STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – There will be plenty of Penn State players to keep a close eye on this spring, but a few rise to the top for one reason or another.
So, as part of this week’s countdown, we’re looking at the five players to watch the closest this spring. Up today, at No. 4, is a player who made waves after a punt block as a freshman.
No. 4 spring player to watch: LB Nyeem Wartman
2013 review: Wartman entered the season with big expectations because he was in line to be a four-year starter, quite a rarity at Linebacker U. He finished the season by starting eight games and playing in the other four, but he didn’t quite progress as quickly as the staff had hoped. He showed flashes of potential -- making several highlight-worthy tackles and compiling eight stops against Michigan -- but other linebackers had surpassed him toward the end of the season. Ben Kline earned starts over him for two games (Illinois, Minnesota) before another injury sidelined Kline, and freshman Brandon Bell started over Wartman in the season finale. In the last five games, Wartman made just five tackles.
Why spring is so important: Penn State is light on experience at linebacker and, outside of Mike Hull, Wartman is the most seasoned linebacker on the team. So, for this group of linebackers to succeed, Penn State needs Wartman to succeed. Kline is overcoming two surgeries this offseason, one for lingering shoulder issues and another for a torn pec, and both Stephen Obeng-Agyapong and Glenn Carson have graduated -- so there’s really no one else to step in Wartman’s spot. It’s sink or swim, and if he sinks, Penn State sinks. Wartman made a lot of waves as a true freshman in 2012 before an injury led to a medical redshirt, and he needs to step up as a redshirt sophomore. This spring will help determine whether he can do that.
Best-case scenario: Wartman becomes a solid outside linebacker and is the team’s second-best linebacker behind Hull. He takes his run-stuffing ability to the next level, gains a conference-wide reputation for his penchant for the big hit and forces several key turnovers. He finishes the season as an honorable-mention selection on the All-Big Ten team and picks up the slack while the other outside linebacker, likely Bell, finds his footing.
Worst-case scenario: Wartman’s production flatlines, as Bell continues his quick rise and overtakes him. Wartman remains a below-average to mediocre linebacker and adds little to the defense, except the occasional big tackle that makes fans wonder where that intensity is at other times. James Franklin tries playing other linebackers, either Kline once he gets healthy or a freshman, to spark the defense.
More players to watch: