UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Football returns to Happy Valley on Friday afternoon when the Nittany Lions take the field for their first of 15 spring practices in 2016.Head coach James Franklin previewed spring ball on Tuesday afternoon inside the Beaver Stadium media room, as the Nittany Lions gear up for the Blue-White Game at 2 p.m. on April 16.Following a very productive winter conditioning period, the Lions are primed to take step forward during spring practice. Optimism is high for head coach James Franklin and the staff."Obviously this is a time of year that we all get excited about," said head coach James Franklin. "I know it's a great opportunity for you guys, as well, to kind of get to know the future Penn State football and what it's going to hold this year. Our guys have done a great job."Franklin detailed a number of areas during Tuesday's spring practice press conference. Take a look below at a few highlights as the Nittany Lions get set to kick off spring practice.Position ChangesThere will be three Nittany Lions getting adjusted to new positions when the team takes the field on Friday. Headlining the list is redshirt sophomore Nick Scott. After two seasons in the offensive backfield, Scott approached Coach Franklin about moving to the secondary to best serve the team.Scott was recruited by several teams out of high school as a defensive back, but opted to remain a running back when he decided to attend Penn State. But with the depth at running back, Scott is headed to the cornerback position."He's excited. He's taken a lot of initiative," said Franklin. "I see him getting together with John Reid and Jordan Smith and (Grant) Haley and those guys, and spending time with them and kind of working on the fundamentals and techniques. The corner position was something I thought was important, to start him there. We feel like safety is probably the position that we have a pretty good amount of depth right now. We have six or so guys that we feel really good about. And at corner, we want to continue to create the depth."In addition to Scott, redshirt junior Curtis Cothran and redshirt freshman Kevin Givens will both be moving from defensive end to defensive tackle. Franklin cited the need for added depth in the interior of the defensive line as the primary reason for the moves.Strength and Conditioning GainsThe improvements to the team's overall speed and strength were put on display during the annual winter testing week at the beginning of March. We highlighted some of the top performances from the testing (Testing Week Feature), but Coach Franklin went a step further on Monday and talked about the difference in body masses for a number of players on the team.Among the highlights from the muscle gains during the winter were: Saquon Barkley, who lost five pounds of fat and gained 12 pounds of muscle; Irvin Charles, who lost two pounds of fat and gained 16 pounds of muscle; DaeSean Hamilton gained 20 pounds of muscle; Shareef Miller lost 14 pounds of fat and gained 20 pounds of muscle; Bendan Mahon lost 12 pounds of fat and gained 20 pounds of muscle.Installing a New OffenseIt will be a spring practice period of learning for the Nittany Lion offensive players. New offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead will be going through the paces of installing a new offense during the 15 allotted practices this spring. The Lions are looking forward to the challenge and excited about what is ahead."I think one of the things that helps is even last year, the last two years, we taught concepts, and Joe teaches concepts," said Coach Franklin. "So although everybody is focused on this being a new offense, and it is, it's not like Joe's coming in here and running plays that have never been run before in college football or the NFL."Under NCAA rules, coaches and student-athletes are permitted to spend more time together in the meeting room during the off season than in previous years. That time has been invaluable for the group this spring as the Lions learn the intricacies of a new offense."I think the important part is how you package things, how you complement things and how you're able to take things that may seem complex and make them seem easy to other people," said Franklin. "And Joe's got a really good way of installing things and making it look like you're doing a lot of things when you're really not. Tempo helps with that. Formations help with that. Not a big motion team, but I think Joe's got a really good feel of his system and how one thing complements the next."Saquon Barkley 2.0Coming off a 1,000-yard true freshman season, sophomore Saquon Barkley dazzled during the winter conditioning period with the team's fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.38) and pro agility (4.00), a power clean of 390 pounds and a squat of 600 pounds. Now, Barkley is looking to turn the physical gains into progress on the field."I think (the next step is) the knowledge (of the game)," said Franklin. "Physically, you look at his size and strength and speed numbers, they are good. They are as good as anywhere in the country, college or I would even say the NFL. His numbers are really good. He has the experience now. He's played some football. He's had some success. He's met some challenges. So that's the next step."Barkley's game experience as a true freshman will pay big dividends for his future, but learning more about each aspect of being an elite running back will allow him to process things quicker and play at a much quicker pace on the field."How can we get the game to slow down for him so he can play aggressive and be decisive in his pass protection and things like that, anticipate when things are going to come," said Franklin. "And that's really when you become more aggressive. That's when you become more physical and that's when you actually play faster."New Quarterbacks Ready to CompeteRedshirt sophomore Trace McSorley and redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens have lined up alongside one another throughout winter conditioning ready to compete for the starting quarterback job. Both fiercely competitive, Franklin said the duo would head into spring eager to take command of the offense. Add in early enrollee Jake Zembiec, and the Nittany Lions are primed for a competitive race for the starting quarterback spot.While no timeline has been set for naming a new starter, Franklin is eager to see what type of progress the group makes on and off the field this spring."We want to make sure we're making the right decision, No. 1," Franklin said. "And if that becomes obvious very early on, great. If it needs to go to summer camp, we're willing to go to summer camp and if it needs to be the first game, you guys are waiting for us to announce the starter, that could be the case, as well.
"I think it wouldn't surprise if me that goes to camp, just as competitive as those two guys have been with each other. And you never know what's going to happen with a guy like Jake Zembiec, you just never know. It's hard to keep him part of the equation right now because we haven't seen him but you never know. It wouldn't surprise me if that goes to camp."Position Battles to WatchCoach Franklin highlighted a few positions he's excited to watch this spring as the Lions look to add depth and experience across the roster. Keep an eye at battles on the offensive line, at wide receiver, at defensive tackle and at middle linebacker.While Nyeem Wartman-White will be limited this spring, the "Mike" linebacker spot will be a fun competition to track as Jason Cabinda and Wartman-White compete for the starting role."Cabinda has gotten a lot of work at Mike linebacker right now and he doesn't want to give that up," said Franklin. "So I think the battle between him and Nyeem is going to be really interesting whether it's part of this spring or whether it's fall camp. They both want to be the Mike linebacker and neither one of them want to give it up, which is great. Our 'Mike' and our 'Will' linebacker are two box backers. They are interchangeable in a lot of ways, so I think that's going to be interesting and going to be fun."Experience Back on Special TeamsFranklin said it is no secret that the Nittany Lions need to improve in all phases of special teams heading into the 2016 season. The group returns a host of experience from the last two years, and the leader of the Nittany Lions is expecting the collective unit to make a jump forward with added depth this fall."We know that that's an area that we have to improve," said Franklin. "We need that to be an area that we are winning games, not an area that has had a major factor in us losing games," said Franklin. "I think we're going to have a more competitive two-deep this year, which I think is going to help there probably as much as anywhere. I think our kicking, the consistency in our kicking, is going to be really important. The height of our kicks, the hang time of our kicks, the kick location, the depth."Penn State will practice on Friday and Saturday this week before picking up action in full pads on Monday.