John Beale, Post-Gazette Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, left, is trying to mirror all-American Paul Posluszny this season. Click photo for larger image.

Penn State All-American linebacker Paul Posluszny is so intense with his offseason training regimen that few Penn State players will agree to work out with him. One of the brave souls who puts himself through the torture of trying to keep up with Posluszny is his heir apparent, Sean Lee of Upper St. Clair.

Lee, a 6-foot-2, 222-pound sophomore, loves the challenge of testing himself against the well-conditioned and chiseled Posluszny, even though the training sessions are agonizing.

"I try to keep up with him," Lee said. "It doesn't always work out for me. But I do my best. I'm usually the one who is puking while he's moving on to the next set of something. He has to wait up for me most of the time we're working out. He works so hard. That's why I like working out with him. It's a level I can't push myself to."

Lee did not play much on defense his freshman season last year, but when he did, he made a big impression. When Posluszny partially tore knee ligaments in the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl against Florida State, Lee stepped into that huge void and performed well. He made five tackles and prevented the Seminoles from scoring a touchdown in the overtime periods.

"I'm really impressed by Sean and what he's been able to do," Posluszny said. "It was the third or fourth quarter, and he went in and did the things he did. He stayed calm and cool and played well. I don't know if I would have been able to do that well.

"Sean is going to be an outstanding linebacker for us. He's smart and has a tremendous work ethic. It's unbelievable how much that kid is willing to do. He's willing to learn and be coachable. He's going to do a great job when it's his time."

That time could come sooner rather than later. Lee is the main reason Penn State coaches are investigating a switch to the 3-4 defense this season. Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said he will make a decision later this week about whether to implement more four linebacker sets.

Lee is drawing comparisons to Posluszny, the man in front of him on the depth chart. That's high praise for someone who just turned 20 last month and has yet to make his first collegiate start.

"I don't like it," Lee said of being billed as the next Posluszny. "It's an honor, but I haven't done anything. I have to do something on the field to prove that. He's had so much success. It's an honor, but I don't necessarily think it's true until I do something on the field."

There are reasons behind the comparisons, though. Both are from Western Pennsylvania (Posluszny is from Hopewell) and are part of a strong linebacker pipeline that also has produced Brandon Short and LaVar Arrington. But more importantly, Lee has many of the same traits and abilities as Posluszny, regarded by some as the best linebacker to play at Penn State. They have a competitive fire that burns deep, solid work ethics and instinctive traits to their games.

"They both like to compete," Bradley said. "They're both smart. They like to play football. They take it seriously. Paul obviously at this stage is a lot further along than Sean is and has a different mentality, but they both have that football mentality."

Bradley cautioned not to make the Posluszny comparison too soon for obvious reasons. Posluszny won the Butkus and Bednarik awards after last season and is expected to be a first-round NFL draft pick in the spring. Lee has great potential, but has not had the opportunity to fulfill it yet.

"They're all different," Bradley said. "I can remember watching how Shane Conlan progressed and how Lavar [Arrington] progressed. The one thing about Paul is he wants to be great. Good is his enemy. He's trying to play the perfect football game. He's never going to play it, but that's what he's trying to do. He's trying to be a perfectionist. I think Sean is a little different. He's just getting his feet wet and figuring out how this whole things works. He doesn't have the football experience that Paul has at this point."

Lee is one of many talented linebackers who are forcing the issue of the 3-4 scheme. Butler's Tyrell Sales and Jerome Hayes are also pushing for playing time. Whether Lee is serving as Posluszny's backup or playing as a starter in a 3-4 scheme, he said Penn State's defensive identity will not change.

"We have so many talented players," Lee said. "We're going to play tough. We're going to run to the ball. We're going to play Penn State defense."