Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A Y 2 0 2 2 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M per senior Jonathan Sutherland has made a full-time move to the Sam line- backer spot from his prior position at safety. Bringing energy and a hybrid skill set that makes him effective against the run and in pass coverage, Sutherland has spent the spring settling into his new role. Defensive Backs Penn State's secondary is flush with potential this spring. Welcoming senior Ji'Ayir Brown back for a bonus year of eligibility, the safe- ties room has maintained its stability even without Brisker. "He certainly is a great vocal leader," Diaz said. "But again, if you want a guy that, as a coach, you're honored to coach, it's this guy. He just does every- thing the way you want him to do it. If you had 11 of him, you wouldn't need a coach." Limited to one Brown, the Nittany Li- ons are tasked with finding three more to fill out their two-deep at safety. They return rotational safety Keaton Ellis, a junior, and he is competing with sophomore Jaylen Reed. In addition, the coaches have been impressed with redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley, a converted cornerback who has taken to the job deftly. "[Wheatley] did some nice things for us at corner. We felt like safety would probably be his best long-term posi- tion, but starting him at corner and the confidence that comes from being out there on the island, we think is valu- able," Franklin said. "And right now, he just seems to find the football. The ball likes him, he likes the football, and he's kind of standing out right now." Among the cornerbacks, meanwhile, assistant coach Terry Smith has a sea- soned group at his disposal. Led by redshirt juniors Joey Porter Jr. and Daequan Hardy, the unit also has extensive returning experience from juniors Johnny Dixon and Marquis Wil- son, and sophomore Kalen King. The staff will need to divide up reps among competitors who are all de- serving of the opportunity, but that's a problem Penn State is happy to have. ■ Position Switch To 'Sam' Plays To Jonathan Sutherland's Strengths Entering his sixth season at Penn State, Jonathan Sutherland has been through the spring ball mo- tions before. This time around, though, he's confronted by a new challenge. The longtime safety is transitioning to linebacker and is expected to take over the Sam spot, a move that will allow sophomore Curtis Jacobs, who played that position last season, to slide over to the Will. "A lot of my reps are going to be coming close to the line of scrimmage," Sutherland said. "I'm quite OK with that, honestly. I love blitzing, you know, playing in the box. I feel like when I'm put in those kinds of situations I'm playing to my strengths." The numbers bear that out. According to Pro Football Focus data, Sutherland's best asset has always been his tackling. He finished with a sparkling 87.2 tackling grade back in 2020, when he didn't miss a single tackle in 12 attempts. Last season, that mark slid down to 70.1 — but PFF still rated tackling as his best attribute by a significant margin. Head coach James Franklin compared Sutherland's skill set at safety to that of former Nittany Lion Marcus Allen, who recently concluded his fourth season in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steel- ers. "When we looked at Sutherland and looked at his career, he has played his best football when he's been closest to the ball," Franklin said. "A lot of times when he was playing safety, we were dropping him down into the box, very similar to what we did with Marcus Allen." To prepare for his move, Sutherland added weight over the winter. Playing around 205 pounds for the majority of last season, Sutherland is now listed at 210 pounds on Penn State's roster. He's up about nine pounds from his listed weight heading into last season's Outback Bowl and says he's about where he wants to be. "I put on some lean mass," he said. "So, I've been feeling good." For Franklin, moving Sutherland to that Sam linebacker role enables the Nittany Lions to get their best personnel on the field. It also allows them to align themselves in a way that matches up well with modern offenses. "I think it's going to be a combination of two things," Franklin said. "I think right now Sutherland gives us the ability to get our best 11 guys on the field, but it also allows us to play with what I think in 2022 more times than not you want to be playing with, which is more of a DB with linebacker traits than the opposite." — David Eckert Playing at safety and on special teams, Sutherland was Penn State's 12th-leading tackler with 24 stops last season. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR