STATE COLLEGE — Anthony Morelli possesses an impressive resume full of high school passing records that suggests he has a talented throwing arm. Penn State fans just haven't seen him throw much yet.

Now that Michael Robinson is gone, Morelli appears to be the front-runner to claim the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback job, and he hopes to impress during spring practice.

"I'm ready," said Morelli, who will be a junior when the season starts this fall. "I'm excited to take over. The past two years were a good learning experience and now I'm ready to take that to the field."

He has soaked up his lessons watching from the sidelines the past two years. In his freshman season of 2004, he watched Zack Mills guide a sputtering offense through a 4-7 season.

This past season, Morelli sat behind run-pass threat Robinson, who led Penn State to an 11-1 campaign in returning the Lions to college football prominence.

"It was tough," Morelli said. "I wish I could've gotten a chance to get in there and play a little more, but I didn't get that chance. I learned a lot from Zack Mills my first year and Michael Robinson led us to the Orange Bowl. He's a great leader."

Morelli holds every passing record at Penn Hills High School in suburban Pittsburgh, including career marks of 5,255 yards and 57 touchdowns.

But because of sparse playing time, Morelli's collegiate numbers pale in comparison. He played in five games last season, throwing only 20 passes.

Morelli is expected to be more of a pocket passer, which means that Penn State's offense will probably be restructured.

"I don't think Morelli would be the guy you'd want to count on running the ball as much as Michael Robinson," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said at the start of spring practice last week. "He's not that kind of player, but he can still run."

Morelli's on- and off-field leadership skills aren't game-tested, but Morelli said he is ready to answer any questions. Morelli said he has begun to develop a chemistry with his young and talented wide receivers, meeting every Tuesday evening to run routes and practice timing.