Josh Hull first experienced running on the turf at Beaver Stadium as an 8 year old whose father, Jeff, worked as a mechanic at Penn State.

Hull tagged along with his dad on a father-son day, and after a tour of Beaver Stadium, Hull ran the length of the field thanks to Jeff knowing the gatekeeper.

The possibility of walking on -- which Hull did 10 years after first taking the field at Beaver Stadium -- may have been planted then.

"He told me, 'Dad, if I try this, I'm going to try this at the biggest place I can,' " Jeff Hull said about walking on.

He has since seen his son take on a more expanded role at Penn State. Hull, from nearby Penns Valley High School, could be the latest walk-on turned starter.

Wide receivers Deon Butler and Ethan Kilmer, among others, have fit the bill recently. Hull, a junior linebacker from a small Class AA school 30 minutes away, has seen extensive repetitions this spring as a starting linebacker at a university known for its pedigree at the position.

"He came in here as a walk-on, and it's tough to do what he did," safety Anthony Scirrotto said. "He walked on, he worked hard, he listened to the coaches and did what was asked of him. Now he has a great opportunity to be the starting middle linebacker for one of the most prestigious football schools, and not only that, Linebacker U."

Overwhelming? Hardly.

"I didn't come into the situation expecting not to succeed," Hull said. "I chose Penn State with the intentions of being a starter, even though I was a walk-on kid."

His label as a walk-on does have one caveat: He receives a 75-percent break on his tuition because his father is an employee. His mother, Susan, works in the human resources department in the college of earth and mineral sciences.

Still, he came to Penn State during arguably its best run of linebackers in school history. Paul Posluszny won the Bednarik Award, which is presented to the country's top defensive player, in 2005 and 2006.

He graduated, and then Dan Connor stepped in as Penn State's next Bednarik Award winner.

Then Connor graduated, and Sean Lee looked like a Bednarik Award favorite until he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

The influence of playing with all three has rubbed off on Hall.

"I've benefited greatly from it," he said.

"They taught me how to be a better person not just on the field, but ethics, and on the field, how to be a perfectionist. Everything they do, every possible thing, they work on perfection."

Hull started two years at Penns Valley, but the team's flirtation with a .500 record and rural location kept Hull out of the spotlight. None of the schools who recruited him -- including Division I-AA schools like Bucknell and William & Mary -- offered any form of a scholarship.

Hull, the valedictorian of a class of roughly 140 people, decided to head to Penn State. His brother, Ethan, a center, will join him next year as a preferred walk-on.

Chris Colasanti, potentially the next great Penn State linebacker, could supplant Hull as the starter before too long. Until then, Hull will enjoy the ride as the first-team middle linebacker.

"Obviously, Penn State is Linebacker U," Hull said. "They bring in talented linebackers every year, but I don't focus on it. My destiny's in my hands, and I focus on what I can do."