When Evan Royster stood on the sidelines with a white towel draped over his head during the Blue-White game it was a different look for everyone.

Throughout the entire spring, the centerpiece of Penn State’s offense was nothing more than a teaching tool for his teammates. But Royster’s days of standing around are well behind him.

Though the senior is in the midst of his offseason preparations, he fully expects his well-rested body to be ready to take on an increased load when the season starts. Royster wants more carries and be split out of the backfield, in part to answer any questions pro scouts may have on his durability.

“Speaking to some people they want to see me get 20-to-25 carries a game, to carry a team like you’ve seen a lot of big time running backs do,” a beefed up Royster said at Friday’s Lift for Life, where he weighed in at 225 pounds. “Hopefully I’ll get a chance to do that this year.”

To prepare for more touches, Royster added 12 pounds in hopes the extra weight will help absorb some of the blows — though he wants to play between 218 and 220. The focus of his offseason, he said, has been to condition himself to allow for at least five more carries per game.

“I felt good [last year],” Royster said of his previous playing weight. “But at the same time there have been times in games where I’ve felt like with a little bit more weight I could break that tackle or deliver a little bit more of a blow and get a couple more yards.”

However, the mentality of being the main component of the offense — a role not seen since high school when he carried the ball between 25 and 35 times a game — is something he needed time to take in.

Rather than staying and training in State College, Royster spent six weeks at home in Fairfax, Va. after graduation. While it altered his training schedule, he said it didn’t force him to lose any strength.

“It’s something I wanted to do just to give myself a little bit of a different feel, a break,” Royster said. “It’s just something I kind of needed to do for myself and for my family too.”

The mental break he received gave time to regroup and prepare for a season in which he has the opportunity to cement his place among Nittany Lion greats.

The opportunity to break Curt Warner’s rushing record, as well as the possibility to surpass 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season, are all on Royster’s radar.

Though Royster said he spoke to Warner just a few times as he tried to downplay the significance of the record, Warner said when the redshirt senior closes in on the milestone they will surely talk.

But, Royster’s decision to return for his final season was never completely dictated by a chance to shatter records. It was about coming back, helping his team improve and preparing for his professional future, he said.

With the Lions still undecided on a starting quarterback, having Royster in the backfield is a valuable asset. The ability to have a reliable running back is something quarterback Matt McGloin is looking forward to, but he doesn’t want Royster to be the only one making plays.

“He’s just a great football player,” McGloin said. “He’s so smooth, and he’s a hard worker. All the focus isn’t going to be on him this year. All the quarterbacks are going to have to step up and make plays because either that or the teams are going to start stacking the box.”

However, regardless of whether or not Royster racks up the 481 yards he needs for the school rushing record, he said his work this summer is just the beginning of his future.

“What I’ve heard also is that the biggest day of my life is that combine,” Royster said. “So it’s something that I will train hard for, and actually after the season’s done, I’ll get right into it and try to make myself the best I can be for that.”