Sportswriters from around the state got their first chance to see the 2010 Nittany Lions in action last week as we watched the first 20 minutes of practice as the squad prepares for the annual Blue-White Game, which is slated for 2 p.m. on April 24 at Beaver Stadium.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll go inside practice, look at couple more pressing questions and feature another member of the Class of 2010.
Let’s start with practice.
Talkin’ About Practice
While the media didn’t get to watch much practice before getting tossed by coach Joe Paterno last week, we got to see enough to make some observations. Among the highlights:
Although Kevin Newsome is clearly the front-runner in the race for the starting quarterback job, Sto-Rox product Paul Jones looked very good throwing the football. He’s got a nice throwing motion and throws a tight spiral. The kid has confidence and it is clear by the way he conducts himself in practice.
Paterno said that kicker Collin Wagner was banged up and it’s clear that he’s not kicking the ball as well as he did at the Capital One Bowl in January. Wagner will have to get healthy quickly because Anthony Fera was cited for an alcohol-related offense over the weekend. Without Ryan Breen, who unexpectedly left the team in February, the kicking game could be a major headache.
Although it was just warm-ups, the wideouts appeared to be struggling catching the football. Derek Moye was the lone stud and based on what we saw, the move of Chaz Powell to defense may have been premature.
We’ll have some more observations in the coming weeks as we countdown to the Blue-White Game.
Spring Questions: Part III
Q: With Daryll Clark gone, how will the offense change?
A: With Clark running the show, Penn State was often pass happy. Now, no matter who is behind center, the experience factor is off the board. During the non-conference games, the Nittany Lions will have to play it safe to get the new QB acclimated to the game of college football. What that probably means is that there will be a lot more pressure on running backs Evan Royster and Stephfon Green to not only produce yards, but points. Expect to see the offense shift from being pass happy to grinding things out on the ground.
Q: Who will emerge at linebacker?
A: The bad news is, with the graduation of Sean Lee and Josh Hull and the early departure of Navorro Bowman, Penn State’s linebacking corps was decimated. The good news is, linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden has arguably the deepest pool of talent to find replacements from in the history of the program.
The cool part about that is it’s a safe bet that the three linebackers who take the field on Sept. 4 vs. Youngstown State won’t be the same three who start in a bowl game in December or January.
Class of 2010: Khamrone Kolb
Kolb had six offers early in the recruiting game. He had offers from North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland and Illinois.
But after visiting Happy Valley, Kolb had an offer from the Nittany Lions and it wasn’t long before he committed to the blue and white.
Following the Lions’ 20-0 Homecoming win against Minnesota, Kolb decided it was time to verbal.
“I don’t know exactly what it was that brought me to the college, because I’m not sure what I’m going to study major-wise, but Penn State is a big college, and it’s perfect for that,” he said. “There’s so much that you can do.
“I don’t know, I just felt it, I just felt the right vibe.”
Kolb helped take Lake Braddock to the state finals this past season and earned a first team all-state Class AAA award. Additionally, he was named first team all-Met by the Washington Post.
Although he probably won’t see the field this season, Kolb is a solid prospect.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers 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.