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Penn State's new kicking candidates, including Chris Gulla (right), could likely learn a thing or two about their craft from former kicker Sam Ficken.
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Penn State's specialists a work in progress

Joe Camporeale/USA Today

Penn State's specialists a work in progress

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State continues building depth across the roster, working to create a three-deep, but few positions have as many competitors and unknowns as the specialists.

Four snappers, six kickers and at least two punters — with a few players who can kick and punt — are vying for spots. So far, coach James Franklin hasn’t seen enough growth from some of them.

“I feel pretty good about our field goals; there are still concerns and questions about our punting. It’s not where I think it needs to be,” Franklin said after Saturday’s practice. “I think our snapping and our punting from the time the season ended to now hasn’t progressed the way I think it should progress. We’ve got to look at what we’re doing there and make some changes.”

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Gone is kicker Sam Ficken, who continues preparing for the NFL draft, and last year’s punting experiment with Australian walk-on Daniel Pasquariello and former kicker-turned-punter Chris Gulla made for an inconsistent season for both. Gulla moved back to kicker this spring and is competing with walk-on and former high school soccer standout Joey Julius. Robby Liebel joins Pasquariello in the punting competition.

Julius, a redshirt freshman listed at 5 feet 11, 244 pounds, has had water squirted in his face and Franklin stepping in front of him before kicks at practice. Like Franklin did with Ficken, the goal is to make the kickers comfortable with distractions and at ease under pressure.

“He’s been really accurate,” Franklin said. “A lot of times, the power guys don’t have the consistency, but he’s really showed both.”

Penn State doesn’t have a scholarship specialist on the roster, a move that was made as the program worked through scholarship limitations stemming from the NCAA sanctions. Special teams coach Charles Huff said at the end of last season that Penn State would like to scholarship a specialist in the future since it will have the full allotment of 85 scholarships available beginning this season.

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When the staff arrived, though, they needed to use the scholarships to fill other needs, like along the offensive line where there were depth issues and at linebacker. Franklin said in the future if there is an incoming specialist who is head and shoulders above the rest, Penn State will give him a scholarship. Or, if a walk-on does enough to prove his worth, he, too, could be rewarded with a scholarship.

However, the risk of using a scholarship on a specialist, him not succeeding and then not being able to move him to another position is part of the equation the staff will work through in coming recruiting cycles.

Penn State already offered 2016 kicker Quinn Nordin, who is projected to be one of the top specialists in his class. For now, though, it means at least another season with walk-on specialists who will be tested in front of a crowd at Saturday’s spring game.

“We’ll do field goals to start the game. We’ll have it scripted out yard lines and hashes and things like that to see how these guys are going to kick in front of the fans,” Franklin said. “They’ll have to get it off in the right time so it’ll be the snap, the hold and the kick. Then at halftime, we’ll do punting.”

Franklin called Ficken “a great resource” for these kickers. Making sure the players keep in contact with their kicking coaches from back home is also a focal point as the competitions continue.

NOTE — Pegged as Mike Hull’s replacement at middle linebacker, Nyeem Wartman didn’t practice Saturday. Franklin said Wartman — who was at practice in shorts and watching from the sidelines for the portion open to the media — was limited after having a strong start to spring practice.

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @audsnyder4.

First Published: April 12, 2015, 4:00 a.m.

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Penn State's new kicking candidates, including Chris Gulla (right), could likely learn a thing or two about their craft from former kicker Sam Ficken.  (Joe Camporeale/USA Today)
Joe Camporeale/USA Today
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