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The freak, the fastest and the four defensive ends: Penn State winter conditioning notebook

By Audrey Snyder/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9 years ago
UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State wrapped up winter strength testing Thursday as the players ran their shuttles in Holuba Hall and headed back to the Lasch Building to wrap up with squats. 


Penn State hits the practice field March 20 for the first day of spring drills. Whether or not the snow is off the practice field by then remains to be seen. (Audrey Snyder)

The players are divided into three groups for testing and Thursday's workout was the last one for players until they return from spring break when classes resume on March 16. The Nittany Lions will hold their first spring practice March 20 and the annual Blue-White Game is scheduled for April 18. 

Here are some notes and quick figures from the workout, one where the media was able to watch the first of the three groups.  

Who is the freak?

Last summer it was tight end Jesse James who Dwight Galt singled out for his rare strength and athleticism. This winter rising sophomore tight end Mike Gesicki was high on Galt's list. 

"He's just a freak show," Galt said. "He's a heck of an athlete. He's done a great job. He kind of reminds me of Vernon Davis in a lot of ways believe it or not. Number one, he's so gifted as an athlete and he's one of our best workers. That's an unbeatable combination when you get that."

Fittingly enough, while Galt praised the 6-foot-6, 237-pounder, Gesicki was about 20 feet behind him and one of the last guys in the room knocking out pull-ups and completing extra reps. 

Speed show

Rising sophomore cornerback Grant Haley ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash when the players tested in the summer. While it's unclear what Haley ran this winter, Galt said the player put on more weight and still posted the fastest time on the team. 

The team's overall speed improved with 19 players running a 4.59-second 40-yard dash or lower. That's an upgrade over the nine who went sub 4.59 last year. Galt said 74 of the 93 players who tested ran a 4.99-second 40-yard dash or lower. 

Bigger and stronger at defensive end

Penn State lost defensive ends Deion Barnes, C.J. Olaniyan and Brad Bars and finding their replacements is already well underway. We'll find out more about the ends this spring, but based off their testing numbers Galt was pleased with what he's seen from the position group. 

"We've got four d-ends that power cleaned 350 [pounds] or above. It's the most explosive d-end group I've had in 30 years," Galt said. "And Carl Nassib is not one of them. He hit 335, which is elite in itself so I'm real excited to see what this group will provide. That's a little different element than we've had here." 

Coming back to full strength

Linebacker Jason Cabinda continues to work with his left hand in a protective brace. Cabinda missed the Michigan State game last season but returned to play in the Pinstripe Bowl and is working out this offseason. We'll see whether or not he's a full participant in contact drills when spring ball opens. 

Back in town

Left tackle Donovan Smith watched as his former teammates worked out and kicker Sam Ficken worked alone in the weight room in preparation for the next step in his career. Many former Nittany Lions are either back in town or will be following spring break as they ready for the team's pro day on March 19. 

"Mike Hull is back, Adrian [Amos] is back and Donovan is back and C.J. [Olaniyan] came back. We had Sam and Tyrone Smith the whole time so they're all drifting back," Galt said. "We're trying to help them a little bit, get their bodies back to the kind of shape we want them to be in for our pro day. They're doing really well. It's nice having those combine guys because they can kind of pick and choose what events they do at our pro day and a lot of those guys did really well at the combine so we'll just let them sit on those numbers and have them focus on a couple things that they want to do to improve themselves."

By the numbers

    • 4.74- seconds for QB Christian Hackenberg's 40-yard dash
    • 5- January enrollees, including three scholarship players and two walk-ons
    • 16- pounds gained by offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins since arriving in January
    • 17-players whose vertical measured in at 35 inches or more
    • 21-players who broad jumped at least 10 feet
    • 545-pounds squatted five times by offensive lineman Derek Dowrey 

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4.