Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 17 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Preseason Depth Chart LT 53 Rasheed Walker (Jr., 6-6, 320) 74 Olumuyiwa Fashanu (Fr., 6-6, 313) 58 Landon Tengwall (Fr., 6-6, 326) LG 68 Eric Wilson (Sr., 6-4, 307) 72 Bryce Effner (Jr., 6-5, 305) 55 Anthony Whigan (Sr., 6-4, 316) C 73 Mike Miranda (Sr., 6-3, 305) 72 Bryce Effner (Jr., 6-5, 305) 70 Juice Scruggs (Jr., 6-3, 307) RG 70 Juice Scruggs (Jr., 6-3, 307) 75 Des Holmes (Sr., 6-5, 321) 72 Bryce Effner (Jr., 6-5, 305) RT 79 Caedan Wallace (So., 6-5, 323) 72 Bryce Effner (Jr., 6-5, 305) 51 Jimmy Christ (Fr., 6-7, 302) TE 86 Brenton Strange (So, 6-3, 250) 84 Theo Johnson (So., 6-6, 256) 44 Tyler Warren (Fr., 6-6, 252) WR 5 Jahan Dotson (Sr., 5-11, 184) 6 Cam Sullivan-Brown (Sr., 6-0, 193) 11 Daniel George (Jr., 6-2, 206) WR 3 Parker Washington (So., 5-10, 207) 89 Winston Eubanks (Sr., 6-0, 196) 8 Marquis Wilson (Jr., 5-11, 180) WR 13 KeAndre Lambert-Smith (So., 6-1, 184) 6 Cam Sullivan-Brown (Sr., 6-0, 193) 11 Daniel George (Jr., 6-2, 206) QB 14 Sean Clifford (Sr., 6-2, 219) 9 Christian Veilleux (Fr., 6-4, 202) 2 Ta'Quan Roberson (So., 5-11, 197) RB 21 Noah Cain (Jr., 5-10, 220) 23 John Lovett (Sr., 6-0, 209) 28 Devyn Ford (Jr., 5-11, 200) 24 Keyvone Lee (So., 6-0, 239) 26 Caziah Holmes (So., 5-11, 211) DE 17 Arnold Ebiketie (Sr., 6-3, 256) 40 Jesse Luketa (Sr., 6-3, 247) 92 Smith Vilbert (So., 6-6, 263) 3-tech. DT 54 Derrick Tangelo (Sr., 6-2, 308) 91 Dvon Ellies (So., 6-1, 303) 99 Coziah Izzard (Fr., 6-3, 295) 1-tech. DT 91 Dvon Ellies (So., 6-1, 303) 99 Coziah Izzard (Fr., 6-3, 295) 53 Fred Hansard (Sr., 6-3, 309) DE 40 Jesse Luketa (Sr., 6-3, 247) 46 Nick Tarburton (Jr., 6-3, 255) 92 Smith Vilbert (So., 6-6, 263) Sam OLB 23 Curtis Jacobs (So., 6-1, 230) 42 Jamari Buddin (Fr., 6-2, 221) 45 Charlie Katshir (Jr., 6-3, 231) MLB 13 Ellis Brooks (Sr., 6-1, 241) 40 Jesse Luketa (Sr., 6-3, 247) 43 Tyler Elsdon (Fr., 6-2, 229) Will OLB 12 Brandon Smith (Jr., 6-3, 241) 45 Charlie Katshir (Jr., 6-3, 231) CB 5 Tariq Castro-Fields (Sr., 6-0, 194) 3 Johnny Dixon (Jr., 6-0, 186) 25 Daequan Hardy (So., 5-9, 180) CB 9 Joey Porter Jr. (So., 6-2, 192) 25 Daequan Hardy (So., 5-9, 180) 3 Johnny Dixon (Jr., 6-0, 186) BS 1 Jaquan Brisker (Sr., 6-1, 200) 2 Keaton Ellis (Jr., 5-11, 190) 0 Jonathan Sutherland (Sr., 5-11, 201) FS 16 Ji'Ayir Brown (Sr., 5-11, 205) 0 Jonathan Sutherland (Sr., 5-11, 201) 2 Keaton Ellis (Jr., 5-11, 190) Unofficial Depth Chart PK(FG) 98 Jordan Stout (Sr., 6-3, 209) 92 Jake Pinegar (Sr., 6-2, 196) 90 Rafael Checa (Jr., 6-2, 211) PK (KO) 98 Jordan Stout (Sr., 6-3, 209) 92 Jake Pinegar (Sr., 6-2, 196) P 98 Jordan Stout (Sr., 6-3, 209) 97 Barney Amor (Sr., 6-1, 186) 93 Bradley King (Sr., 6-2, 214) PR 5 Jahan Dotson (Sr., 5-11, 184) 3 Parker Washington (So., 5-10, 207) KR 28 Devyn Ford (Jr., 5-11, 200) 23 John Lovett (Sr., 6-0, 209) 24 Keyvone Lee (So., 6-0, 239) OFFENSE DEFENSE SPECIAL TEAMS or or Head coach James Franklin revealed during Penn State's bye week that senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher will miss the rest of the season after suffering what appeared to be a lower-body injury in the first half of the Nittany Lions' loss to Iowa on Oct. 9. Penn State must now replace one of the best run-stoppers in college foot- ball, as well as one of the defense's emotional leaders. Mustipher was tied for second among Power Five defensive tackles in Pro Football Focus' stop metric, which is defined as tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. With Mustipher sidelined and another projected contributor, redshirt sophomore Hakeem Beamon, set to miss the entire season for undisclosed reasons, PSU must tap into its depth. Here are its best options going for- ward: Dvon Ellies: A redshirt sophomore, Ellies is the most obvious next man up for the Nittany Lions at defensive tackle. He has frequently rotated into action, even in meaningful situations this fall, with 189 snaps through six games. His health will be something to monitor in the weeks ahead; against the Hawkeyes, he went down with an apparent injury before returning later in the game. A former Rivals.com three-star prospect, the 6-foot-1, 303-pound Ellies had five tackles and four QB hurries in six games. He has struggled against the run, though, with just a 42.0 run-defense grade ac- cording to PFF analytics. Coziah Izzard: This redshirt freshman is another defensive tackle who can expect to see a lot more action this season. Izzard played 35 of Penn State's 78 total defensive snaps against the Hawkeyes, bringing his total for the season to 120. Izzard, a former four-star prospect, had five total tackles in six games, including a sack against Villanova in Week 4. PFF gives the 6-3, 295-pounder a 52.5 overall grade. Fred Hansard: By far the most experienced of Penn State's replacement options is Hansard. A top-150 recruit from Burlington, N.J., who came out of The Hun School in Princeton, Hansard has played plenty of snaps for the Nittany Lions but has never quite cracked the starting lineup. The 6-3, 309-pound senior has played less frequently than expected this year, appearing in four games during the first half of the season. Even after Mustipher went down at Iowa, he only saw two snaps in place of Ellies. Others: There are two additional defensive tackles who have appeared in games for the Nittany Lions this season: junior college transfer Jordan van den Berg, who played nine snaps against Ball State in Week 2, and redshirt freshman Fatorma Mulbah, who played 35 snaps against Ball State, Villanova and Indiana. That Penn State did not use either of those players in close games during the first half of the season would seem to indicate that they are lower on the depth chart than the players listed above. But they may take on bigger roles should Penn State's depth continue to dwindle. — David Eckert Key Injury Will Test Penn State's Depth At Defensive Tackle