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 the boxes checked. I think he's going to come into the season with a lot of confi- dence." Although he's made the progress that teammates and coaches expected to see when he arrived on campus as a four-star recruit out of Chancellor High in Virginia, he still views speed as a primary asset. Even at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, he report- edly has turned in a 4.52-second 40-yard time. And perhaps the best news of all for Penn State is that he isn't the only defen- sive end on the roster with an impressive set of wheels. "As a group, we just have tremendous speed," Gross-Matos said. "Since I've been here, this is the fastest group I've been around. I think that's one of the key aspects to the group. I just think we're re- ally talented." Penn State has another speed rusher set to line up at the opposite defensive end spot in redshirt junior Shaka Toney, and the players who are expected to provide depth this fall – redshirt freshman Jason Oweh, redshirt juniors Shane Simmons and Daniel Joseph and possibly true freshman Adisa Isaac – all have the kind of quickness that should help the Nittany Lions remain among the Big Ten leaders in sacks. Last year, Penn State totaled a Big Ten- best 47 sacks, and 23.5 came from the de- fensive ends. Shareef Miller, who was tied for second on the team with 7.5 sacks, has since left for the NFL. But otherwise, Penn State's de- fensive end corps returns intact from last season. Gross-Matos is the Nit- tany Lions' marquee player up front. He earned the full attention of Penn State fans last year, and now the draft gurus are starting to pay close at- tention, too. As of mid- May, Mel Kiper Jr. had him listed as the sixth overall selection on ESPN's draft board, a listing that as- sumes he will forgo his senior season. "He stood out every time I turned on the Penn State tape," Kiper wrote. CBSS- ports.com also has Gross-Matos as a IN A HURRY Coming off a breakout sopho- more season in which he started for the first time and totaled 20 tackles for loss and eight sacks, Gross- Matos is being hailed as a likely first-round NFL Draft pick. Photo by Steve Manuel