The opportunity Doug Klopacz hoped for as he pushed his body during rehabilitation is at hand. Two years removed from a tor n anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, the shift of Stefen Wisniewski from center back to guard provides an opening that Klopacz has worked hard to attain. The for mer St. Joseph[apos]s Regional HS all-stater has made substantial progress since his September 2008 injur y and ended spring drills atop the depth char t at center. Klopacz has good size and skills and with continued hard work and improvement should be a strong challenger for significant playing time this fall. He is on schedule to graduate in December. He is one of nine retur ning Nittany Lions from New Jersey.
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2009 Senior Season
Klopacz ser ved as the top reser ve to first-team All-Big Ten center Stefen Wisniewski and saw
action in six games. Klopacz played in the wins over Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Illinois, Easter n
Illinois and Michigan State, helping the Nittany Lions gain more than 500 yards against both the Zips
and Panthers. He retur ned to the field after suf fering a serious knee injur y early in the 2008 cam-
paign.
2008 Junior Season
The squad[apos]s No. 2 center, Klopacz saw action on 45 snaps during the first three games of the season, led by 20 against Coastal Carolina. He suffered a serious knee injury in practice leading up to the Temple game, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was lost for the season.
2007 Sophomore Season
Klopacz made his collegiate debut in the season-opening win over Florida International. He also saw action in the Nittany Lions[apos] big win over No. 19 Wisconsin.
2006 Freshman Season
Redshirt season.
High School
Klopacz had a memorable career at New Jersey powerhouse St. Joseph[apos]s Regional HS. Playing for Coach Tony Karcich, he lined up at tackle and tight end on an offensive line that was instrumental in clearing the way to three state championships. Klopacz was recognized as a Newark Star-Ledger second-team all-stater and private school all-state selection as a senior.
Personal
Full name is Douglas John Klopacz. He is a kinesiology major. Born September 9, 1987.