The 10 Most Important Players In 2009: #10

This is the first of ten posts over the next two weeks that will look at the "10 Most Important Players" on the Penn State roster for the 2009 season. As a basis for comparison and evaluation, I use the word "Important" rather than "valuable" or "outstanding" to be clear that I am evaluating value to the team's success and not just who are the best players on the roster.

With that said, here is the list of Honorable Mention players that are good players important to the team's success, but not among the 10 MOST Important: Chaz Powell, Jared Odrick, Mike Mauti, Drew Astorino, and all freshmen wide receivers and cornerbacks.

10. Kevin Newsome, QB (Fr.)--How, you ask, can a freshman back-up quarterback be among the top 10 most important players on the 2009 roster? It's simple: beyond Daryll Clark, Newsome is the only scholarship QB on the roster. God forbid something happens to Clark, Newsome would need to takeover and lead a very young, but talent-rich offense. Newsome must learn the offense quickly, polish his passing skills which are raw at this point, and learn how to be a leader from one of the best leaders Penn State has seen since Michael Robinson. If, for any reason, Newsome must step-in for Clark (like Devlin at Ohio State for the game-winning drive), he must be ready right away or else the Nits may lose the opportunity to win back-to-back Big Ten titles.