It doesn’t take a lot of time spent around Penn State freshman Sterling Jenkins to see that he is a big human. The future offensive lineman got the numbers to back up the obvious as he enters camp at 6-foot-8 and 329 pounds according to figures released today.
In general Penn State welcomed a large class to campus this summer as 22 freshman come in on the scale at 200 or more pounds. While weight alone certainly isn’t the only indicator of the ability to perform and contribute on the field, it certainly speaks to the size that will go along with the talent in the coming seasons. This is especially true as players develop and are molded physically over the span of their careers.
| No. | Name | Pos. | Cl./Exp. | Ht./Wt. | Hometown/High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Garrett Taylor | CB | FR/FR | 6-0/187 | Richmond, Va./Saint Christopher’s |
| 29 | John Reid | CB | FR/FR | 5-10/186 | Mount Laurel, N.J./St. Joseph’s Prep |
| 48 | Shareef Miller | DE | FR/FR | 6-5/245 | Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington |
| 54 | Robert Windsor | DE | FR/FR | 6-4/286 | Fond Du Lac, Wis./Fond Du Lac |
| 46 | Colin Castagna | DE | FR/FR | 6-4/244 | Barrington, Ill./Barrington |
| 92 | Kamonte Carter | DE | FR/FR | 6-4/271 | Silver Spring, Md./Gaithersburg |
| 30 | Kevin Givens | DE | FR/FR | 6-1/238 | Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area |
| 97 | Ryan Buchholz | DT | FR/FR | 6-6/254 | Malvern, Pa./Great Valley |
| 57 | Steven Gonzalez | G/C | FR/FR | 6-4/324 | Union City, N.J./Union City |
| 52 | Ryan Bates | G/C | FR/FR | 6-4/284 | Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood |
| 31 | Daiquan Kelly | LB | FR/FR | 6-2/194 | Newark, N.J./Union City |
| 33 | Jake Cooper | LB | FR/FR | 6-1/226 | Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood |
| 43 | Manny Bowen | LB | FR/FR | 6-1/200 | Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat |
| 91 | Nick Boumerhi | PK | FR/FR | 5-9/173 | Phillipsburg, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola |
| 4 | Tommy Stevens | QB | FR/FR | 6-4/211 | Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central High School |
| 17 | Jackson Erdmann | QB | FR/FR | 6-3/205 | Rosemount, Minn./Rosemount |
| 26 | Saquon Barkley | RB | FR/FR | 5-11/215 | Coplay, Pa./Whitehall |
| 6 | Andre Robinson | RB | FR/FR | 5-9/209 | Mechanicsburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt |
| 14 | Jarvis Miller | S | FR/FR | 6-2/198 | Suffield, Conn./Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby |
| 16 | John Petrishen | S | FR/FR | 6-0/201 | Lower Burrell, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic |
| 23 | Ayron Monroe | S | FR/FR | 5-11/200 | Largo, Md./Saint Johns College H.S. |
| 97 | Nick Cox | SN | FR/FR | 6-0/230 | Tampa, Fla./Jesuit |
| 76 | Sterling Jenkins | T | FR/FR | 6-8/329 | Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin |
| 18 | Jonathan Holland | TE/H | FR/FR | 6-4/240 | Brandywine, Md./The Bullis School |
| 83 | Nick Bowers | TE/H | FR/FR | 6-4/255 | Kittanning, Pa./Kittanning Senior |
| 84 | Juwan Johnson | WR | FR/FR | 6-4/213 | |
| 85 | Irvin Charles | WR | FR/FR | 6-4/213 | Sicklerville, N.J./Paul VI |
| 87 | Dan Chisnea | WR | FR/FR | 6-2/182 | Exton, Pa./Downingtown-East |
| 82 | Tyler Shoop | WR | FR/FR | 5-11/171 | Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan |
| 10 | Brandon Polk | WR | FR/FR | 5-9/163 | Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods |
While this is the first time anyone has gotten a look at freshman numbers this season, here are a few other notables for returning members of the Nittany Lion roster.
- Christian Hackenbergs enters the summer at 228 pounds after playing this spring at 232. Not a major change but the result of Penn State’s current desire to see Hackenberg add strength and mobility at the same time.
- Anthony Zettel has added some bulk to the frame going from 275 this spring up to 284 heading into camp.
- Amani Oruwariye has moved to CB
- Adam Breneman is four pounds heavier coming out of his rehabilitation at 245. Akeel Lych is three pounds heavier at 222. Nyeem Wartman-White is three pounds lighter at 243. Geno Lewis is staying put at 207. Jason Cabinda is at 245 pounds after playing this spring at 252.
- Curious about the value of a good strength and conditioning program? Offensive tackle Paris Palmer committed at 305 pounds. Dropped down to 290 for the spring and is back up to 297 and stronger for it. Not all weight is created equal.
- Penn State kicker Joey Julius enters camp at 5-10, 261 pounds. An amazing increase from his spring weight of 244.
