The Big Ten's Best 11: No. 6 Sean Lee, Penn State Linebacker
Sean Lee's 2008 season came to end before it even got started when he suffered a torn ligament in his right knee during spring practice.
Now--after spending the 2008 season "coaching" from the sidelines--the senior linebacker and All America candidate spends his days immersed in the Penn State defense and his nights are filled with the thoughts of the first meaningful snap since the 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl.
"That first game hit--I hope it's set up nicely," Lee told USA Today. "A
wide receiver coming across the middle, or a running back making a cut
right into me ... or the quarterback setting up and I'm coming on
a blitz. I've thought of different scenarios."
Back from the sidelines. Sean Lee and the Nittany Lions are eyeing a return trip to the Rose Bowl.
Before his injury Lee was widely considered to be the next in the long and storied list of great linebackers at Penn State.
He was a superstar on the outside wracking up 228 tackles in two seasons. This season, Lee will move to the middle linebacker position, leading a linebacking unit that is undeniably the Big Ten's best.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has no doubt that Lee will once again be one of the nation's top linebackers, but he admits he was getting a little tired of Lee's looming presence during the 2008 season.
"He's ready to go," Bradley said. "I'll be glad that he's not hanging out beside me. I'd rather see him in front of me."
Lee just wants to experience what he missed last season.
"I just want to be part of a team that gets back in the same situation we were [in] last year, competing for a Big Ten title, national championship and playing after New Year's Day. We want to be that same type of team. That's my ultimate goal."
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