Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1157192
can stretch the 5eld vertically. The fact that Penn State la- bels its tight ends "TE/H" on its roster – the abbreviation is short for H-back – illustrates the athleticism these players possess. OFFENSIVE LINE Here is where my No. 1 concern on o6ense lies. If Penn State were to su6er an injury at o6ensive tackle, it could be a big problem because there is very little proven depth behind projected starters Will Fries and Rasheed Walker. The situation might have im- proved over the course of preseason practice, but the Nittany Lions will ab- solutely be looking for Des Holmes and Caedan Wallace to emerge as viable op- tions. Another possibility might be to move Anthony Whigan or Bryce E6ner to tackle. DEFENSIVE LINE I don't think it's an unrealistic goal for Penn State's starting defensive line to total close to 30 sacks and more than 50 tackles for loss this season. The best news here may be that it ap- pears most of the defensive tackles have shown during the o6-season that they are capable of playing both po- sitions. That means sopho- more P.J. Mustipher is big enough at 6-4, 311 pounds to play the one-technique de- fensive tackle position and athletic enough to play the three-technique spot. Heading into spring practice, it ap- peared that depth might be a concern in the middle of the defensive line, but it looks as though the Lions have found the answers they were looking for this o6- season. LINEBACKER This will be the area on defense that will be the most improved for the upcoming season. Penn State's underclassman linebackers are the best in the Big Ten. True freshman Brandon Smith is a good enough athlete to prac- tice at all three linebacker positions, while classmate Lance Dixon will be a terror on the punt and kicko6 coverage teams this fall. Also, it appears that red- shirt freshman Charlie Katshir has made an impression in the o6-season at the Sam OLB spot. Katshir didn't get on the 5eld last year, but he's added 15 pounds since spring practice. Jack Ham, Penn State's radio color analyst and a Hall of Fame linebacker himself, said he believes that senior Cam Brown will be the most improved linebacker on Penn State's roster this fall and will become one of the de- fense's leaders. Ham also said he be- lieves that sophomore Micah Parsons is greatly improved and has All-America potential. SECONDARY Even with the loss of cor- nerback Amani Oruwariye and safety Nick Scott, I'm predicting that the de- fensive back5eld will be better this year than it was in 2018. One player to keep an eye on is cornerback Donovan John- son. He's healthy and wants the starting nickel back job. Also, the duel between Lamont Wade and Jaquan Brisker at the 5eld safety po- sition has been one of the best battles of the preseason. ■ RAISING CAIN Freshman run- ning back Noah Cain catches a pass during preseason practice as as- sistant coach Ja'Juan Seider looks on. Photo by Steve Manuel