STATE COLLEGE — One of the biggest challenges facing Penn State in 2015 is replacing Mike Hull, not just the prolific player, but the prolific leader of one of the nation’s best defenses.
On Tuesday, James Franklin admitted he might look to a familiar face to fill the void.
For the first time, Penn State’s head coach conceded that moving outside linebacker Nyeem Wartman to the middle could be an avenue to explore for a Nittany Lions defense looking to replace the Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year.
“I think Wartman is an option,” Franklin said of the former Valley View star. “He’s a big, strong, physical guy who moves very, very well. He’s got experience now playing the position. You’d like to have a (middle) linebacker with a guy who has played enough football.
“I think the fact that these guys actually watched Mike Hull for the last couple years is valuable, as well, just to see how the guy practiced and prepared.”
On Friday, Penn State will open spring practice, which will culminate with the annual Blue-White Game at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Beaver Stadium.
While he granted that many of the main issues surrounding the team — the continued restructuring of the offensive line, the battle for backup spots at running back
and defensive end, and the lack of an experienced kicker — are still there, Franklin said replacing Hull would be as big a challenge.
As of late last season, the coaching staff seemed reticent to push Wartman away from his outside linebacker spot, where he emerged as a potential star in the making in 2014.
The 75 tackles he registered last season were second on the team behind Hull’s whopping 140, but they were also significantly ahead of the 58 piled up by defensive backs Jordan Lucas and Marcus Allen. Wartman also added 3½ tackles for loss and an interception.
While Wartman is easily the most accomplished of the middle linebacker candidates Franklin mentioned, he wasn’t the only one.
Ben Kline, a junior who missed last season with a torn Achilles tendon, could fill the void if healthy. Gary Wooten and Jason Cabinda, who were backups last season, could factor in, as could redshirt freshman Troy Reeder, Franklin said.
Tackle battle
Spring practice is about learning who will fill gaps created by graduations and players leaving the program early, and Franklin said Penn State will have a battle of unknowns to replace left tackle Donovan Smith.
“I think we’re going to have to,” Franklin said. “We really don’t have a choice.”
He mentioned four players who will battle for the starting spot protecting quarterback Christian Hackenberg’s blind side: Lackawanna College product Paris Palmer, former walk-on Albert Hall, redshirt freshman-to-be Chance Sorrell and true freshman Sterling Jenkins, an early enrollee.
According to the spring roster released by Penn State, Palmer is listed at 290 pounds, up from the 288 he registered in January. The former Falcon was a four-star prospect in the 2015 recruiting class and might be the favorite to claim the job.
But it might be the development of another Scranton-area product who determines that.
Franklin said former Scranton Prep star Noah Beh, who will be a redshirt freshman in the fall, is one of the players competing for a starting spot at right tackle. If he can handle it, that would free last year’s right tackle, Andrew Nelson, to move to the left side.
Position swaps
Franklin announced several position changes, another fact of life as spring practices begin.
The headline move comes as no surprise: Lucas, Penn State’s top cornerback last season, will move to safety.
“Jordan is a guy who could play corner here and at the next level as well,” Franklin said. “But I think he has a chance to maybe be special at safety.
“I think it’s easier to play a freshman at corner and a freshman at wide receiver than it would be to play a freshman at safety, linebacker or defensive line. The closer you are to the ball, the harder it is to get on the field early. We feel good about our young talent at corner.”
The other main position switches were related to special teams.
Fullback Jack Haffner moved to linebacker, running back Adam Geiger to safety and punter Chris Gulla to kicker. Haffner and Geiger are expected to compete for roles on special teams, Franklin said, and moving to defense would help them become better tacklers.
Nittany notes
Another of the challenges Franklin mentioned was finding a kicker to replace Sam Ficken. It looks as if Gulla and walk-on Joe Julius are the main competitors for that spot. ...
Penn State’s annual Pro Day for draft-eligible players will be held Thursday. ...
Franklin said defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who was courted by LSU, wasn’t the only one of his assistants who had opportunities to leave. He said several turned down offers, adding defensive line coach Sean Spencer rejected one from a “historic school” offering a significant raise without even asking Franklin before he did it. ...
Quote of the day from Franklin, on the development of the offensive line during the offseason: “I’m excited about them. I know (offensive line coach) Herb Hand is excited about working with them. There’s nobody that is happier about this group returning and the strides they’ve made than Mr. and Mrs. Hackenberg.” Their son was sacked a Big Ten-record 42 times last season behind the inexperienced linemen.