Andrew Quarless played in every game last season as a true freshman and became a reliable target for quarterback Anthony Morelli as the year went on, finishing fifth on the team with 21 receptions.
His freshman year performance garnered the 6-foot-5, 252-pounder a spot on this year's preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, given to the nations top tight end.
But aside from that honor, Quarless, often overshadowed by the Nittany Lions' stable of wideouts, has gained attention for the wrong reasons.
Penn State University Police cited Quarless and sophomore cornerback Willie Harriott for underage drinking shortly before 3 a.m. Aug. 17 in the area around Nittany Apartments Building 12.
A female Penn State student was with the two players and was also cited for underage drinking.
Police said they had been responding to an unrelated call about suspicious activity in the area when they found the three students and determined they had been drinking.
Since that early-morning run-in with the police, the status of the two players has been unclear.
Sports Information Director Jeff Nelson said Sunday that both players are practicing but declined to comment further.
Before this latest incident, Quarless' name was associated mostly with injuries sustained by Joe Paterno.
Quarless reportedly injured the coach's ribs after the two collided during an October practice last season.
After that, a Wisconsin defender pushed the tight end out of bounds during a game in Madison last November. Quarless collided with Paterno, who suffered a broken left leg and two torn ligaments in the tumble.
Paterno coached the final three games of the season from the press box.
"Quarless, he better look out for me. ... I owe him two," Paterno said at media day two weeks ago. "He's not as good as he thinks he is. He's got a long way to go. But he can be a good player."
If Quarless receives punishment in relation to his underage citation, his backups -- sophomores Mickey Shuler, Francis Claude, Brennan Coakley and junior Jordan Lyons --will have an important role to fill.
"I can count on him to catch the ball in the clutch," Morelli said of Quarless at media day. "He did it last year and I'm pretty sure he's going to be a lot better this year."
