Safety Drew Astorino, a starter in the secondary this past season, had surgery on his left shoulder on Friday, as confirmed by sports information director Jeff Nelson.
"[He] is expected to be 100 percent prior to the start of preseason practice," Nelson said in an e-mail on Monday. "The shoulder bothered him for most of the season."
Terri Astorino, Drew's mother, summed up the situation as one of going through rehab and following what the doctors say.
Astorino, who frequently brushed off concerns about the shoulder throughout the season, ranked fourth on the team with 62 tackles. He also posted one interception and recovered two fumbles while contributing on special teams by returning seven punts and averaging 7.9 yards per return.
Astorino will also be the team's leading returning tackler for next season.
After making three starts in 2008, the redshirt sophomore emerged as one of the leaders in Penn State's secondary and was selected to the honorable mention All-Big Ten team by the media.
In Astorino's first season as a regular starter, the defense surrendered 184.6 pass yards a game, good for a No. 24 ranking in the nation.
With this past season's starting linebackers -- Navorro Bowman, Josh Hull and Sean Lee -- all gone along with players like Jared Odrick and cornerback A.J. Wallace, Astorino is now one of the more veteran players on the defense.
"It's wonderful to see his hard work come to fruition," Astorino's mother said about her son and his career.
