Notes on the 2017 Nittany Lions

ESPN/ABC analyst Kirk Herbstreit probably said it best recentlywhen discussing Joe Moorhead's wrinkles for the Penn State offense: "With Saquon Barkley, I guess you could run any offense and it would fit him." Barkley is prepared for a big year after improving his speed and strength in the off-season. If he matches his 1,496 rushing yards of last season, he will become the first player in Penn State history to reach 4,000 yards on the ground for his career. Look for Moorhead, the offensive coordinator, to put Barkley more in open space in the passing game.

How valuable is Cabinda to the Nittany Lions? The senior middle linebacker missed five games last year with an injury and still finished third on the team in tackles, averaging nine per contest. Cabinda dropped some weight in the offseason and will play at 234 pounds to do a better job of pursuing from sideline to sideline. He also is an introspective young man and a leader on the defense. He's always chattering, sometimes – his teammates say – speaking a language that  he alone can understand.

Wade went  to Penn State from Clairton High School in Western Pennsylvania, a five-star recruit with an impressive resume. He enrolled early in January and impressed coaches throughout offseason workouts and spring practice, when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. He continued to amaze in training camp and appears as if he will be getting some playing time once the season begins.

The Penn State redshirt sophomore, who starred at Glassboro High School, carried the momentum of his remarkable spring play into training camp, where his speed, athleticism, and 6-foot-4, 227-pound frame made him a primary target of quarterback Trace McSorley. Said head coach James Franklin: "I think Juwan's a guy that's really stood out overall just during this whole time period. We think he's got a chance to have a really big year for us."

The Penn State football website, which listed Toney as 218 pounds at the start of training camp, now has him at 233, better but not yet ideal for an FBS defensive end. Nonetheless, the Imhotep Charter graduate continues to turn heads with his speed and quickness, qualities that have him ready to do some special things as he prepares for his college football debut. "When you have speed and athleticism on the edge, you couple it with a football IQ, there's pretty good stuff right there," defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. "Shaka is a guy that brings a good football IQ to the [defensive ends] room."

The series between Penn State and Michigan State has been quietly simmering the last couple of years. The Spartans ran an offensive lineman, Jack Allen, for a touchdown late in a 2015 game that they won, 55-16, over the Lions in East Lansing. Last year, with the Nittany Lions leading, 35-12, and beginning a drive with 4 ½ minutes left, McSorley completed passes of 43 and 40 yards, the latter for a touchdown, in what would be a 45-12 win at Beaver Stadium. This year's contest, on Nov. 4, will come late in a tough road for Penn State, at Michigan State directly after back-to-back meetings against the league's elite, Michigan and Ohio State. And it could get interesting. More payback, maybe?