Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1366480
ALL THE RIGHT MOVES C O V E R S T O R Y Eager to put last season's defensive struggles behind them, the Lions reorganize their linebacker corps, hoping to capitalize on the game-changing talent they've amassed dmittedly, James Franklin would have pre- ferred an alternate storyline for Penn State's linebackers to the one that came to fruition last season. Even before the Nittany Lions first took the field in October, Micah Parsons opted out, depriving the team of its first returning All-America linebacker since Sean Lee in 2008. The most obvious and abrupt of the setbacks that the LB corps sustained, Parsons' decision was but the first domino to fall. His exit meant that the starting trio from the 2019 season had to be entirely replaced. Gone were senior starters Jan Johnson and Cam Brown at the middle and strongside line- backer spots, respectively. With Parsons' weakside position now vacant, too, Jesse Luketa ascended into a starting role at Will instead of battling Ellis Brooks to become the top Mike. And at the Sam spot, Brandon Smith joined the starting lineup after a true freshman season in which he had recorded 14 tackles in a limited role as a backup to Brown. The reverse bell curve of the 2020 season re- flected the challenges of the group, and no one ad- hered more closely to that trend line than Smith, who struggled during the team's first five losses, only to produce his strongest efforts in the season's final games. "Brandon has got a great work ethic and, to be honest, has worked through some challenges and I think is turning the corner," defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. "You're going to see him flash and do some nice things, and you're going to see some areas where he's still got to grow and be better. But I see improvement in him every week, and that's what I'm looking for from everybody when we evaluate the guys – [whether] you keep working to- ward your full potential. I think he's done a good job of that." Penn State's second-string linebackers found themselves facing the same predicament. Among them, true freshman Curtis Jacobs of- fered a crystalline example of potential derailed by the pandemic. Arriving at Penn State in the sum- mer, the Rivals100 four-star prospect wasn't af- forded a typical opportunity to establish himself at the position. Preseason camp was cut in half thanks to the Big Ten's indecision about whether to even stage a season, and when a nine-game slate fi- nally was approved, it featured an immediate start to conference play. Those factors created a learning process that was anything but normal. Franklin said in December that "one of the things that has been a little bit challenging this year is that you usually have the out-of-conference games early on to get people reps, to get a rotation, to build confidence. And as the season goes on, you continue to build those things. Obviously, when every game is a dogfight, it makes it chal- lenging to do those things. But we've got a lot of excitement and confidence in Curtis. You'll con- tinue to see him get more reps and more opportu- nities." Finishing the season with 180 total reps, Jacobs | A >>