D. Mason	TE	SO	6-4/208	Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola	Jeff Vroman
89	Garry Gilliam	TE	FR	6-6/263	Carlisle, Pa./Milton Hershey	Bob Gayer
90	Sean Stanley	DE	SO	6-1/232	Rockville, Md./Gaithersburg	Kreg Kephart
91	DaQuan Jones	DT	FR	6-3/309	Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City Senior	Fred Deinhardt
93	James Terry	DT	SO	6-3/312	New Castle, Del./Brandywine	Steve Dent
94	Mikel Berry	DT	SO	6-2/259	Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington	Mike Golden
96	Cody Castor	DE	SO	6-3/261	Uniontown, Pa./Uniontown Area	John Fortugna
99	Brandon Ware	DT	SO	6-3/337	Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg	George Chaump

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email

Review: Penn State 41, Michigan 31

That was hands-down the most thrilling game Penn State has played this season. Michigan was coming in with the Heisman candidate on offense; Penn State was mired in a frustrating rebuilding year. It wasn't supposed to be Penn State's night.

The defense wasn't living up to the lofty reputation set by the previous six season of greatness. The offense was as consistent as summer rain patterns in State College. Joe Paterno and the coaches were taking flak from every direction. Oh, and did I mention the Nittany Lions were going to start a walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback, in place of the injured incumbent? Yeah, not a whole lot pointed to a Penn State win.

But then it happened. Michigan went 3-and-out on the first drive. Penn State gained control of the ball--and quite possibly the game itself--marching 71 yards in 14 plays for a 7-0 lead. The game's final outcome may have been decided in that first dual between the offenses, but it would be another 52:34 minutes worth of football before the 108,539 in attendance would find out.

The highlights, and lowlights, from Penn State's 41-31 win over Michigan.

Did Penn State oversign for 2011? Kinda.

Math. While it's a tough concept for those in SEC country, up here in the north it doesn't seem like all that much work to, you know, count. And that's all it took to figure out that Penn State appeared to have oversigned for the class of 2011 by two scholarships. But as I'll explain in this post, the Nittany Lions coaching staff did not, in fact, do anything outside of the Big Ten's oversigning regulations.