Thursday Question: Spring Position Battles, pt. 2

Michael Mauti (42) is near 100 percent recovered from his ACL tear last summer, but the coaches have kept him clean so far this spring.

The LBU staff tackles part two of our Thursday Question: What's the most intriguing offensive position battle this spring? Today, we look at the defensive battles.

Galen

I took the high road on offense but I have no shame on defense, this is Linebacker U and I’m looking forward to the battle at the namesake position Michael Mauti was supposed to start last season before tearing his ACL so he will definitely be one of the starting three. Chris Colasanti and Bani Gbadyu are both seniors that have plenty of game experience so they will probably be the default starters going into spring. But with Mauti sitting out spring ball for precautionary reasons, you can bet the coaches will get a good look at all the linebackers on the roster.

Michael Zordich, Michael Yancich and Nathan Stupar will see plenty of playing time but what this position lacks in experience it more than makes up for in talent. Former safety Gerald Hodges and freshmen linebackers Glenn Carson and Khairi Fortt will be given ample opportunity to show what they’ve got. I wouldn’t be surprised to see eight or nine different linebackers get serious playing time in the blue/white game. This position is wide open this year.

Mike

The politically correct response would be to say I'm interested in the linebackers. I am, sort of. But I'm not "OMG" interested in them. There are about nine linebackers on the roster that would start for any BCS program. The coaches will find who fits best, so I'm not worried. The position that intrigues me the most is the secondary. Sure, there is talent back there--supposedly--but do we know what that unit can really do, should it face a dynamite passing attack this season? Seriously, don't you dare say Penn State faced a single good passing team in 2009, because the Nittany Lions did no such thing.

Let's see, Chaz Powell moved to the starting corner spot, and... wait, WHAT? Yeah, Penn State has been forced to move a wide receiver, who hasn't been on defense since 2007, to be the starting corner. I get it that Drew Astorino is out, necessitating the move of D'Anton Lynn from corner to safety. But is Powell really the second-best option to Lynn? I've heard great things about the young guys like Derrick Thomas and Steven Obeng-Agyapong (without looking up the spelling, thank you very much!), but not much outside of their "potential" to be good.

With so many great linebackers fighting for starting jobs, guys like Mike Yancich (33) will most likely battle for the second team spots, which can be just as important to a defense like Penn State's.

Nick

On defense, I'm less intrigued by a position battle than I am in how they utilize Gerald Hodges. In my eyes, he was the most impressive player on the field in last year's Blue-White Game and was disappointed in the lack of use he got during the season. The roster has his listed as a LB, but he's been in the secondary so we'll see what plans they have for him. The revelation Chaz Powell has been seeing reps with the D unit has me interested as well.

Tim

I am looking forward to the steel cage match better known as the linebacker position battle. If you think that starting group of Gbadyu-Colasanti-Stupar is set in stone, you're kidding yourself. Michael Mauti is still recovering a knee injury but should be healthy enough by August, not to mention LB/Safety hybrid Gerald Hodges and froshes Khairi Fortt (who is already enrolled and will be playing in the Blue-White game) and Mike Hull will be fighting for some decent playing time, even if it's highly unlikely to be a starting spot. I'm also curious to see if one of the other Mikes in the linebacking corps (Yancich and Zordich) can crack the two-deep at any of the positions. If forced at gunpoint to name the starting linebackers by the Youngstown State game I'd go with Gbadyu, Mauti, and Stupar, but this is highly subject to change depending on what occurs over the next several months.

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Thursday Question: Spring Position Battles, pt. 1

The exit of Daryll Clark leaves a gaping hole in the offensive starting lineup. The Nittany Lions have multiple positions to fill this off-season.

Spring football is a time when great teams are made. Penn State in 2010 is no different. With so many key leadership positions vacated by long-time starters, the Nittany Lions have a ton of work to do over the next 24 days.

oday, the task is to name the position battles this spring--one on offense, one on defense--that we are looking forward to the most, in this week's Thursday Question: What's the most intriguing offensive position battle this spring?

Galen

It would be easy to talk about the imminent quarterback battle about to ensue this spring but I think I’ll leave that argument for the lazy reporters that get paid for this, I’m sure you’ll be sick of hearing about the “quarterback controversy” soon enough, I won’t pile on. The running back and wide receiver positions are just about set and while there are some offensive line positions yet to be determined, I think the most important position to fill on offense is the tight end. It’s easy to forget the tight end in Penn State’s offense, it is seldom used in the passing game, but it’s a very important cog when it comes to blocking, not only for the passing game but for the running game as well.

Four-year starting tight ends Andrew Quarless (10) and Mickey Shuler (82) are also graduated and off to the NFL this spring. Can Penn State find a capable replacement following a record-breaking season for Nittany Lions tight ends?

Gone to graduation are Andrew Quarless and Mickey Shuler a very good one, two combo last season. After those two the remaining options are a bit green. Andrew Szczerba gets the starting nod only by default because he is the guy with experience, and by “experience” I mean he did have a catch last season. Szczerba blew up the blue/white game last year but then disappeared on the depth chart. Behind him are Mark Wedderburn a redshirt sophomore and possibly senior erstwhile wide receiver Brett Brackett. Brackett is an intriguing player this spring, his name is mentioned at wide receiver, quarterback and tight end. If I were a betting man I would put a sawbuck on Brackett ending up at tight end.

Mike

This might sound strange, but I'm really hoping for a good race at right tackle. If you unfortunately remember the entire 2009 campaign on the right side of the offensive line, you know very well how important it is to have strong links at all five line positions. With the move of DeOn'tae Pannell over to the left side, and the interior line pretty much settled, the right tackle spot is the big question mark as the Nittany Lions enter spring practice. It's been several seasons since I can honestly say I have no idea who will end up on the first team line when spring turns to summer. Adam Gress and Eric Shrive are inexperienced redshirt freshmen, while Mike Farrell is a year older, but hardly a veteran. Throw in about one or two more darkhorses, and you've got yourself a clusterf@ck for right tackle in 2010. By the Blue-White Game, I'm hoping for at least two players to separate themselves from the rest.

Nick

Obviously, it goes without saying the QB is where the offensive attention will be until the first snap of the fall. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you'll get a whole lot of nothing out of the Blue-White Game. What you will get is stripped down, basic plays with easy reads. Unless someone gets happy feet and breaks a big run, there won't be much excitement in that department. It will, however, feed into a multitude of dynamic what ifs to ponder until the regular season (two/three qb sets? wildcat? etc.), which given the lack of football will keep us happily occupied.

Tim

I hate to pick the obvious answer but how can you NOT be intrigued by the quarterback competition? Newsome will win it out in the end, but right now if we were to take JayPa's word as gospel, it sounds as if Matt McGloin has been the most impressive passer. Obviously, the more reps Paul Jones takes, the more likely it becomes that he lands the #2 spot on the depth chart over the backup darkhorse McGloin. Oh, and don't forget Robert Bolden, he'll likely redshirt in the end due to being behind the other three as far as knowing the playbook goes, but don't act like you're not curious to see if he can possibly shake things up when he arrives to Happy Valley this Summer.

Next week: Part 2, defensive battles

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