STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Penn State could finally have some roster stability with the Nittany Lions opening preseason practice after a turbulent offseason.
Coach Bill O'Brien said he was "very confident" the players who showed up for practice early Monday morning are committed for the season.
The team held its first formal workouts since the NCAA leveled strict sanctions against the program, including a four-year bowl ban, for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
Players who had nothing to do with the scandal were caught in the middle. Nine Nittany Lions have taken advantage of an opportunity from the NCAA allowing immediate transfers to play for other schools, most notably tailback Silas Redd.
O'Brien says he's focused on players who stayed and getting them ready for the season opener Sept. 1 against Ohio.
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