Published: July 10, 2009 11:50 pm      

Penn State's Bowman eager for fresh start

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State’s Navorro Bowman trudged up the field with hands on hips, sweat dripping from the soaked blue-and-white shirt bearing his new No. 11.

The last notable Nittany Lion linebacker to wear that number was LaVar Arrington, one of the best to ever play the position at Linebacker U.

Coincidence, Navorro?

“I just want to have a better season than last year, be a better player,” Bowman said Friday with a chuckle. Arrington apparently had asked his friend and protege to switch from No. 18 to No. 11 this year.

“No. 11, that’s just me,” Bowman said. “I made a choice, and I’m going to rock with it.”

Bad news, Big Ten opponents. After a troubling spring marred by a court appearance, it looks like the talented Bowman is back in head coach Joe Paterno’s good graces.

Bowman burst in the spotlight last year with a team-leading 106 tackles and athletic play that reminded Penn State fans of Arrington. With fellow linebacker Sean Lee back after missing 2008 with a knee injury, Happy Valley could be home to one of the most dynamic linebacking duos in the country this season.

Of course, that’s predicated on Bowman staying out of trouble.

The leading tackler for the Nittany Lions last season sat out the spring game in April after a judge ruled that he violated his probation. Bowman admitted, during a meeting with a probation officer, that he smoked marijuana in the offseason.

Bowman, from the Washington suburb of District Heights, Md., had already been on probation after pleading guilty in May 2008 to disorderly conduct in connection with a campus fight. The judge this spring gave Bowman a stern warning and extended his probation to 2010.

Paterno had cited some troubling personal experiences in Bowman’s life, including the deaths of the linebacker’s father and high school coach in the past year, in urging critics not to misjudge Bowman.

“A mistake is a mistake. I owned up to what I did. I didn’t run from it, and moved on,” Bowman said Friday after participating in a player-organized charity weightlifting event at the Nittany Lions’ indoor practice facility.

“It opened my eyes a lot,” Bowman said. “I do appreciate where I’m at, and how special (it is) where I’m here now.”

The Nittany Lions divided into four-man teams for the event and, fittingly, Bowman was on a quartet that included Lee and another linebacker, Josh Hull. Tight end Mickey Shuler rounded out their group.

Bowman and Lee, the team captain, are locks for the starting lineup. The third spot is up for grabs, with Hull, a starter last year in the middle for the injured Lee, a strong candidate.

“Navorro knows. ... He understands what his priorities are now,” Lee said. “It was a tough situation. He’s had a tough year-and-a-half personally. I think he’s ready to go.”

With question marks in the secondary and at defensive end, linebacker should be the strength of the Penn State defense.