Andrew Szczerba Class: Freshman Hometown: Wilmington, Del. High School: Salesianum Height / Weight: 6-6 / 252 Position: TE Experience: SO H.S. Coach: Bill DiNardo

One of the most compelling attractions of the Blue-White game is the opportunity for the Nittany Lion faithful to see players make their collegiate debut after toiling on the foreign team the previous fall. With the record crowd of 73,000 fans settling into their seats last April, Andrew Szczerba made a quick and positive impression on the huge throng. The talented and strong tight end made a game-high five receptions for 65 yards, all in the first half. He exhibited soft hands and good mobility, grabbing a 25-yard aerial from Pat Devlin in the first quarter. In the second period, he caught a pair of balls from Paul Cianciolo to set up a touchdown. In high school, Szczerba watched with great interest as the Nittany Lions won the 2005 Big Ten Championship and a Bowl Championship Series berth. Having led Salesianum HS to Delaware state titles in 2005 and `06, Szczerba is looking forward to helping the Nittany Lions return to the national championship picture. A skilled athlete with excellent physical attributes, he made very good progress during his first year in the program. Szczerba will be among the primary candidates that could earn significant game action at tight end, finishing spring drills No. 2 to Mickey Shuler. The 2006 Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in Delaware, Szczerba has a very promising future. He joined Eric Latimore and Devon Still as Delaware natives that matriculated to Penn State in 2007.

2007 Freshman Season
Redshirt season. Szczerba made a game-high five catches for 65 yards in the 2008 Blue-White game.

High School
Leading Salesianum HS to state championships in 2005 and 2006, Szczerba was a dynamic player on both sides of the ball. Playing tight end and defensive end for Coach Bill DiNardo, Szczerba was selected the 2006 Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in Delaware and he earned first-team all-state honors on offense and defense. A team captain, he also was named first-team all-conference and the Lineman-of-the-Year. Rated the No. 12 prep tight end in the nation, he made 12 receptions for 300 yards with four touchdowns as a senior. He also recorded 50 tackles, with six sacks, and one interception. He was selected to play in the 2007 Blue-Gold game. Szczerba also played basketball for three years and was a weightman on the track and field squad.

Personal
Full name is Andrew Joseph Szczerba. He is the son of Edward and Florence Szczerba. Szczerba has two brothers, Edward and Philip, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Julianna, who is Andrew's twin sister. Philip played soccer at St. Johns University. Andrew has an interest in business management and aspires to run his own business. Born July 16, 1988 in Wilmington, Del.