Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Football: Three Storylines to Watch This Spring

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:20 p.m. ET

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Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions celebrate after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Penn State defeats Wisconsin 38-31. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State will start spring practice in a little over a month.

After a very successful 2016 campaign, the Penn State Nittany Lions will have some high expectations heading into the 2017 season. With a top 15 recruiting class and several key returning players, the Nittany Lions will look to build on their success. Spring practice begins in about a month, and it will represent the first look at the new team.

The offseason can be an interesting time around college football. Players graduate, transfer, or make decisions to head to the NFL, coaches leave, and new recruits join the fold.

Penn State is fortunate this year to have a pretty strong depth chart returning. While there are a few holes due to players graduating, the majority of the roster stayed intact.

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Wide receiver Chris Godwin and defensive end Garrett Sickels were the only two Nittany Lions that decided to leave school a year early and head to the NFL Draft.

Winter workouts have already started in Happy Valley, and spring practice will officially begin in March. NCAA rules allow teams 15 practices during the spring Penn State’s spring practice session will culminate on April 22 with the annual Blue-White scrimmage.

Fortunately for head coach James Franklin and company, there seem to be fewer question marks for the Nittany Lions as compared to seasons past. Still, there are some things that the staff will need to figure out as far as which players will fit were.

Although it’s still very early in the preparation for the 2017 season, there are some storylines to keep an eye on at Penn State as the spring progresses.

Jan 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Shane Simmons (34) and cornerback Zech McPhearson (14) enter the field before the 2017 Rose Bowl game against the USC Trojans at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Spring practice is a great time for some newcomers to step up and show what they got. Early enrollees and guys who were redshirted will want to make a big impression on the coaching staff. Penn State is fortunate enough to have a good mix of both this season.

All eyes will likely be on true freshman defensive back Lamont Wade. A four-star recruit and the top in Penn State’s 2017 class, Wade has all the tools to make an early impact for the Nittany Lions. It is possible that he will play multiple positions and be a very exciting player for Penn State.

Joining Wade as an early enrollee who could see time in 2017 is linebacker Brelin Faison-Walden. He’s a talented player who could fill a need on the depth chart.

Aside from true freshmen, several redshirt freshmen will be in the mix to make a big impact this year.

Defensive end Shane Simmons was a top recruit last year and has had an extra year to grow and develop in the system. Offensive lineman Michal Menet was the top offensive guard in the country as a recruit in 2016 and will have a chance to make a huge impact this year.

It will be interesting to see which new guy starts to make a big name for himself at Penn State this spring.

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins (3) celebrates with wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton (5) after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Who Will be the No. 1 Receiver?

With the departure of Chris Godwin to the NFL, the Nittany Lions will have a need for someone to step into the No. 1 wide receiver role. Fortunately, the cupboard is stocked with several receivers who could fill that void.

The most obvious choice will come from the two top returning receivers from last year: DaeSean Hamilton and Saeed Blacknall.

Hamilton led the team in receiving as a freshman in 2014, putting up 82 catches for 899 yards and two touchdowns. However, his numbers dropped the next year and he was overshadowed by the breakout of Godwin.

Last season, Hamilton finished with 34 receptions with 506 yards and just one touchdown.

Blacknall hasn’t been heavily used during his first three years in Happy Valley, but he really came on at the end of last season. He made six catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the Big Ten Championship — his final game of the season.

Penn State loves to throw the ball downfield, and Blacknall has shown the ability to be a major deep threat.

Aside from Hamilton and Blacknall, guys like Juwan Johnson, DeAndre Thompkins, Irvin Charles, Brandon Polk, and redshirt freshman Dae’Lun Darien could all be in the mix.

Spring will be the first look at the group of receivers and a chance to see who is going to make the biggest move and become the top target for quarterback Trace McSorley.

Apr 16, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Moorhead looks on during a warmup prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team defeated the White team 37-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

JoMo Will Be a Hot Commodity

When James Franklin hired Joe Moorhead to take over the offense after the 2015 season there was a lot of optimism. Although things started slow the first few games, the Nittany Lions completely transformed into one of the top offenses in the nation.

Of course, with the success of the offense came a lot of attention for Moorhead. Known for his prolific offense while he was the head coach at Fordham, he showed in 2016 that his system is capable of putting up big numbers against tough Big Ten defenses.

Moorhead’s name has already been thrown around for head coaching jobs. He reportedly interviewed for the Purdue job while Penn State was in Indiana for the Big Ten Championship in December. His name also came up when there were vacancies at Temple, Minnesota, and Connecticut.

Fortunately for Penn State, Moorhead has said that he’s committed to Penn State at least for the 2017 season.

While it’s not likely that Moorhead would leave now, considering that he’s already had chances, there is currently an intriguing opening on the board with Alabama searching for an offensive coordinator. However, if Moorhead were to leave Penn State, it’s unlikely he’d make a lateral move and go somewhere else to be an assistant coach.

Penn State fans should be confident that Moorhead will be around for the entire 2017 season, but the situation is worth keeping an eye on, especially now when teams are still trying to fill some positions.