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Will spot, as well as the star position in Penn State's 4-2-5 defensive scheme. SECONDARY SIGNEES CB Je:rey Davis Jr., CB Kalen King, FS/BS Jaylen Reed, FS Zakee Wheatley ANALYSIS With Jaquan Brisker opting to come back at the boundary safety po- sition for the 2021 season, Penn State needs to 9nd just one new starting safety to replace Lamont Wade. Brisker, who was Penn State's third-leading tackler last fall with 57 total stops, just might be the top returning boundary safety in the Big Ten. If he turns in an- other impressive performance this com- ing fall a;er a strong 2020 season, I'm hearing from people in the NFL that he could be a second-round selection in the 2022 dra;. Penn State recruited well at the safety positions in its Class of 2021. Reed and Wheatley are both capable of playing ei- ther the 9eld or boundary spot. Brisker is, of course, the projected starter at the boundary safety position, with depth coming from Ji'Ayir Brown, Jonathan Sutherland, Tyler Rudolph and possibly Reed, who enrolled in January. At the free safety spot, the leading candidates to replace Wade are Suther- land, Enzo Jennings, Reed and Wheatley. Plus, there has been some talk that the coaching sta: is looking to audition cor- nerback Keaton Ellis at free safety this spring. Penn State recruited just two pure cor- nerbacks in its Class of 2021: Kalen King and Davis, both of whom are early en- rollees. That makes sense, because there isn't a lot of need for immediate help here. The cornerback position should be a real strength going into the 2021 sea- son. Tariq Castro-Fields announced that he'll be coming back for his 9nal season and is the projected starter at the 9eld cornerback position. The projected backups are Marquis Wilson, Joseph Johnson III, King and possibly Ellis if he doesn't change positions. The one piece of bad news here is that Donovan John- son has had to give up football following a series of injuries. At the boundary cornerback spot, the projected starter is Joey Porter Jr., with depth coming from South Carolina transfer Johnny Dixon, Ellis, Wilson, Johnson and possibly King and Davis. With so much talent on hand, the im- mediate future is bright. But it's also im- portant to bear in mind the Lions' long-term needs in the secondary. Brisker is in his 9nal season, while Brown and Sutherland could both end up departing a;er the 2021 season. To replenish the depth chart, Penn State will likely need to recruit three safeties in its Class of 2022. I would not be sur- prised if the Lions sign just one corner- back in their next class. It should be noted that Penn State has already received a verbal commitment from four-star athlete Mekhi Flowers of Central Dauphin East in Harrisburg for its Class of 2022. Flowers has played wide receiver and safety in his high school career. SPECIAL TEAMS SIGNEE PK Sander Sahaydak ANALYSIS Penn State should be solid in its kicking game with Jordan Stout and Jake Pinegar both returning. For the past two seasons, Stout has handled kicko:s and 9eld goals of 50-plus yards, while Pinegar has handled the shorter 9eld goal attempts and extra points. The two kickers combined to hit 11 of 18 9eld goal attempts in 2020. The 2021 season would have been their finale if not for COVID, but be- cause the 2020 season didn't count against anyone's eligibility, Stout and Pinegar could return in 2022. Whether they will return is unknown at this point. If one or both depart, the door will be open for Sander Sahaydak of Liberty High in Bethlehem, Pa. Sahay- dak was rated by Rivals as the third- best kicker in the Class of 2022. Penn State returns all but one of its punt- and kicko:-return specialists. Parker Washington, Devyn Ford and Caziah Holmes were the team's top kicko: returners last year, with the only loss being Wade, who averaged 38 yards per attempt. On punts, Jahan Dotson was outstanding, leading the Big Ten with a 24.6-yard average, including an 81-yard return for a touchdown against Illinois. I'm not sure whether Penn State will try to recruit a place kicker or punt and kicko: returner in 2022. Kalen King could end up adding depth as a punt and kicko: returner from the Class of 2021. In high school, he averaged more than 20 yards per punt return and more than 30 yards per kicko: return. ■ SAFETY PROSPECT Wheatley will have a chance to compete for a backup safety spot at Penn State this coming season. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com

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