Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
2 0 1 9 S E A S O N P R E V I E W ever you do that. Is it one guy? Is it two guys? Is it a combination of some guys along with Rob Windsor? Is it a combi- nation of some personnel and Yetur [Gross-Matos] playing inside some? There are things there. I think that we've got a really nice group of ends to work with. We've got a nice group of linebackers. We've got five 'backers that I feel good about. I think that third corner has always been an important piece for us. It was Amani, then it was Tariq [Castro- Fields]. That guy has played a lot of ball, and right now that spot is up in the air. Donovan Johnson, Keaton Ellis, Trent Gordon – there are three guys in partic- ular right there. I think they are the right guys. I like the group that's there to try and fill it. I think we'll have five guys we like pretty good. Finding that third guy, making sure we can win at the safety spot, and then replacing Givens' pro- duction. BWI Givens always seemed to be more disruptive than maybe people gave him credit for being. PRY I think that's a pretty good word. He was explosive and disruptive. A little undersized, which at times hurt us a lit- tle bit. But in my opinion, he made up for it because he would make plays on the perimeter, either off tackle or in the alley that most three-techniques can't make. But I think we got a good combi- nation in there of some guys. None of them are the athlete that Kevin is, but they've got some strengths that maybe Kevin didn't have. So I think we can be as good there with a combination of guys. BWI Leadership seems to be more of a shared responsibility with this group than it was in the past when maybe you had one or two more vocal guys. Is that the case? PRY I think there's a guy or two at each position. I think Lamont and Garrett Taylor, I think Cam Brown and Jan John- son. I think Antonio Shelton, Shaka Toney, guys who just kind of have a little more presence with the group. John Reid, Tariq Castro-Fields, because they've played a lot and they've been around. I think that's probably the core group of guys. You've got some guys on the periphery with Micah and Yetur and Rob Windsor, just guys who have played a lot too who maybe aren't as vocal. And I think for a lot of guys, the summer and [preseason] camp is where they do step up. Maybe they were the starter, but they played within themselves and they couldn't do a lot else. Or maybe they just decided it's time: "I need to do this. It's part of my role, part of what I need to do for this team to go where we want to go." And again, I think Cam is probably po- sitioning himself to really be the guy. He's played a lot, he's been productive. He seems to be friendly in his relation- ship with everybody. So that's probably true. But I think that in the summer and camp is where that leadership for the upcoming season really starts to rise to the top. ■ HUB-Robeson Center, On-Campus