Wednesday, 03 October 2012 10:28

Written by Mark Dent

Who is Penn State's leader? Who is the guy who everyone looks up to for the right words in the locker room or for the example? 

On the surface, we know it's Michael Mauti. Since July, he's represented the togetherness of Penn State publicly. And on Saturday, cornerback Stephon Morris said he got the team excited, going as far as slamming his helmet against the lockers before the game.

Mauti denied this, and his response illustrates an important aspect of any leadership talk. Everyone has a different perspective of a leader and the way that person leads. Mauti and Hodges provide a perfect example. Yesterday, safety Malcolm Harris said Mauti was a lead by example type and that Hodges was the vocal leader. An hour later, linebacker Glenn Carson said Mauti was the vocal leader and that Hodges was a lead by example type. Clearly, not everyone sees a leader in the same way. 

Coach Bill O'Brien, perhaps not surprisingly, likes to constantly remind people that many of the seniors provide leadership. 

"We talk about Michael Mauti a lot and Michael would be the first to tell you that there's a lot of guys in that class, the Zordiches, the Hodges', the Hills, the Fagnanos, Morrises; you go right down the line," he said. "I don't know, again, I have no idea what's going to happen this year. I always tell you, I'm not a Genie, but I do know that this is a very special group of kids that practice very hard and have excellent leadership qualities."

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