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The Most Key Departure in the History of Key Departures: Sam Ficken
/clears throat
/sings to the tune of "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban
♪The kick sailed wide, the Lions they were weeping.
The Cavs walked off, as joyous as could be.
And Sam he walked, alone, back to his locker.
Not knowing what, the future held for he.
* * *
(Chorus) He ne'er gave up, and kicked his way to history.
He shot right up, to Bahr, Gould and Kelly.
He was strong, when taking down Wisconsin.
He made us proud, in Dublin and NYC.
* * *
But now he's gone, and off to make some money.
Because he showed, that football, it can change.
He leaves a hole, in the Penn State family.
Every Sunday on, he'll show off his great range.
* * *
(Chorus) He ne'er gave up, and kicked his way to history.
He shot right up, to Bahr, Gould and Kelly.
He was strong, when taking down Wisconsin.
He made us proud, in Dublin and NYC. ♪
* * *
Seriously, losing Sam Ficken is a giant blow to not only Penn State's special teams, but the entire team. He will be sorely missed.
Likely Starters: Joe Julius (K), Danny Pasquariello (P), De'Andre Thompkins/Grant Haley (KR/PR)
At this point, it doesn't really sound like any of the kicking options have truly separated themselves, so I feel comfortable in predicting that the initial leader will stay on top. Joe Julius, the 250 pound monster of a kicker, will certainly give Penn State fans a chuckle every time he jogs onto the field. The Sebastian Janikowski comparisons don't end at his size, though. Julius has a huge leg, as he was known to bang home 50 yarders in high school. He got a ton of practice time this past season, and latched on to Ficken to learn everything he could from him. Penn State's current recruitment of various kicking prospects in the 2016 class may signal that they're not completely set on what they currently have, but a strong season from Julius could give him the inside track to being a four year starter.
Danny Pasquariello started the season sharing the punting duties with Chris Gulla, but neither provided much consistency. As the year went on though, the aussie starting kicking the ball a little further each time, and started to improve his hang time. By season's end, there was no debate as to who the starting punter was, and now Danny finds himself as the clear-cut starter heading into 2015. Aided by the comfort of having a year under his belt and a currently secure starting spot, look for Pasquariello to break out as a field position weapon in 2015.
One of the key advantages to the way the new staff has recruited, is the influx of a plethora of options at kick and punt returner. The staff has been focusing on bringing in pure athletes to increase the overall speed and size of the team, and the return game should start to reap the benefits of that. Most of you probably remember my De'Andre Thompkins man-crush that has been in full swing since his commitment. He's an absolutely stud, and a complete game-breaker. Not only does he have the potential to change the game on the offensive side of the ball, but he will give the Nittany Lions a true Percy Harvin-style talent in the return game. A dynamic and explosive returner in high school, De'Andre's skill combined with the ever-improving special teams unit (which directly coincides with the refilling of the roster with scholarship athletes) will give Penn State the third dimension it has been missing for a while. Of course, Grant Haley was no slouch in his own right last year, so he will likely get plenty of opportunities as well.
The unit as a whole doesn't have the same "sure" feel that it had last year, but it also has more exciting potential than arguably any special teams unit in Happy Valley for some time.