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Nyeem Wartman is already working on his Mike Hull impersonation. Right down to the calls before the snap.
With Wartman perhaps in line to succeed Hull at middle linebacker this fall for Penn State, he’s already starting to nail down the fine points.
“When I’m calling out the defense, some of the D-linemen want me to call it in a certain way, like Mike Hull did it,” Wartman said Tuesday. “The biggest adjustment is my wording when calling plays. Changing it up so they don’t have to think about it — just get down and play.”
Though the Nittany Lions depth chart is far from finalized — Gary Wooten and Ben Kline have taken reps in the middle this spring — Wartman is excited for the opportunity to play inside.
“I’m very ready for that,” Wartman said. “I’m so much further ahead (than last year), I don’t have to think about it. … It’s just going out there and playing football.”
The public, however, may have to wait a bit to see him play the middle in person.
Wartman has been banged up this spring and been “limited” in practices, according to both Wartman and Lions coach James Franklin. If recent history is any indication, he may be held out of Saturday’s Blue-White Game as a precaution.
“That’s to be announced,” Wartman said. “I’m not really sure.”
Regardless, he remains the early favorite to man the middle when the Lions open their 2015 season against Temple in Wartman’s native Philadelphia.
Wartman, who moved to Northeast Pennsylvania in 2008 and played his high school ball at Valley View, was a full-time starter on the outside last year. But with Hull headed to the NFL, Wartman became a logical choice to shift inside as the linebacker with the most game experience on the roster.
That factor made him an appealing choice to Franklin.
“Big, strong, physical guy who moves very, very well,” Franklin said at the start of the spring. “He’s got experience now playing the position. You’d like to have a linebacker who is a guy who has played enough football.
“I think the fact that these guys actually watched Mike Hull for the last couple years is valuable, as well, just how the guy practiced and prepared.”
Hull indeed serves as a model for Wartman and the Lions moving forward. Franklin and defensive assistants Bob Shoop and Brent Pry raved about Hull’s preparation.
Like Hull before him, Wartman said he doesn’t consider himself a big rah-rah type of leader.
“I learned a lot from Mike Hull,” Wartman said. “He was a lead-by-example guy. Just how he got to the ball on every play, he’s a great role model for me.”
This year it could be Wartman becoming the role model. He and Brandon Bell both figure to be starters for the second straight year.
Depending on how things shake out, the third linebacker could be fifth-year senior Kline or someone like Jason Cabinda, who saw time as a true freshman in 2014.
Wartman said he has a strong comfort level with Bell and would welcome the opportunity to play next to Cabinda, who often backed up Wartman a year ago.
“I’m trying to be a leader, but I’m trying not to force it,” Wartman said. “I want to show I care about this team, and that means being consistent in what I do, leading by example and always playing hard.
“I always focus on what Mike Hull did last year. Be consistent and show I’m committed to it. Hopefully it rubs off on other guys.”
Recruit update
Pennsylvania’s No. 1 prospect for the 2016 signing class has Penn State right at the top of his list.
Exeter Township offensive lineman Michal Menet announced Tuesday on Twitter that Penn State and Duke are his top two college choices. The junior from the Reading area had previously listed Duke, Florida State, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State as his top five.
Menet has risen into the top 50 nationally for the recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Menet is listed as the country’s No. 7 prospect at tackle and No. 44 overall at any position.
Penn State already has a verbal commitment from the state’s second-ranked offensive lineman, Lake-Lehman’s Connor McGovern.