This is the first part of a 4-part series, taking you up to the Blue-White game with a look at some of the biggest position battles on the Penn State football team.  First up is the Tight End position, where the graduations of Andrew Quarless and Mickey Shuler leave a gaping lack of depth and experience at the position.

The Skinny: Andrew Quarless leaves Penn State after a long and tumultuous career, but one that saw him leave his name in the Penn State record books, with the most catches of any Penn State tight end.  By the end of the year, he had become Daryll Clark’s go-to receiver, evidenced by his 8-catch, 88-yard performance in the Capital One bowl.  Mickey Shuler was perhaps the polar opposite of Quarless–a hard-working, quiet producing tight end who made his name by doing more of the little things, especially through his blocking, which was one of the best of any tight end in the country.  In tandem, they worked perfectly, especially as Quarless expanded his blocking skills and Shuler developed a solid red-zone pass-catching game.  In short, they were among the best groups of tight ends any school could boast in, perhaps, the past decade.  Expect to hear both their names called during Thursday’s NFL draft.

But now, Penn State will need at least two tight ends to step up in their absence.  With an unsteady quarterbacking situation, an untested offensive line, and a presumably run-heavy offense, the Lions will be sure to use plenty of two-tight end sets to try and boost the run game.  The problem is, they’ve got nobody with much experience, much less two starters to plug-and-play.

The Contenders:

Andrew Szczerba is the only tight end on the Penn State roster with a catch, and he’s made all of two in his career.  In 2008, he snagged a 9-yard pass from Pat Devlin against Coastal Carolina, and in last year’s Temple game, he pulled in a 6-yard reception from Kevin Newsome.  The redshirt junior had his coming out party during the 2008 spring game, with a team-high 5 catches and 65 yards, and performed admirably during last year’s affair as well, tallying 3 catches for 39 yards.  He played (albeit sparingly) in 11 of 13 games a year ago, missing only the Michigan and Indiana affairs.  Penciled in as the presumptive starter, it would probably take an injury for him to be usurped.

Mark Wedderburn has seen snaps in just two games during his Penn State career, last year’s tilts with Syracuse and Eastern Illinois.  Despite his inexperience, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he was thrust into the rotation in 2010.  He has a prototypical frame for a tight end, at 6’6, but needs to put on some weight if he wants to be an effective in-line blocker, as the Penn State roster lists him as a slim 226 pounds. Wedderburn was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school–ranked the #13 tight end in the country by Scout.com, and chose Penn State over schools like Florida, Michigan, and Tennessee.  Seriously, read his Scout profile, and tell me you’re not excited to see him play.  Now would be a good time for the redshirt sophomore  from Philadelphia to step up.

Garry Gilliam is a redshirt freshman about which not much is known–even what position is playing.  He’s spent time practicing at both tight end and defensive end in his Penn State career, though with the lack of depth at tight end, I’d expect him to end up there.  Gilliam was not a highly touted prospect upon his commitment, but he does have prototypical size and strength, at 6’6, 245, for an elite tight end.  He was practicing with the second-team offense during the Coaches’ Clinic Scrimmage a couple weeks ago, though his performance was up-and-down: one catch for 13 yards, and a dropped pass that led to an interception.

Brennan Coakley might be on the team come the start of next season, but it’s entirely possible that he won’t be.  You see, Coakley, who’s been fighting through injury after injury since stepping on campus at Penn State in 2005 is petitioning the NCAA for a 6th year of eligibility.  Whether or not he gets one, its equally unlikely that he’ll see significant playing time.  Once you’ve gone 5 years without tallying a catch, its unlikely that you’ll become a star, but you never know.  Coakley saw snaps in 6 games last year, and, while rehabbing his various injuries, has served as a “undergraduate assistant coach” on the sidelines.

Kevin Haplea is a true freshman, but enrolled early with the hopes that he might be able to make it out onto the field next season.  The biggest concern for Penn State might be his size–or rather, his lack thereof.  Listed at 230 pounds coming out of high school, the official roster lists Haplea at a slim 210 pounds.  That said, his recruiting profile–rated the #6 tight end in the country by Scout.com–and his offer sheet–scholarships from Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, West Virginia, Rutgers, and a host of others were on the table–show you what kind of raw talent this Garden State native has.  Though Joe Paterno said that “freshman don’t exist,” if he’s given the chance, Haplea could change that notion.

Conclusions: Andrew Szczerba will be the starter, both in Saturday’s Blue/White Game and when the Penn State offense takes the field against Youngstown State next August.  The question, though, is who else will step up.  Penn State can not survive with just one tight end, and it’s not like Szczerba is any sure thing, either.  Though most people will continue to focus their energies on other position battles–which we will examine as the week goes on–the tight end depth chart is just as intriguing.