Penn State Sports Magazine
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ment in his productivity last year, Par-
sons has heightened expectations going
into his junior season. And he's not
alone in that sentiment.
"I think he's light years ahead [of where
he started], because everybody forgets,
he's only played linebacker for two years,"
head coach James Franklin said. "So year
three, he's very con9dent. We're able to
use him a lot more ways, there's a lot more
:exibility because of his con9dence and
his understanding of what we do and how
we do it.
"We need him to be more of a leader
for us out there in terms of running the
defense and those types of things. But
he's got a chance to take a significant
step."
Reflecting on his path to this point,
Parsons can identify all of the steps he's
already taken. An early enrollee in the
Class of 2018, he was, by his own admis-
sion, a "fish out of water" and "clue-
less" as he transitioned to linebacker
during spring practice that year. His
main objective was to simply make
plays. But without any real knowledge
base to lean on, he would draw quizzical
looks from defensive coordinator Brent
Pry. Parsons looked like he didn't know
what he was doing out there because,
well, he didn't.
But he spent time with Pry studying the
team's defensive concepts and assign-
ments, and over time, that work pro-
duced tangible dividends. The more
Parsons knew, the faster he played, and
the sights that once confused him on the
9eld gradually gave way to a second-na-
ture understanding of where to be, when
to be there, and maybe most important,
why.
B
randon Smith was one of the 9rst
true freshmen to see action for Penn
State last season, getting on the 9eld in
his very 9rst game, the Nittany Lions'
opener against Idaho. A crowd of
104,527 was on hand to see PSU de-
molish the Vandals that a=ernoon, but
nothing about the experience fazed the
former Rivals.com four-star prospect
from Louisa, Va. Among Smith's many
talents is a gi= for compartmentaliz-
ing.
"I take the time to have that 'ahhh'
moment when we're going into the
stadium, right before kickoff," he said.
"That's my moment to be like, 'I'm re-
ally in this situation,' to look around at
the stands and be like, 'This is crazy.'
After the coin toss, when I'm on the
sideline, that's when everything
comes back down and I'm ready to
perform."
Smith performed quite well for the
Lions last fall, forgoing a redshirt by
playing in all 13 games. He 9nished
with 14 tackles, including two tackles
for loss, but the numbers don't tell the
whole story. He also made a position
switch prior to the Pitt game in week
three, :ipping from the Will outside
linebacker spot to the Sam position,
where he backed up Cam Brown.
The move was just another new ex-
perience that Smith took in stride. He
said the Sam spot "really isn't as di<-
cult as it's made out to be."
"We do a lot at the Sam position, but
really, it's not as di