SB Nation - Kevion Latham

Grading the Penn State Defense Against Eastern Illinois

BSD — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:00:39 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

Penn State defenders Jack Crawford, right, and Jared Odrick, celebrate Odrick's sack of Eastern Illinois quarterback Jake Christensen by hugging as grown men do during the first half of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Penn State won 52-3. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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This is going to be short and sweet because, well, it's Eastern Illinois.

Defensive Line

The defensive line dominated as you expect against an opponent like this. The Panthers only managed 59 yards rushing on 32 attempts. Crawford, Ogbu, and Odrick combined for 4 sacks, 6 TFL, and 9 tackles. Odrick was particularly dominating, and Ogbu forced the fumble Navorro Bowman returned for the touchdown.

A bunch of the younger guys like James Terry, Sean Stanley, Chima Okoli, Jordan Hill, and Kevion Latham all got significant playing time.

Final Grade: A

Linebackers

Josh Hull and Navorro Bowman looked good. Hull had 11 tackles while Bowman had five. But Eastern Illinois really tried to run away from Bowman (wouldn't you?). Still he managed to get 2 TFL and of course he had fumble return for the touchdown. Bani Gbadyuand Nate Stupar did nothing to impress me.

A lot of the younger guys got in the game late, but to be honest I lost interest at that point and didn't see anything remarkable in their performance. I was glad to see Chris Colasanti get in there and get a sack. He's a good kid that just hasn't had his Penn State career go the way I'm sure he pictured it.

Final Grade: B

Secondary

I felt like the secondary took a step back in this game. Christensen only threw for 137 yards, but they just didn't look very tight. A.J. Wallace was making a lot of tackles 10-15 yards down field. He did have the interception, but I credit that to Ogbu who pressured Christensen forcing him to lob a ball up for grabs. It's not like Wallace baited him or read the play perfectly and anticipated it was going there.

I was really disappointed with Drew Astorino and Nick Sukay. They both just looked slow in getting to the ball, and Astorino flat out dropped a pick. Maybe it's time we give Gerald Hodges a look or two in the backfield. I was disappointed to not notice him in the game until late in the fourth quarter, and that was at outside linebacker. I guess we need the depth there right now, but I'm worried that the coaches' knee-jerk reaction to some linebacker injuries is going to stunt his development at safety. He had a really nice teeth-rattling hit on his lone tackle.

But once again I thought D'Anton Lynn and Stephon Morris played really well. Add Knowledge Timmons to that list as well. I'm not at all worried about our cornerback situation next year.

Final Grade: C

Special Teams

Penn State only punted twice all day which is an indicator of just how dominant they were. Boone only punted once for 37 yards which you would think dooms the special teams for a failing grade this week. Ryan had the other punt for 43 yards. Breen also got a shot at a kickoff, and nailed it in the endzone for a touchback. I think he deserves another shot, and Wagner needs to be put on notice that just getting it past the ten yard line isn't going to cut it anymore. The real season is starting, so if he can't get the job done, we'll give it to someone else who can.

But overall the special teams actually wasn't that bad this week. The kick off return coverage still looks a little soft. There were too many returns getting out to the 30 yard line, but I don't recall any kicks where we were a shoe string tackle away from giving up six points. For the most part they did a good job of filtering the play into the middle and containing it. Now they just have to get more aggressive at it. Maybe it's time to put Stupar back out there and let him destroy the wedge like he did last year. Curse you, Penn State linebacker knee hating God for putting us in the depth situation.

Both of Penn State's kick off returns went for touchbacks, so we can't evaluate the kick return game this week.

But the punt return game may have a new star. Justin Brown caught three punts on Saturday and his 20 yard return was the longest play Penn State has had all year.

Final Grade: B

Defensive Coaching

Nothing special to report here. They were fast and aggressive in the beginning until the game was in hand. Then they called off the dogs and put the younger guys in. Kudos to the coaches for keeping the intensity up against a lesser opponent. I was also glad to see a few cornerback blitzes in the package. This is a welcome new wrinkle.

Final Grade: A

Potential Penn State Problems: Also Receiving Votes

Run Up The Score — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:48:50 -0000

We've been counting down our greatest hopes and concerns for this year's Penn State team and are almost at the end of the line. Previous editions profiled the offensive line, Daryll Clark's health, wide receivers, and kicker. Before arriving at #1 on the list, here are some items that didn't make the cut.

Sad puppy is still sad.

Defensive End: We've heard all about the progress of Jack Crawford as the replacement for the quarterback annihilating force formerly known as Project Mayhem, but what will he be able to do against teams that will actually be gameplanning for him in non-garbage time? As for the others, Kevion Latham, Eric Lattimore, and the twice-rehabbed Jerome Hayes will have to find a way to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. As we've learned in nearly every major Penn State loss over the past few years, if the defensive line doesn't get to the quarterback, it's EPIC SECONDARY FAIL. That's just the way the scheme works.

Tight End: Okay, we're really just talking about Andrew Quarless. All the talent in the world (despite what you may have read elsewhere), and one remaining year to capitalize on it. If he does, he could take a lot of pressure off the green-ish wide receivers.

Stephfon Green: Evan Royster is a great running back, but let's face it -- he gets his share of minor injuries like anyone else. Green's speed is obviously his biggest asset, but a look at his conference-only stats shows that he's not exactly a yards-per-carry giant when he gets extended looks in the rushing game. If he ever learns to be a little more patient before turning on the jets (and if the coaches use him as something other than an inexplicable battering ram), he'll evolve into more of a #1a option instead of a #2 and take some pressure and miles off Royster.

Josh Hull: He struggled mightily during the first half of last year but slowly became a solid linebacker toward the end of the season. With Mike Mauti's injury, any depth chart controversies are now moot. Hull will be a second-year starter on the defense, and should improve on his often sluggish read-and-react issues of early 2008 (and if he can't thrive this season with Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu in front of him and Bowman/Lee on either side of him, he never will). He'll never be Paul Posluzny or Shane Conlan -- we know this. And nobody is really proud of harping on the performance of a walk-on linebacker who by all accounts is a great student and overall citizen of this planet. To be honest and fair, going from potential All-American Sean Lee to walk-on Josh Hull took a bit of getting used to for all of us. So let's just hope for the best out of Hull and not scream for someone to replace him until the second half of the Syracuse game, okay? Okay. Deal.

Positive thoughts. Forget all about this.

Fullback: Yeah, I know. It's a friggin' fullback. Still, you know how Joe Paterno loves to use fullbacks in short yardage and goal line situations. The leading candidate seems to be Joe Suhey -- who may actually prove to be valuable as a receiver out of the backfield, think Matt Hahn -- but the team seems to be without its traditional, beefy, block-first bulldozer to line up in front of the tailback. Walk-on Shaine Thompson is in the mix as well, but he's no more than 215 pounds soaking wet. But truth be told, Suhey will probably end up being just fine here.

Anything else you're slightly concerned about that didn't make the list?

Penn State's Reason For Hope #4 - Larry Johnson Sr.

BSD — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:23 -0000

via blog.pennlive.com

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I can remember a few years ago looking ahead to 2009 and thinking Penn State was going to be absolutely loaded on the defensive line. But a funny thing happened between then and now. Phil Taylor and Chris Baker were dismissed from the team. Maurice Evans and Aaron Maybin decided to go pro early. Josh Gaines had the audacity to graduate. And JoePa decided to throw Abe Koroma in the doghouse for a year and throw away the key.

Normally this kind of attrition would be devastating to any average defense. But I'm not worried, and I don't have the sense Nittany Lion fans are worried either. That's because we know that no matter how bad things get with dismissals and injuries, as long as we have Larry Johnson Sr. everything will be okay on the defensive line.

Of course nobody is worried about Jared Odrick, a first team All-BIg Ten selection a year ago who probably could have entered the NFL draft and done quite well for himself last spring. And we know his defensive tackle counterpart Ollie Ogbu is a proven commodity who I think is poised for a breakout season in 2009. With Devon Still, Chima Okoli, and Brandon Ware to back these guys up there's plenty of talent and depth to work with at the defensive tackle position.

But then nobody I read mentionsthe defensive tackles as a concern. The defensive ends are a different story. Penn State has to replace their top three guys on the outside this year. Maybin, Evans, and Gaines accounted for 19 sacks and 31.5 TFL. That's a lot of production to replace, but if there's one area Penn State has proven it can reload, it's on the defensive line.

Jack Crawford is Larry Johnson's latest project this summer. Standing an imposing six-foot-five and 256 lbs. with tremendous explosiveness due to years of playing basketball in England, Crawford has drawn comparisons to Aaron Maybin. I'll go one better than that. I'll go out on a limb and say Crawford will be better than Maybin before it's all said and done. Maybin, as good as he was, was really a one dimensional player. He was an outside pass rushing specialist, but he wasn't really that great against the running game, and he never really developed a bull rush due to the fact he couldn't put on weight. Crawford has explosiveness, but he also has the size Maybin could never obtain which I think will make him an even more dominant player.

On the other side it's going to be interesting to watch Johnson work his magic. It looks like Jerome Hayes is penciled in as the starter at weak side defensive end after two reconstructive knee surgeries in the past two years. It has me a bit concerned that he's our best option, but if he can show the same speed he did before his injuries he'll be a force to wreckon with coming off the edge on third and long.

He'll have to platoon with Kevion Latham on the weak side. Latham saw considerable action last year as a redshirt freshman. He reminds me a lot of Josh Gaines in his physique and his motor. This will be his third year under Johnson's tutelage, so I expect him to be a solid player.

Penn Schtate Preview

Beauford — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:00:16 -0000

In light of tomorrow's podcast/livestream/orgasmic collision of voice with special guest Mike of Black Shoe Diaries, I thought I'd go ahead and get to Penn State's turn ~~in the barrel~~ in the previews.

Previously: Illinois, Northwestern

Explanation and indemnifications found: here

Obligatory. Also: Braaaaaaains.

Per Usual, a personal anecdote to start the post. I married into something of a Penn State family. My brother in law owns a wig, and has this infuriating device that plays zombie nation when you go to get more toilet paper from the roll. I have no idea how this is accomplished. In fact, I have a better idea of the technology that propelled men to the moon a mere 40 years ago than I do the technology that plays zombie nation whilst I poo. It's almost enough to make me not wipe. Almost.

Last year, I watched the UM vs. PSU game at my in-laws house while a neighborhood party took place around me. I, clad in my authentic "20" jersey, and everyone around me clad in whatever white garb they could get their hands on sat in front of the TV in our own little white-out. The wig was in full force. I watched as Michigan pounded Penn State to take a shocking shocking shocking first half lead. I tried to keep emotions tempered. I knew what was coming. I knew once Penn State said "oh, I guess they're just going to run right at us" in the locker room at half that it would be over. I tried. I didn't. I fled up stairs to watch the 2nd half. You tell me that I should be mature enough to put football on hold for a family party. I tell you that I only get 13 games a year (12 sometimes! that's fun!) that this thing occurs. I try not to care, indeed I tried not to care at the party. I can't. Didn't. Did. Whatever. I came back down for my haranguing like a man who had to leave a nice gathering because a stupid sports team was losing. Man, indeed.

Particulars and preview-like-substance dead ahead. Just click below.

According to national rankings, the Nittany Lions are either a solidly top-10 team, or flirting with the top-10 in 2009. After a season that saw Penn State as co-champs of the Big Ten and eventual Rose Bowl whipping boys to USC (No shame in that. Not at all), the expectations are understandably high in Happy Valley this year as JoePa returns for his 80th season as head coach. 80th billion. Did you see what I did there?

However, Penn State only returns 10 total starters from last year's team; 5 from their fire-breathing offense, and 4 from their defense.

2009 Schedule

September 5	Akron	Home
September 12	Syracuse	Home
September 19	Temple	Home
September 26	Iowa	Home
October 3	Illinois	Away
October 10	Eastern Illinois	Home
October 17	Minnesota(2)	Home
October 24	Michigan	Away
October 31	Northwestern	Away
November 7	Ohio State	Home
November 14	Indiana	Home
November 21	Michigan State	Away

One thing the media will harp on that is off base:

Electric. Also: maybe running for his life.

Senior quarterback Daryll Clark is electricity personified. He's quick, and unfortunately for Penn State's opponents, last year he learned to make plays without improvising. The only thing more dangerous than a mobile quarterback is a mobile quarterback who has developed his game to the point where he's smart enough to make plays downfield, then make you pay with his legs if necessary. As you can tell, I am a Daryll Clark fan. However, this season, he returns exactly none of his primary receivers from last season. Those receivers, by the way, were three of the top four receivers in Penn State history. Combine this with the relative inexperience of the offensive line, and the offense that was the 11th ranked scoring offense in the country one year ago could sputter - especially early in the season. Returning Royster and Clark, the O still has some key figures still in place, but is still a relatively young unit. Could be problematic.

One thing the media will completely ignore that is integral to this team's success:

In much the same vein, play along the lines - both offensive and defensive - is what will determine the success of this team. Junior Guard Steve Wisniewski and Senior Tackle Dennis Landolt are the lone returning starters on the offensive line, which isn't quite 2008 Michiganesque, but is close. Protecting Clark's blind side - to the best of my knowledge - will be Sophomore DeOn'tae Pannell, a 4-star converted defensive lineman from Michigan with offers from most of the Big Ten including one from the Wolverines. He's probably good. As a Sophomore playing Left Tackle, he's also probably a bit raw for Penn State fans to be too comfortable. Brandon Graham loves him some raw.

Defensively, Penn State does return the two tackles, Jarek Odrick - a 6'5" 300+lbs. space eater - and Ollie Ogbu, a slightly shorter but still 300 lbs. monster. Sophomores Jack Crawford and Kevion Latham make up the bookends. Both were middling 3-stars with ok-not-great offers. Odrick and Ogbu - an awesome name pairing aesthetically - are going to have to be brick-wall types to make up for general lack of experience on the ends. My bet is that they will be eating double teams, and probably allowing Latham and Crawford to mess things up in the backfield occasionally. However, there will be plenty of times when Latham and Crawford are eatan alive. Such is life with inexperienced defensive ends.

Ogbu (left) and Odrick (right) at Rose Bowl media day last year

Most important contributors on each side of the ball:

Far be it from me to take away from Clark, but I love Evan Royster. The man just doesn't give a damn about what you're doing defensively - he's going to truck you. I like that kind of back. If Clark is going to be successful at all through the air, it's because Royster has put 8 in the box.

Truckin'

Defensively, it's gotta be the combo of Odrick and Ogbu. These types of DT's are sorely missed on Michigan's roster, and it's amazing how demoralizing it is when your center's butt is the first contact made after a hand-off.

Area that scares you as Michigan Wolverines:

Lots of things scare me these days. I think the front 7 of Penn State - if they gel correctly and the defensive ends are serviceable - is as good as it gets in the Big Ten. The three linebackers go senior, senior, junior, and only one - Sean Lee - didn't start for last year's defense that ranked 8th in the nation. He's a senior.

Area that makes you salivate as the Michigan Wolverines:

That secondary, provided we have a quarterback with clavicles that still function, is pretty ripe for the picking. I also think Brandon Graham dreams of sophomore offensive tackles.

Random factor that you think will come into play this season:

I kind of doubt that it effects the play on the field, especially because it's pretty clear that JoePa leans heavily-to-exclusively on assistants, but the man keeps trucking. Recently, he said this about Bobby Bowden:

The NCAA is going to do what it's going to do, but I would hope they would not take away 10 or 12 wins away from him. I don't think that's fair. He coached the team he had; they played against people, and they won. They ought to be wins for them.

That's a man right there. Screw the politics of the NCAA - if I'm going to win this geriatric battle, I'm gonna win it fair and square. Word, Joepa. Word.

Overall Record:

10-2

Final Big Ten Standing:

Co-Champs

Bowl Destination:

Either the Rose, or a BCS at large. With a laughable non conference (not to throw stones, Michigan's is laughable too), I just don't see this team losing until Ohio State. Maybe. Michigan State and Michigan will both be tough away games, and Iowa will be tough at home. Of those three, I'm counting one loss for 10-2. Could easily be 11-1, however.

Inside, Outside: Playing Thin and Bullies In High Places

Kevin HD — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:07:57 -0000

Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman explains to the
rest of us how we just don't get it, man. (AP Photo)

Somehow, "72 64 days until football" seems like a very short time, but it's still ten full weeks until Penn State takes the field against Akron. Either way, football will be dominating every aspect of our lives before we know it, so it's time for your trusty BSD writers to pick at some issues that will not only impact Penn State, but the college football world at large. It's a little something we'll call Inside, Outside.

Inside: Despite the title of 'Linebacker U", Penn State has been just as successful at performing on the defensive line. However, with Evans and Project Mayhem now NFLin', plus additional injuries, is the defensive line a weakness in 2009? And how thin is Penn State at the position, anyway?

RUTS: Pretty damned thin, L.J. Sr.'s unbelievable coaching success notwithstanding. We're not "Defensive Line U" quite yet, but it's hard to argue with the results of the past 5-10 years. For 2009, however, things may be difficult. Jack Crawford is apparently on his way to being the next great Penn State defensive end, but he played very sparingly in 2008 (and didn't always look so great, although he was frequently lined up at DT). His backup appears to be Pete Massaro, who also has next to no experience or not. On the other side, we have Kevion Latham and Eric Lattimore. By the way, if you are asked which of these four players had the only QB sack in 2008, the correct answer is Lattimore. Basically, these four players have done absolutely nothing so far at Penn State. Harsh, but true. Lattimore had seven tackles in '08. Crawford, four. This...this is not good, which is why we're really going to have to count on the returning Jerome Hayes, he of the multiple ACL surgeries. If he can provide some speed from the edge, Penn State might be fine. Otherwise, our only hope is that our defensive tackles are so dominant that offensive lines will have to pinch down to protect against Odrick, Koroma, et. al. and leave guys like Crawford and Lattimore to fight against only the offensive tackle.

I suppose it's not completely out of the realm of possibility to have a Tim Shaw stand-up DE player in the mix (really, that's Hayes, but someone like Nate Stupar or Bani Gbadyu might be useful on third downs). Otherwise, perhaps you'll see occasionally see one of those jumbo defensive lines with a natural DT lined up at DE. Either way, this isn't an ideal situation.

Kevin: The question probably goes too far, but with the success of guys like Alford and Hali, along with the high draft status of guys like Maybin, it's no wonder we were all sweating bullets back in January.

History aside, my preliminary set of worries probably starts with the dline, specifically the ends. The inside appears to be on track, with Odrick and Ogbu back in front of Still and Koroma, but the outside looks unfamiliar at best.

I am most concerned because I don't want our All-World linebacking corp having to deal with a bad line. If the holes don't get filled it's not going to let these guys attack the ball the way they know best, and from there things could get ugly.

Outside: Despite being the new kid on the block, Penn State (depending on your opinion) either had the privilege or was forced to bear the burden of playing The Granddaddy this past January. With those thoughts in mind, how seriously do you take this threat from Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman: "What I think most people don’t understand is that the alternative to the current system is not a playoff. The alternative to the BCS is going back to our traditional relationship with our bowl partners."

Kevin: My initial reaction is "yeah, screw it", I don't have anything vested in the new system and I sure as hell hate the politics that go down at the end of the season. You could argue that the voters actually have much more control than ever, especially the coaches who now want to pull the veil back over their ballots. And now that teams like Auburn of old and more recently Texas have felt the burn, who really loves this new system, anyway?

The only problem is that I'm not that crazy about the Rose Bowl under current conditions. USC is (repeatedly) the only team in the nation with negative odds to win their conference, and it's taking the fun out of it. The players complain about having to play in the Rose Bowl every year, well I'm complaining about having to watch them play in the Bose Bowl every year because they forgot to show up against Stanford.

So to answer the question: the threat is indeed hallow, and frankly I'm not sure there is much of a difference between the two systems.

RUTS: Hell, I welcome it. At least we kind of knew what we were getting in that system and didn't have to put up with all of this non-stop lobbying at the end of the season by coaches, media, and conference commissioners. If the SEC champion is automatically sent to the Sugar Bowl, great. Put the ACC in the Orange Bowl, the Big 12 in the Fiesta Bowl, and the Big Ten and Pac Ten in the Rose Bowl (I'd prefer Tempe, but it'll never happen). Oh, and the Big East can have the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Okay, the Gator Bowl, but that's as far as I'm going. And when the bowls all shake out, maybe then we could have a plus-one game for the national championship. I don't know how how serious Harvey Perlman was when he suggested it, but what the hell, it could possibly warrant more than 45 seconds of consideration.

Penn State Kicks Off Spring Practice

BSD — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:00:08 -0000

Lost in all the publicity from the basketball team's NIT run, among other, uh, distractions, is the fact that the Penn State football team kicked off spring practice this Wednesday. They'll be be putting on the pads and sorting things out over the next few weeks until spring practice concludes with the Blue-White Game on April 25. So I guess we should probable devote some coverage to that. Here are the top five questions for the football team as I see them this spring.

Wide Receivers

Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, and Jordan Norwood leave Penn State as three of the most prolific receivers in Penn State history. They have been the most consistent part of the offense over the past four years. And now we have to replace all three of them at once.

This spring the most likely candidates to fill in the first team receiver roles are a walk on, a converted quarterback, a converted safety, and a sophomore that hasn't shown much to date. Graham Zug and Brett Bracket have shown good hands, but neither one of them possess elite speed. Chaz Powell has shown a good burst, but we haven't seen enough catches to determine if he has hands good enough to play receiver. Last year he mostly got the ball on end arounds, and you have to think he started as a safety for a reason.

Derek Moye has the most potential to be a play maker. He was a high school track star so you know he's fast. And he's got good size. This is a golden opportunity for him.

Of course later this summer when the freshmen come on board everything changes and guys like Justin Brown and Shawney Kersey may prove to be the next freshmen sensations.

Defensive Backs

All four starters from the Rose Bowl are gone leaving Penn State with huge questions in the last line of defense. A.J. Wallace gets one more shot to prove he was worthy of all those stars coming out of high school and will most likely lock up one of the starting cornerback spots. Drew Astorino looked impressive as the nickel back last season and has the inside track toward landing the free safety spot. After that it's anyone's guess. D'Anton Lynn, Knowledge Timmons, Andrew Dailey, Cedric Jefferies, Devin Fentress, and Nick Sukay are going to battle it out for the other two spots. Outside of Lynn who saw playing time last year as a true freshman, none of these guys have looked impressive during their Penn State careers. Many of the incoming freshmen like Stephon Morris, Gerald Hodges, and Malcolm Willis will have an excellent opportunity to see immediate playing time.

Offensive Line

Though losing three All-Big Ten selections on the offensive line to graduation is normally a huge concern, I'm not overly concerned about Penn State's situation. Dennis Landolt should have the right tackle spot nailed down. Wisniewski is moving over to center and I fully expect him to make an outstanding field general. Deon'tae Pannell moved up to #2 on the depth chart behind Cadogen last year as a true freshman. That is highly impressive, so he should have the inside track at left tackle.

The two guard positions will be a battle between Jonnie Troutman, Matt Stankiewitch, Lou Eliades, J.B. Walton, and James Terry. I've heard good things abotu some of these guys and there is enough bodies to promote healthy competition. I think the offensive line will be ok this season, but it may take them some time to play well as a unit. Nailing down the starting five as soon as possible will be key so they can work on building that cohesion.

Defensive Ends

Penn State has to replace their top three defensive ends from last year. I'm sure the coaches expected to have Maybin and probably Evans back when they started recruiting last spring, so we got caught a bit behind the eight ball in recruiting without a ton of bodies to fill in.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Jack Crawford will be the starting strong side defensive end. He's a freak of an athlete and saw playing time last season as a true freshman. His main competition will come from Eric Latimore, a lanky sophomore that has trouble staying healthy in his career.

The weakside end is the huge question. Right now there is Kevion Latham and a bunch of guys you never have and never will hear of. Look for Penn State to once again pluck someone from the overcrowded linebacker group and go with the standup defensive end like we ran with Tim Shaw back in 2006. Jerome Hayes is coming back but probably won't get much work this spring. Maybe Stupar and Mauti get bulked up and moved down.

Weakside Linebacker

This position has kind of been vacant for two years now since we had Poz, Connor, and Lee roaming the field all at the same time. Since 2006 the position has been a rotation of Ty Sales, Josh Hull, Mike Mauti, and Bani Gbadyu. This year it should be a fantastic battle to keep an eye on as Mauti, Stupar, and Mike Yancich will all fight it out to claim the spot. As I said before, look for whoever comes in second to hit the training table hard and get slid down to defensive end this fall due to the lack of depth there.

Other Position Battles of Note

Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin will compete to be Daryll Clark's backup. McGloin is going to have to really shine to beat him out though. Newsome has the higher flexibility and potential in the Spread HD offense, so the coaches are going to give him the nod if it's close just to give him more reps.

The place kicking job is also up for grabs. Anthony Fera, David Soldner and Colin Wagner will compete there.