Penn State Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for
By Brad Weiss
The Penn State Nittany Lions will have their annual Blue-White Spring Game this Saturday, and there are plenty of things to watch for.
Heading into the 2016 college football season, nobody could have predicted the season the Penn State Nittany Lions were about to have. With head coach James Franklin on the hot seat, Penn State was supposed to finish behind Ohio State and Michigan in their division. However, they beat Ohio State, and by the time the smoke cleared, they were the Big Ten Champions.
As the current team heads to their Blue-White Spring Game, here are five things to watch for during the action this Saturday inside Beaver Stadium.
5. Who will step up in John Reid’s absence in the secondary?
Heading into the offseason, one thing was for sure at Happy Valley, that the secondary was going to be one of the best in the Big Ten. Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes defensive backfield was the gold standard, possessing possibly three first-round picks. The Nittany Lions were supposed to take that throne this season, but the loss of John Reid is going to loom large for the unit this season.
Reid did major damage to his knee this month, and it is likely that he is out for the season. Grant Haley was supposed to team with Reid to form the best cornerback tandem in the Big Ten, but now he will be expected to step up even more in 2017. Pay attention to both Christian Campbell and Lamont Wade on Saturday, as they will both be battling it out to see who plays opposite Haley at the cornerback position this season.