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Impact Lions

Impact Lions

No. 6: CB Trevor Williams

This is a series on the top 10 players who could make the biggest impact for Penn State this season. It’s not a breakdown of the best players on the team, but more of a prediction of who will impact the squad the most.

Who: Senior cornerback; 6-foot, 200 pounds

Why he’s rated here: With Jordan Lucas moving to safety, Williams will be counted on as the team’s shutdown cornerback this season. That means he will be matched up against the opposing team’s best receiver week in and week out, so he will have plenty of opportunities to impact games in a big way.

His impact: Williams has four interceptions in his career to go along with 51 tackles in two seasons on the defensive side. He began his career as a receiver, making 10 catches as a freshman, but has emerged as a reliable defender the past two years.

Reason to be optimistic: It’s all about opportunity. As the primary cornerback, he will get beaten some as teams try to get the ball to their best receiver, but he also will be in position to lock down those receivers and disrupt opposing offenses.

Reason to worry: He hasn’t been the No. 1 cornerback in his career, so he will have to prove he can handle the challenge. Even good cornerbacks have bad days, so if he has one, he will have to be able to get over it and bounce back the next week.

The bottom line: Williams has played a lot of football in his career, so he should be able to handle anything that comes his way. If he can blanket receivers and buy more time for the PSU pass rush to get to quarterbacks, his impact would be huge.

Coming tomorrow: No. 5: LB Nyeem Wartman-White

– Cory Giger

Impact Lions

Impact Lions

This is the first in a series of the top 10 players who could make the biggest impact for Penn State this season. It’s not a breakdown of the best players on the team, but more of a prediction of who will impact the squad the most.

No. 10: PK Joey Julius

Who: Redshirt freshman place-kicker; 5-foot-10, 261 pounds

Why he’s rated here: Julius actually could be even higher on the list as he takes over the kicking duties from Sam Ficken, who enjoyed a stellar senior season in 2014.

His impact: It could be enormous, especially if PSU’s offense struggles as badly as it did last year and a bunch of games are decided by a few points. The Lions played eight games decided by 7 points or less last season, going 4-4, and in those kind of games, Ficken’s reliability was a big plus. Whether Julius can make the big kicks under heavy pressure remains to be seen, simply because he’s never done it.

Reason to be optimistic: His nickname is “Big Toe,” and he’s got a booming leg, so his range could be in the 55-yard distance.

Reason to worry: By all accounts, Julius hasn’t exactly had the best camp, and he’s actually still competing for the starting job with redshirt freshman Tyler Davis. That’s a concern because one would have liked the young man to have a strong camp, win the job with ease and go into the season with a lot of confidence.

The bottom line: Julius is a big wild card entering the season. There’s just no way to know how he will respond on the field until he gets those opportunities. His impact – good or bad – could be wide-ranging for the team.

Coming tomorrow: No. 9: CB Jordan Lucas

– Cory Giger

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