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F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K A T John Petrishen, Jonathan Sutherland, Garrett Taylor, Lamont Wade KEY LOSSES CB: Zech McPhearson, Amani Oruwariye; Saf.: Isaiah Humphries, Nick Scott NEWCOMERS JaQuan Brisker, Keaton Ellis, Joey Porter Jr., Tyler Rudolph, Marquis Wilson OUTLOOK This is an area in which Penn State's solid recruiting has really made a difference, and that should continue to be the case in 2019. Two starters depart, with Oruwariye and Scott both having exhausted their el- igibility. Those are not insignificant losses. Scott was a strong leader who fin- ished his final season ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 65. Oruwariye was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection after intercepting three passes and breaking up 12 and may even have a chance to become the first Penn State cornerback to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. As cornerbacks coach Terry Smith noted recently, "He's worked really hard, and he's reaping the rewards of that hard work." But it's not as if the loss of those players is going to leave the Lions' secondary bereft. Castro-Fields is set to step into Oruwariye's starting position after seeing extensive action in his first two seasons. The 6-0, 186-pounder has the size and skills that PSU will need to adequately re- place a player in Oruwariye who inter- cepted eight passes the past three years. Likewise, at safety, the Lions appear to have a solid candidate to take over for Scott. That candidate is Sutherland, who showed great promise as a redshirt fresh- man. Even though he only started one game (against Iowa, as a replacement for Taylor, who was sidelined due to a target- ing penalty), the 5-11, 201-pounder fin- ished 11th on the team in tackles with 38. He was a special teams standout and fig- ures to be a key player next season. Wade had seemed like he, too, would be a contender for a starting spot, but that possibility began to look a lot more re- mote when he turned up in the NCAA's transfer portal in January. As of this writ- ing, the former five-star prospect hadn't said definitively that he plans to leave, but he wouldn't have been in the portal if he weren't seriously considering his options. Prior to the Citrus Bowl, Pry had been extolling Wade's potential as a major con- tributor in the secondary. "He's got a tremendous opportunity this winter and spring," the defensive coordinator said. "I know he wants to be like all these [aspiring starters]. They want to be in that lineup and have their name go across the Jum- botron." He may still get his wish, but now it seems those highlights might appear on someone else's scoreboard. As for the other two starting spots, they appear to be in good hands. Reid will be back for his third starting season, while Taylor was one of the more improved players on Penn State's defense this past year, finishing as the Lions' third-leading tackler with 71 stops. At this time a year, ago, Penn State was

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