The season feels like it just ended, but the Nittany Lions are already back at work.
Tuesday morning marked the first of many winter workouts as the Nittany Lions took to Holuba Hall to start conditioning and physical preparations with spring practice just around the corner.
With time quickly speeding by, there are plenty of things to look forward to in the offseason. In fact here are five dates to put on your calendar as spring approaches.
NFL Combine, Feb 17-23:
Penn State has five players heading to the NFL Combine which gives fans good reason to pay attention to a week of important but equally “pointless” weight lifting, speed and agility tests. It will be interesting to see what Sam Ficken gets out of the experience as a kicker. Not that he isn’t NFL bound, but chances are he won’t be bench pressing or running 40 yard dashes very often during his career. To his credit though, Ficken is in great shape, so it’s not as though he won’t be able to put up good numbers. The NFL Network will carry nearly all of the coverage that week.
Pro Day, March 19:
Chances are good that not all five of Penn State’ combine participants will take part in Pro Day — unless they want to put up better numbers. For all of the players who didn’t get an invite though (See: Deion Barnes) it’s a chance to get in some important work in front of scouts.
Spring Practice Starts, Mid March:
This doesn’t have a specific date just yet, at least not announced, but it’s safe to assume Penn State will start somewhere in the March 11-17 span. The importance of practice is fairly self-explanatory but this will be a chance to get a lot of new faces on the field with the rest of the returning roster. That in itself is worth the time and effort that goes into spring ball.
Blue White Game: April 18
Like practice, the Blue White game’s implications are equally obvious. This game won’t be about Christian Hackenberg and company as much as it will be about the little things like the offensive line, receivers, freshman and the defense. It’s hard to take too much away from the scrimmage but there are a lot of little glimpses into the upcoming season. Last year it was clear the wildcat would be a part of the offense after the Blue White game. So wrinkles like that might show their faces yet again this April.
NFL Draft: April 30-May 2:
With five Nittany Lions in the combine and plenty of other options on the board it could be a good day for fans hoping to see their favorite players at the next level. Being a free agent doesn’t mean a career is over by any stretch, but these few days could be a big positive for the program moving forward. Which rounds players are projected in will be clearer as the process moves forward.
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