Penn State LB Wartman-White ready to roll
Nyeem Wartman-White can hardly remember the last time he played in Beaver Stadium. It was Nov. 29, 2014. The Penn State linebacker knows he played on the strong side, in a spot he had never played before. He knows he played well. But the rest of that 34-10 loss to Michigan State is a blur.
Nyeem Wartman-White can hardly remember the last time he played in Beaver Stadium.
It was Nov. 29, 2014. The Penn State linebacker knows he played on the strong side, in a spot he had never played before. He knows he played well. But the rest of that 34-10 loss to Michigan State is a blur.
"Wow, it is a long time ago," Wartman-White said after practice Wednesday. "Now when I go out there for my first game [of the season], it might be a little emotional."
When the Philadelphia native returns to the field for the Lions' opener against Kent State on Saturday, he will bring with him lessons he learned from a season on the sidelines. The redshirt senior suffered a left knee injury in last year's season opener against Temple. He watched junior Jason Cabinda take over at middle linebacker for the rest of the year.
In training camp, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Wartman-White competed with Cabinda for the middle linebacker position. But when Penn State's depth chart was released on Tuesday, Wartman-White was listed as starting weakside linebacker, with Cabinda set to start in the middle.
"It's linebacker, you know? A lot of people put an emphasis on outside [or] inside, but regardless, when you're a linebacker you've got to know your assignment."
Wartman-White doesn't mind the switch. In fact, after seeing Cabinda step up into that signal-calling role last season, Wartman-White welcomes it.
"It is like having two middle linebackers out there. We are both going to be making the calls," Wartman- White said. "We will be saying the same stuff to each other. It is very comfortable when you know someone else is talking out there as much as you."
This season, the linebacker corps includes many "interchangeable" players that can move from one linebacker spot to another, Wartman-White said. That breadth of experience has proven especially helpful in the film room, and Wartman-White looks forward to seeing how it will transfer to the field.
"We've got three days," Wartman-White said. "I'm just excited to get back out there."