March 2, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" While the Nittany Lions are only 16 days from returning to the practice field for the start of spring football, the team is not thinking about putting helmets and pats back on just yet.
Led be Director of Performance Enhancement Dwight Galt and the strength and condition staff, the football squad wrapped up its annual winter physical testing period to measure the progress the group has made since winter conditioning began in January and to set a baseline leading into the summer workout season.
The Nittany Lions kicked off the testing week on Monday by running the 40-yard dash, broad jump and triple jump inside Holuba Hall and maxing out on the bench press in the weight room. Tuesday's testing featured the vertical jump and the power clean max out in the weight room. The testing culminated on Wednesday with the shuttle run in Holuba Hall and a squatting max out session in the weight room.
When Galt addressed the media on this particular week during his first two seasons at Penn State, he talked about how pleased he had been with the team's effort. This year, Galt said the eight-week training reached new heights for the Nittany Lions.
"Eight weeks in the bank. It was a great eight weeks," Galt said. "Guys worked their butts off. It was the best winter we've ever had. We've just got to keep on rolling. We have two more days this week to finish up before (spring) break, and then back into football for five weeks."
With eight weeks down in the winter conditioning program, Galt is confident in where the team is at during the final week of strength and conditioning before the student-athletes are off for spring break next week. The team has lifted three days a week and conditioned during the early-morning hours the other two days during the winter.
Leadership and maturity are two areas that have stuck out to Galt this winter. The young talent on the team has done its part to prosper into veterans, and the upperclassmen have set the tone for the rest of the players in the program.
"The youth is growing up, and the older guys have done a great job," said Galt. "The older guys have really done a great job keeping everyone together and teaching the younger guys the Penn State way. They have been awesome."
Running back Saquon Barkley shined during testing week for the Nittany Lions. Galt labeled Barkley as the type of talent you see in the weight room once every 10 years. A 1,000-yard rusher in his true freshman season, Barkley ran 4.38 in the 40-yard dash and benched 390 pounds on Monday, power cleaned a program-best 390 pounds on Tuesday and squatted 495 pounds seven times on Wednesday.
"This kid is for real," said Galt. "He is a tremendous athlete. But even better than that, he's a great leader, a great worker. He really epitomizes what we are all about. He really did a nice job this week."
Galt also referenced the gains offensive tackles Sterling Jenkins and Paris Palmer have made in the weight room during the past 12 months. On the defensive side of the ball, he highlighted safety Marcus Allen and cornerbacks Grant Haley and John Reid.
Collectively, Galt and the staff have a "tier" system of athletes in the weight room. He labeled "tier three" as a group of elite athletes based on their testing results and physical abilities in the weight room. The team currently has nine "tier three" athletes, and it's a number Galt wants to see grow to approximately 16 by this time next year.
With the media in attendance at Thursday's workout, freshman defensive lineman Kevin Givens put on a show in the final squat of the team's first lifting group of the day. Givens squatted 500 pounds nine times with his fellow teammates cheering him on. Fellow defensive lineman Antoine White turned in a 10-rep effort at 465 pounds.
Now, the Nittany Lions are counting down the days before the start of spring practice. Spring drills begin on March 18, with the period culminating in Beaver Stadium at the annual Blue-White Game on 16.