Wisniewski part deux at PSU

Penn State beat writer Ron Musselman reports that Penn State coach Joe Paterno is high on Central Catholic High School grad Stefen Wisniewski, who is running No. 1 at right guard in preseason drills.

Wisniewski's dad, Leo, played at Fox Chapel, was a co-captain at Penn State in 1981 and spent three years in the NFL as a nose tackle with the Colts. And his uncle, Steve, was a two-time All-American offensive guard and eight-time Pro Bowler who spent 13 seasons with the Raiders.

"You know, when Leo Wisniewski was in high school, he was a linebacker," Paterno said. "He was a 225-230 pounder when he played at Fox Chapel. When we recruited him, he never played, I don't think, above 245, 250, 255, but he was quick as a cat.

"I think Stefen (6-3, 288) is going to be an outstanding offensive lineman, whereas Leo was on the other side of the football. Leo never got quite the credit he should have when he was playing, because we had a lot of other good kids who were No. 1 draft picks. But we played Southern Cal out there in the Fiesta Bowl, and they had two or three kids, (Bruce) Matthews and a couple other guys, that ended up being All-Pros. They haven't blocked Leo yet.

"So, this kid's got a little bit of his old man in there, but he's young. He works awfully hard and he's smart as a whip. He's one of the better students we have in the whole university."

And here's a quick look at a few position changes (for now):

• Redshirt freshman Chaz Powell, has moved from safety to receiver and Knowledge Timmons from safety to cornerback.

• True freshman Mike Zordich has shifted from linebacker to fullback.

Making progress:

• Two true freshmen outside linebackers -- Mike Yancich from Trinity and Michael Mauti -- are running with the second-string defense.

• Redshirt freshman safety Nick Sukay from Greensburg Central Catholic suffered a broken right thumb in practice last week but is still practicing after being fitted with a cast.