This double dose of speed rules Penn State's spring practice

York Daily Record

Brandon Polk's speed and big-play ability have been talked about for three years. Will he finally start delivering regularly in 2018? A preview may come in Saturday's Blue-White Game.

They came to Penn State with the same job detail.

They are nearly identical forms — 5-foot-9, 170-pounds, running on highly flammable rocket fuel.

And both are a bit enigmatic as the initial preview to the 2018 season winds down. They each lost a key season to injury that slowed their college careers.

So what can two of the team's fastest, flashiest players really do for the Lions when it matters most?

They are now teaming together as spring practice concludes with Saturday's Blue-White Game in Beaver Stadium.

Brandon Polk is driving to finally be a major contributor in this ever-evolving offense that may be more diversified than ever.

K.J. Hamler is this spring's breakout player and the talk of camp.

Both figured to battle for the inside receiver or slot position in Penn State's offense. They both possess the speed and ball skills to turn short catches into huge gains. They are intriguing return options, too.

Fast? Polk was Virginia's schoolboy champ in the 200 meters. And the first time he touched the ball in a college game he flew down the right side for 33 yards, surprising Temple's stout defense in the 2015 opener.

Fast? That's why teammates keep gushing about Hamler. He's apparently a head-shaking, on-field kind of fast. He earned the "Human Joystick" nickname in high school for his video game moves and escapability.

More:Friday night college football games in Big Ten about 'greed,' Penn State coach says

More:HBO 'Paterno' movie reveals complex truth about scandal that brought down Penn State coach

More:Former Penn State football leader Adam Breneman leading a Pa. Congressional campaign

"K.J. is more quick and I'm more fast long distance," said Polk, who paused.

"K.J. will pick up speed really fast."

Polk, a redshirt junior, talks as if he's better for his own twisting journey at Penn State. All of that speed and potential gradually fizzled down the stretch in his true freshman season. Opponents began routinely snuffing out his running plays. He wasn't targeted often in the pass game.

Then he missed nearly all of 2016 with an undisclosed injury. Last year, he was strictly a role player with little impact.

So if he will ever make a significant push, it may have to be now. He said he's added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and is smarter and more diligent about the details.

Meanwhile, the competition only grows stronger as James Franklin's recruiting revs up. The latest challengers are Mac Hippenhammer, yet another promising slot receiver, and 6-foot-4 long-strider Justin Short, who arrives in June.

"I think it's a blessing in disguise," Polk said of his setbacks in college. "When I first came here, I don't think I was necessarily ready to play. I know the game more now. I couldn't read coverages when I first got here.

Redshirt freshman K.J. Hamler will finally get to show his impressive speed and moves in Saturday's Blue-White Game. Will he push senior DeAndre Thompkins out of the starting slot receiver position this fall?

"My hands have gotten better. I've had time to sit here and reflect on myself ... I've been working for this moment since I got here."

Hamler, a redshirt freshman, is even bigger news for now. His name pops up repeatedly in conversations with teammates — much like receiver Juwan Johnson last spring. Johnson went on to star in a 54-reception season.

Hamler continues to bide his time. He redshirted last year as he recovered from an injury that ruined his senior season at nationally elite IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Originally from the Detroit area, he attended Orchard Lake St. Mary's High for two years — the alma mater of Penn State receiving great Allen Robinson.

Hamler's signature moment this spring was burning the Penn State secondary for a long touchdown that got everyone talking.

"He’s so quick and so fast," James Franklin said of Hamler. “Usually you get a guy who is really fast or a guy who is really quick, and he's both."

Hamler has been good enough to push Polk to one of the outside receiving spots for now. The freshman may be in line to replace DaeSean Hamilton, the school's all-time receptions leader.

He may be good enough to keep senior DeAndre Thompkins from moving inside, too.

"The amount of explosive plays he's created? Even just a 5-yard run, he'll make that explosive," Polk said. "He’s doing everything the coaches are asking him to do.

"He’s out there basically like, ‘I want this job.'”