Although the Penn State basketball team’s season is not over (they play tonight in the semifinals of the NIT), Nittany Lion fans have already begun to turn their attention to football and the annual spring game, which is just a few weeks away.
On Friday, Penn State coach Joe Paterno addressed the media and talked about what he expects to see this spring and what lies ahead for the
2009 season. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll go in-depth to see what Paterno said and look at another member of the Class of 2009.
Let’s begin with the Paterno presser.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno addressed the media last week.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Open Practice
It had been almost four months since the media had a news conference with Paterno. On Friday afternoon in an academic lounge at the Lasch Football Building, Paterno met the media for the first time since sitting down for his day-after news conference at the Rose Bowl.
Some of the highlights from the afternoon:
Full Strength
Paterno said that he is fully recovered from the hip replacement surgery he had shortly after Penn State ended the regular season against Michigan State on Nov. 22.
The first question of the afternoon was about Paterno’s health.
“Oh, I’m great,” Paterno said. “I was a little concerned about whether I needed a little help at practice but I was there a couple hours the other day, no problems whatsoever. Tommy (Venturino) had a golf court out there in case I got tired, but I feel great. I really do.”
Paterno was not on the sidelines for the majority of the season in 2008. He expects, however, to be back on the sidelines when the 2009 season kicks off on Sept. 5.
“Right now, I think I’m 100 percent. I feel good. I really do,” Paterno said.
Maybin, Evans Reaction
Paterno reacted to the departures of Aaron Maybin and Maurice Evans, who chose to leave Penn State early and enter the 2009 NFL Draft.
“I knew Maybin was (going). I didn’t know Evans would go. I hope they’re making the right decision. I hope for their sake. You never know,” Paterno said. “They got hooked up with people. Again, this sounds like I’m being critical of somebody else’s profession, but I think scouts tell them what they want to hear.”
Maybin is being projected as a top 10 pick, which will garner him a huge signing bonus. Evans, however, is being projected as a mid- to late-round draft pick.
Paterno said he tried to talk Evans out of leaving early.
“I talked to Evans’ mom and I said ‘you know it may be better if he stayed. I think he might go higher.’ Whether you’re a three or a one, there’s a lot of big money. She had good reasons why she thought he oughtta go. And I said good luck, we’ll help him any way we can,” Paterno said.
Holding Out
Several players are being held out of spring drills as they recuperate from injuries. Among the notable names: Jerome Hayes, Brent Carter, Stephfon Green and Doug Klopacz.
Paterno did confirm that linebacker Sean Lee is participating in spring practice, but is being held out of contact drills. Lee is recovering from a torn ACL that he sustained during a drill last season.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley told The Sporting News that he didn’t need Lee to “win the spring game.” Paterno appears to agree.
“I’m not going to have Lee go in there if we have a tough scrimmage and keep him in there for 25-30 plays. No, I think we have to play that by ear,” Paterno said.
Need for Newsome
Paterno talked about the importance of getting true freshman Kevin Newsome into the mix at quarterback.
“I’m glad Newsome’s here. I think that’s a big help,” Paterno said.
Newsome, a four-star recruit according to rivals.com, is expected to backup senior Daryll Clark. However, Paterno said that’s not a given.
“I do think the fact that Newsome was able to come in in January will help,” Paterno said. “It’ll help him and it’ll help us. But he’s still gotta beat out (walk-on Matt) McGloin.”
Early Enrollees
Toward the end of the news conference, Paterno was asked about the trend of players enrolling early in college. He said that while Penn State had four players enroll in January, he’s not a fan of the trend.
“I’ve told kids, ‘You know, it’s your last year in high school. You only go to high school once and there’s a senior prom and there’s a bunch of buddies that are gonna be your friends the rest of your life. I’m not so sure you should be in a hurry to get onto the next level. So I’m not crazy about the idea,” Paterno said.
At the same time, Paterno understands the need for it.
“I’d be dishonest if I said we haven’t taken advantage of it when it was appropriate. But in the back of my head, I’m not crazy about it,” he said.
Losing Larry
A reporter asked Paterno if he was concerned when defensive line coach Larry Johnson considered leaving Happy Valley to join Ron Zook’s staff at the University of Illinois.
“Yeah, sure I was worried about losing Larry to Illinois,” Paterno said. “I couldn’t promise him defensive coordinator or anything like that, which he had out there, but I tried to tell him I felt that it was important. We’d like him to stay and I’d like him to stay.”
Paterno did say, though, that he thought Johnson would make an excellent head coach — someday.
“I think he’s capable of being a really fine head coach,” Paterno said matter-of-factly.
Glenn Carson was a standout wrestler in high school. He’ll play linebacker at Penn State.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Class of 2009: Glenn Carson
Add another body to Linebacker U.
Penn State’s “Linebacker U” legacy in the Class of 2009 rests with Southern Regional ’backer Glenn Carson, who became the 17th member of the class on Sept. 29.
The four-star prospect had previously gathered scholarship offers from Boston College, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Stanford and Virginia, among others. In the end, he picked the Nittany Lions over Boston College, Notre Dame and Rutgers.
“I was kind of leaning towards Penn State for a while, probably a little bit over a month, just leaning that way,” Carson said shortly after making his decision. “I just had to visit a couple more schools, like Notre Dame and Boston College, and I had great visits at both schools and I liked their programs a lot, but I just felt that, still, Penn State was my top.
“Kind of after seeing both of those schools, I was pretty sure that Penn State was going to be the college for me. So when I went up to take my visit for the Illinois game, I was 99 percent sure that I was going to commit. After everything went as well as it did, on Sunday, that morning, I sealed the deal.”
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound prospect said that the comfort level he felt on campus was the big factor in his decision. He had a short stay this summer for the Nittany Lions’ senior camp, and also visited unofficially for the Nittany Lions’ win over Illinois.
“It was definitely a variety of things,” said Carson. “For the most part, I felt good being with the athletes, and I felt very comfortable, I felt at home. I felt as though I could make myself the best linebacker I could be, and Penn State was the place to be.”
Carson finished the 2008 season with 98 tackles, 61 of which were solo, and set a school record with 171 solo tackles in his career. He also ran for 825 yards on 158 carries and scored 10 touchdowns, as he led Southern to its first ever state title game appearance. The Rams lost to Mainland Regional in the South Jersey Group IV championship.
He was named first team all-state, Ocean County Player of the Year, first team all-South Jersey and first team all-league following the season.
Carson is also a top wrestler and finished second in the state at 215 last season. He has wrestled at both 215 and heavyweight this season.
Chris Morelli is the award-winning editor of Blue White Illustrated, a weekly publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. This column does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BWI’s writers or publisher.