Projected 2009 starters

THIS DEPTH CHART IS OUTDATED, CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE DEPTH CHART.

Who says it's too early to start previewing the 2009 Penn State football season? Not me.

Here's the very first entry* in what's usually the longest part of any football season, the "off"-season. But we all know it's not really "off" because there's just too much stuff going on. You don't get this kind of year-round activity in the pros, especially since their rosters aren't finalized until practically mid-season.

I didn't include a two-deep depth chart in this entry, because it's almost impossible to tell who will work his way into the back up role this season. We'll address that during/after spring practice. So here's what we're looking at, if the season were to start today, for the 2009 starting lineup:

Offense	_____________________	Defense	______________________
SE	Graham Zug (5)	DE	Jack Crawford (81)
LT	DeOn'tae Pannell (75)	DT	Abe Koroma (95)
LG	JB Walton (65)	DT	Jared Odrick (91)
C	Stefen Wisniewski (61)	DE	Eric Latimore (56)
RG	Johnnie Troutman (74)	OLB	Navorro Bowman (18)
RT	Dennis Landolt (73)	MLB	Josh Hull (43))
TE	Mickey Shuler (82)	OLB	Sean Lee (45)
QB	Daryll Clark (17)	CB	AJ Wallace (1)
FB	Joe Suhey (37)	FS	Knowledge Timmons (4)
RB	Evan Royster (22)	H	Drew Astorino (28)
SR	Brett Brackett (83)	CB	Jesse Alfreno (35)
FL	Chaz Powell (12)	NB	D'Anton Lynn (8)
K	Ryan Breen (49)	P	Jeremy Boone (41)
KR1	Chaz Powell (12)	PR	Chaz Powell (12)
KR2	AJ Wallace (1)	--	--
LS	Andrew Pitz (40)	--	--

Notes:
1. I included three wide receivers, and the fullback, since Penn State still uses the two-back I-formation.
2. I'm not entirely sure about which WRs will go where, but from what I've seen this is the best I can come up with.
3. D'Anton Lynn is listed as the nickle-back, since the coaches were up in the air about whether he would be a safety or a corner. That usually means he'll play nickle/safety when PSU goes to five defensive backs.
4. For the kick returners, my guess is that AJ Wallace will return to his role there, along with Chaz Powell, who originally replaced Wallace this season.
5. Powell will probably take over on punt returns, too.
6. On the offensive line, the coaching staff has talked for a long time about moving Stefen Wisniewski to center, replacing the departed AQ Shipley (wow, that sounded a bit morbid, huh?). If that happens, you'll see Johnnie Troutman take over at LG.
7. Some positions won't really matter, regarding who starts, especially on the DL and skill positions. You'll see a lot of subs inside up front, with Ollie Ogbu playing about half the time, and Stephfon Green will split (about 70/30) carries with Royster. The WRs will also move in and out.
8. Any thoughts, suggestions or predictions on PSU's starting lineup? Leave them in a comment. I welcome any input. That's the fun of all this!

*also today or tomorrow, I'll do a complete rundown of how the 2009 preview will play out. Basically, I'll have regular entries each Monday and Thursday. This Monday will be my way-too-early 2009 top 25.