Coach James Franklin's rookie season at Penn State was made a little tougher by not having two of his top leaders on the field.

Linebacker Ben Kline was gone by midsummer with a torn Achilles tendon his second-straight season marred with a serious injury.Tight end Adam Breneman was shelved just after preseason camp began with a knee injury his second lost season of the past three.Now, the way their head coach is talking, both key Nittany Lions are not only expected back strong for the 2015 season, they may see significant work this spring. Penn State begins workouts on Friday, leading up to the Blue-White Game in Beaver Stadium on April 18.Kline, a senior, is expected to be named a captain for the upcoming season. He was playing well in the middle of 2013 before tearing a pectoral muscle at Minnesota. That, combined with nagging shoulder problems, forced him to miss the rest of the season.Last summer, he tore his Achilles but did his best as a team leader off the field. Shortly after the injury, he still helped run Lift for Life, the annual workout event to raise money for Uplifting Athletes, from the seat of a scooter."Kline is a guy we're hoping is going to be a pleasant surprise," Franklin said. "You talk about his toughness; right now he's running, and moving, and lifting, and his testing numbers are good."Kline, a senior, expects to challenge for the middle linebacker job vacated by Mike Hull. Junior Nyeem Wartman, sophomore Jason Cabinda and freshman Troy Reeder also will be in line for playing time there.On offense, Breneman was just as big of a loss last season. Though only a sophomore, he was regarded as perhaps the team's top all-around tight end for his combination of blocking, receiving and work ethic.Breneman missed his senior season at Cedar Cliff High with a torn ACL before giving up last fall with another knee problem.Franklin called the tight end "one of the most positive, optimistic, complete ... leaders we have."He's as close to 100 percent (healthy) as he's been in a long time. Just yesterday, he made the comment to me that he feels as good as he's felt since his junior year of high school."While the Lions are losing Jesse James early to the NFL, they do return tight ends Kyle Carter, Brent Wilkerson and Mike Gesicki.On the moveLions changing positions this spring include senior Jordan Lucas and redshirt freshman Amani Oruwariye (cornerback to safety) and Chris Gulla (punter to kicker).Walk-on running backs Jack Haffner and Trinity grad Adam Geiger are moving to defense to take part in regular tackling drills in preparation to be "terrors" on special teams, Franklin said.Body makeoversFranklin hyped up the strength and speed gains and body "reshaping" accomplished by his players in the offseason.These players gained significant lean muscle mass: Cornerback Trevor Williams and offensive lineman Chance Sorrell (10 pounds), Cabinda (12 pounds) and true freshman offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins (13 pounds).