Blue White Illustrated

August 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 6 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M LINEBACKERS 2021 vs. 2022: Stock Up Or Down? The 2021 season was a pretty good year for LBU, with middle linebacker Ellis Brooks earning second-team All-Big Ten notice and outside linebacker Bran- don Smith receiving a third-team nod. Both of those guys are in the NFL now, Smith as a fourth-round draft choice of the Carolina Panthers and Brooks as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers. Their departures leave only one returnee in the starting lineup: third-year sophomore Curtis Jacobs, who is moving from Sam to Will. Aside from Jacobs, who has started 11 games to date, the Lions are short on experi- ence at this position group. Four of the seven scholarship linebackers on the 2022 roster will have freshman eligibility. Two of those four will be true fresh- men. There are a pair of more-experienced players in the linebackers room, but sixth-year senior Jonathan Sutherland is moving over from safety, while redshirt senior Charlie Katshir has seen his career slowed by a succession of injuries. In short, there are a lot of big concerns here. X-Factor Will Sutherland's move to the Sam outside linebacker spot pay off? At 5-11, 210 pounds, he's got the physique of a hybrid player. The Lions' defense has been trending in this direction for years. James Franklin has talked about the 4-2-5 alignment being essentially PSU's base defense given the proliferation of spread offenses, so moving a player like Sutherland into a linebacker role makes sense. But the obvious countermove is going to be for opponents to pound away with the running game. That's what Arkansas did in the Outback Bowl, gash- ing Penn State for 353 yards on the ground. For the Nittany Lions, it has to be concerning to think about what an opponent like Michigan might be able to do against a defense that struggles to match up with a big, physical offensive line and an elite backfield. Freshman Outlook Freshmen will absolutely make an impact here. It's not a luxury, it's a neces- sity. King appears to have a legitimate shot to beat out Elsdon for the starting middle linebacker spot. At the very least, he will see ample playing time this fall. King's classmate Jamari Buddin will also see action at one of the outside spots after playing in four games last fall and preserving his freshman eligibility. The prospects for true frosh Abdul Carter and Keon Wylie are less clear. Carter, at 6-3, 235, looks to have the physical tools, but he didn't arrive at PSU until the summer and will be getting a crash course in college-level linebacking in the months to come. — Matt Herb Scholarship Players (7) NO. PLAYER CL. HT. WT. 0 Jonathan Sutherland Sr.+ 5-11 210 45 Charlie Katshir R-Sr. 6-3 224 23 Curtis Jacobs So. 6-1 227 42 Jamari Buddin R-Fr. 6-2 219 41 Kobe King R-Fr. 6-1 242 11 Abdul Carter Fr. 6-3 235 32 Keon Wylie Fr. 6-2 200 Quick Facts Position coach: Manny Diaz (first season) Returning starter: OLB Curtis Jacobs (11 career starts) Departing starters: MLB Ellis Brooks (20), OLB Brandon Smith (21) Projected new starters: Tyler Elsdon, Jonathan Sutherland Top reserves: Jamari Buddin, Charlie Katshir, Kobe King Newcomers: Abdul Carter, Keon Wylie Moved in: Jonathan Sutherland Moved out: None Jonathan Sutherland played safety his first five years at Penn State but has moved into the Sam outside linebacker spot ahead of his super senior season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL

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