The tight end position is a place on the depth chart where the Nittany Lions are loaded with potential this spring.

For the first time in two seasons, it’s also a position where Penn State has no real known commodities.

Both Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange earned some reps down the stretch last year after star tight end Pat Freiermuth was struck by an injury that ended his season, and both gave fans plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Penn State’s future at that position. Reviews this spring regarding Tyler Warren — who is entering his second season on campus — have been positive as well.

But the opportunity for development and — perhaps more crucially — the chance to fully immerse himself in an offense, feels especially key for Johnson.

Johnson played 139 snaps on offense over five games last year, and came away with four receptions for 56 yards.

He made an impression when used as a blocker, too, using his 6-foot-6, 251-pound frame to execute blocks against opposition that was typically much more experienced than he was.

“I think me and Theo did a good job blocking, doing what we had to do for our role,” fellow tight end Brenton Strange said last week. “I think honestly that us developing as blockers came with how Pat went down and just being students of the game, listening to stuff that he had to say.”

Speaking in the midst of winter workouts, Penn State tight ends coach Ty Howle was impressed with Johnson’s performance.

“Theo Johnson's a guy — he looks great through winter workouts so far,” Howle said. “Big, long, strong guy that can run and really do some explosive things, so really excited about him. He's learned and he's progressed.”

The more chances Johnson gets to learn and progress the better.

Receiving the benefit of instruction and repetition this spring that he missed out on last year will be crucial in the ongoing development of a player the Nittany Lions hope can contribute significantly at tight end this season.

You should know by now which position group I’m going to go to for this one. The question is, which player do I pick? The first one that came to mind at linebacker was Jesse Luketa. Just going over his PFF chart, it was truly a tail of two seasons. As we’ve discussed before, he graded out as one of the worst linebackers in the Big Ten through the first five games, then flipped a switch against Michigan, finishing with a cumulative grade of 75.1 in those final four games. If he can do that or improve in 2021, it’ll be a good season for Luketa.

Another player that came to mind was Curtis Jacobs. Although he played just 64 snaps, which really isn’t much, his overall grade of 72.3 overall was the highest of any linebacker last year. The snap discrepancy - Brooks, Luketa and Brandon Smith all played more than 400 snaps - is too large to truly compare him to others, but Jacobs was solid against both the run and the pass, leading the team with the best grades in those two areas, too. Again, small sample size, but encouraging nonetheless. Add in Lance Dixon’s departure and that makes this spring all the more important for Jacobs.

But when you really look at who could make the biggest strides this spring and impact this defense the most come September, can you pick anyone other than Brandon Smith? Last season, Smith had one or two moments in just about every game that stood out and got fans excited, but he also struggled at times with the basics. Eight tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception explain those “wow” moments, but he also had just 37 tackles all season, compared to 60 and 59, respectively, for Brooks and Luketa. Stats don’t always paint the picture, but I think in this case they kind of do.

“Brandon's got a great work ethic and, to be honest, has worked through some challenges and I think is turning the corner. You're going to see him flash and do some nice things, and you're still going to see some areas where he's still got to grow and be better,” Brent Pry said back in December. “But, I see improvement in him every week and that's what I'm looking for from everybody when we evaluate the guys; if you keep working towards your full potential. I think he's done a good job of that.”

When you look at Penn State’s linebacker corps, you won’t find many people arguing who’s the best athlete of the bunch. At 6-foot-3, 244 pounds, Smith has the size and athleticism to excite NFL scouts, but he has to start being more consistent between the tackles if he’s going to reach his potential. If he can put together a more consistent campaign in 2021, while also continuing to sprinkle in splash plays, it’ll go a long way in restoring Penn State’s defense, and specifically its linebacker corps, to the standards everyone expects.

You didn't honestly think we wouldn't include Sean Clifford here, did you?

Bottom line, given the success of the program in 2019 and the lack thereof in 2020, and Clifford's role in both scenarios, this spring set itself up to be critical to the quarterback's development and the ultimate success or shortcomings of the Nittany Lions in 2021.

His decision-making, his accuracy, his health, his leadership, his mechanics - all of the areas that cumulatively create the conditions for a quarterback's proficiency were primed to be in play coming off Clifford's 2019 performance in his debut as a starter. With the potential for a progression mirroring that of Trace McSorley, his immediate predecessor, Clifford's 23 touchdowns to seven interceptions, his 59.2 completion percentage, his 8.3 yards per pass, and his 221.2 passing yards per game all appeared primed to take steps forward even in the absence of reliable target K.J. Hamler in 2020.

Without laboring through the details seared into the memories of Penn State fans who endured the bastardized 2020 college football season, though, those incremental improvements simply did not come to fruition.

Completing 152 of 251 passes for 1,883 yards, with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, Clifford (and the Lions' offense as a whole) proved to be a turnover machine, particularly in the first half of the campaign and its accompanying 0-5 record. Fumble-sixes, pick-sixes, and costly decisions repeatedly stymied an offense that, at least initially, was actually fairly efficient.

Now, with primary backup Will Levis off to Kentucky and no obvious challenger for his starting position yet acquired through the transfer portal, none of it exists. The pupil of new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich, with a 0-0 record, and the unquestioned leader of Penn State's offense according to his many teammates who have addressed the media this spring, Clifford's slate is, and must be, wiped clean.

"I think Sean's on a mission," head coach James Franklin said last week. "After two years ago having a really good year as a first time starter, and then as a program having challenges last year, I've seen a lot of growth from him."

The reality here is that nothing short of that will do if Penn State intends to bounce back from the disappointments of its 2020 campaign by building on its late-season successes. None of which is to say that other elements are off the hook - certainly, the program has no shortage of areas to clean up and improve upon from the top-down - but from a pure performance standpoint, there is also no lack of cognition that Clifford is the foundation on which the Nittany Lions must build this season.

Most important, he seems to understand as much inherently, finding room for the growth he also understands necessary to his future performances.

"It was definitely a difficult year for everybody, including myself. So many things just about leadership and hard work and just staying the course, honestly. From all those experiences, I've just piled up into my memory bank and just how to deal with certain situations, on and off the field," Clifford said last week. "I think that it just kind of grew me as a man more than it did as a player, like the whole year itself. I feel truly like grown up through the sport now. I understand times of adversity. I've had both now. I've had triumphs and trials, and I appreciate every every single bit of it throughout my whole career, but it's not even close to being over yet, so I'm excited for what lies in the future."

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