Scout-team standouts: Who is giving Penn State the best practice looks?

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State burned the redshirts of five freshmen so far this season while many of their classmates work to make a name for themselves by running the scout team. 

Freshman defensive end Shareef Miller runs off the field after the conclusion of practice on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 in State College. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

Many of the true freshman— those not named Jake Cooper, Manny Bowen, John Reid, Saquon Barkley and Brandon Polk— are this week preparing as if they’re running Indian’s offense or defense, trying to give Penn State the best and most accurate looks possible. 

Who are some of the players on the scout team who’ve impressed their older teammates thus far?

TE Mike Gesicki: “[QB] Tommy Stevens. … I know he’s been doing a great job. On the defensive side of the ball Rob Windsor he kind of disrupts the plays sometimes and he makes some plays on the scout team.”

Guard Derek Dowrey: “There’s a bunch of guys. We got d-ends that are really working our tackles right now, giving them good looks each week. [Kevin] Givens and Shareef [Miller] are both out there giving great looks. Inside you’ve got Robert Windsor. ... He’s a guy that is very strong and very twitchy. He has to grow as a player, but I think he’s been giving us great looks and I think he could be a great player for us some day.”

WR Chris Godwin: “Some of the scout team defensive backs that have stood out have been [cornerback] Garrett Taylor and [safety] Jarvis Miller. They’ve been doing a pretty good job as freshmen just coming in and giving it their all on the scout team and what their role is with the team to try and give us the best look on each team for each week.”

Givens, a freshman defensive end from Altoona, was called a “ball of muscle” last week when defensive line coach Sean Spencer talked with reporters. If you’ve had a chance to catch a glimpse of Givens on the sideline it’s safe to say that’s a spot-on description. 

Also, Windsor is another freshman whose name we’ve heard mentioned a lot by teammates and at times even coach James Franklin during this summer and fall. Building depth at defensive tackle will be huge for the coming years and with Penn State losing Anthony Zettel, Tarow Barney and possibly junior Austin Johnson as well (if he opts for the NFL Draft). Windsor, classmate Ryan Buchholz, who the team moved inside from end to tackle this summer, will have a chance to add to a rotation that already includes Parker Cothren and Antoine White. 

“He’s an extremely talented kid,” Spencer said of Buchholz. “He’s a guy that’s versatile enough to play into our three technique, and it was always kind of in the back of our mind during our recruiting that we could.”

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