J
ust how good can Penn State's defense
be in 2019? I believe it has a legitimate
chance of challenging both Michigan
and Ohio State for the best overall de-
fense in the Big Ten this fall.
And I'm not the only one who's excited
about the Nittany Lions' potential on
that side of the ball. Pro Football Hall of
Famer Jack Ham, a former Penn State
All-American who has stayed close to
the program as color analyst on the
team's radio broadcasts, said recently
that he believes the Lions' defense has
the potential to become the best of the
James Franklin era and may be the
fastest defense the program has ever
;elded.
"The key for that to become a reality
this fall will be the development of what
I believe could become the best group of
linebackers at Penn State in more than a
decade," Ham said. "It's one of the best
groups of pure athletes at the linebacker
position at the underclassman level I've
ever seen at Penn State."
Penn State's defensive performance
throughout the 2018 season went largely
unnoticed by the national media. That
was understandable. While the Nittany
Lions did post some impressive numbers
in certain categories, their stats were not
exceptional across the board. Penn State
ranked ;
