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KEY PERSONNEL MLB: Ellis Brooks*, Max Chizmar, Tyler Elsdon, Kobe King, Jesse Luketa*; OLB: Jamari Buddin, Curtis Jacobs, Charlie Katshir, Brandon Smith* LOSSES OLB: Lance Dixon*, Micah Parsons RISING STAR Jacobs is the obvious choice here. He's only a sophomore with nine career tackles to his credit, but he's poised for a breakout year at the Sam out- side linebacker spot. Jacobs displayed re- markable versatility in high school, lining up everywhere from defensive end to safety to wide re- ceiver. One position where he didn't see much action, oddly enough, was outside linebacker. But his size (6-foot-1, 229 pounds) and skill set suggest that he's going to be an excellent 4t at that spot. There's also been some buzz around Elsdon at middle linebacker, but with Brooks and Luketa ahead of him, he'll likely be a much bigger factor in 2022 than he will be this fall. BIGGEST LOSS Parsons obviously was an all-time great talent, as evidenced by his selection by Dallas with the 12th overall pick in this year's NFL Dra8. Be- fore Parsons' selection, it had been more than two decades since Linebacker U had a linebacker taken in the 4rst round. But he's really only a "loss" by virtue of the fact that he was on the Nittany Lions' roster at this time last year. By the time they got around to playing football in late October, he had long since an- nounced plans to forgo his junior season in order to prepare for the dra8. So when it comes to 4guring out how to replace him, Penn State has already done all the legwork. Dixon is perhaps a more legit choice here, since he actually did play in 2020. He even started against Ohio State in week two. But while the redshirt fresh- man saw action in all nine games, his playing time dwindled as the season went on, which helps to explain why he entered the transfer portal in January and is now at West Virginia. NUMBERS GAME Penn State surren- dered 27.7 points per game last season, the highest total in the program's his- tory. However, since 2014, the Nittany Lions have held 21 opponents to seven points or fewer in a game, the fourth- highest total in the country during that span. That includes a 23-7 victory at Rutgers last December. OUTLOOK Coming oC a season in which the linebackers struggled, Penn State looks to have a better situation in 2021. When Parsons opted out, Luketa and Smith were forced into roles that didn't make the most of their talents. That's not the case this year. Smith is set to move from the Sam to the Will position, and his rangy build and hard-hitting style should make him an intimidating presence on the bound- ary. He was part of a very inconsistent * Starting experience at PSU in 2020 JACOBS Revamped trio aims to make impact P O S I T I O N B R E A K D O W N L I N E B A C K E R P H I L ' S T A K E With only 4ve linebackers healthy for spring practice (Curtis Jacobs, Ellis Brooks, Tyler Elsdon, Kobe King and Brandon Smith), experienced depth at all three positions is Penn State's biggest question mark on defense going into the 2021 season. Both Charlie Katshir and Jesse Luketa were unable to do any con- tact work in the spring due to injuries. Jacobs is the projected starter at the Sam OLB position. I expect him to have a breakout season. A consensus four-star recruit coming out of the McDonogh School in Maryland, he has All-Big Ten potential. Backing up Jacobs are Katshir and true freshman Jamari Buddin. At the Mike position, Brooks is the projected starter. He was Penn State's leading tackler last season with 60 stops, including 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack. If Luketa ends up splitting time between linebacker and defensive end, Elsdon and King will be Brooks' primary backups in the middle. Smith takes over the Will OLB position, with Katshir and possibly Luketa backing him up. Smith has Micah Parsons' ability, and for Penn State's linebacker unit to improve on last year's performance, he has to become the eraser that this defense needs. Ex- pect Penn State, with its depth issues at linebacker, to use a 4-2-5 alignment close to 60 percent of the time. Even during the 2020 season, PSU went with a 4-2-5 defensive set more than half of the time. ■ SAM OUTSIDE LINEBACKER NO NAME HT WT YEAR 23 Curtis Jacobs 6-1 229 So./So. 45 Charlie Katshir 6-3 230 Sr./Jr. – Jamari Buddin 6-2 223 Fr./Fr. MIDDLE LINEBACKER 13 Ellis Brooks 6-1 235 Sr./Sr. 40 Jesse Luketa 6-3 251 Sr./Sr. 43 Tyler Elsdon 6-2 229 So./Fr. 50 Max Chizmar 6-2 232 Sr./Sr. 41 Kobe King 6-1 243 Fr./Fr. WILL OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 12 Brandon Smith 6-3 239 Jr./Jr. 45 Charlie Katshir 6-3 230 Sr./Jr. OR OR

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