Penn State Football 2012: Latest News, Updates and More from Spring Practice

Spring practice is underway at Penn State as the Nittany Lions begin a new chapter in school history.

Bill O'Brien is the new head coach. For the first time since 1965, Joe Paterno is not.

The team must also try to move on from the sex scandal that shook the college football world and continues to hang over the university with the ongoing investigation. 

Penn State returns 10 starters from a year ago, and hopes that this season will be as successful as the last, in which the school won nine games with little to no offense.

There are many question marks surrounding this team as they open up spring practice, but there's a lot of time between now and the April 21 spring game.

Stay tuned for all of the latest news, updates, position battles and more involving your Penn State Nittany Lions.

What to Watch for

With the spring game taking place tomorrow, here are five things to watch for.

Silas Redd Hurt?

With quarterback issues, Penn State will likely rely on running back Silas Redd very heavily this season. The problem is that he hasn't been getting as many reps as he would like with issues to his knee.

“I have a little bit of tendinitis in my knee, so I haven’t been getting as many reps as I want to get,” Redd said via centredaily.com “But that will change. I have been getting rehab every day and it’s getting much better.”

It's still unknown if Redd will play in the spring game or not, but you can expect the coaching staff to be very careful with his progress. After all, he is pretty much the work horse on the offensive side of the ball. Redd had 244 touches last season and rushed for over 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns.

Danny O'Brien Picks Wisconsin

Forget those rumors that Danny O'Brien was going to pick Penn State because he was spotted wearing a Nittany Lions jacket. Instead the transfer quarterback ended up picking Wisconsin over schools like Penn State and Vanderbilt.

"It was close, and it was a very tough decision," O'Brien said.

It now appears that the Nittany Lions will have to go back to the drawing board and find their starter with the quarterbacks that are currently on the roster. That battle will continue between Rob Bolden and Matthew McGloin.

Danny O'Brien a Nittany Lion?

Maryland transfer quarterback Danny O'Brien was spotted wearing a Penn State jacket during spring practice earlier this week. Maybe he likes the color blue? Either that, or he's made his decision on where he's going to play and not yet announced it.

O'Brien transferred earlier this year from Maryland and is basically a free man. He has looked at other schools such as Wisconsin, but wearing the gear of a team in the running for his services is enough to get Penn State fans excited. 

O'Brien has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns in two years as Maryland's quarterback. He's completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes both seasons, but quarterback is a position that the Nittany Lions desperately need to fill.

I'm sure we'll hear a decision on where the transfer is going to end up real soon.

Bill O’Brien Speaks on Excitement for Spring

New head coach Bill O'Brien has been named the guy in charge for about three months now, but he's still living in a hotel room. It's safe to say that he's excited about some type of football ready to take place.

“I feel really good. I’m settled in, other than the fact that I’m still in room ... well, I can’t give my room number out,” O’Brien told reporters. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase for a while.”

O'Brien also talks about some of the things he's seen from the offense and the differences between the college game and coaching in the NFL.

“Yeah, you’re definitely starting at square one, because again, you’re not really able to spend a lot of time with them,” he said when asked getting the offense acclimated to the new schemes this week. “There have been a few big adjustments for me from the NFL to college football.”

It's going to be a very interesting year if you're a Nittany Lions fan.

Updates

This slideshow will continue to be updated with the latest news, quotes, position battles and more throughout spring practice. Stay tuned for everything involving your Penn State Nittany Lions.