Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 6 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M LINEBACKERS PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Manny Diaz: When he joined Penn State's staff in December, Diaz became only the sec- ond linebackers coach of the James Franklin era. Brent Pry oversaw the Lions' linebackers for eight years before leaving to become head coach at Virginia Tech. Diaz succeeded Pry as defensive coordinator and has also taken charge of this position group. Diaz was an outstanding high school football player in his native Miami. He didn't play foot- ball while attending Florida State, but he be- gan his coaching career in Tallahassee, serving as a graduate assistant with the Seminoles in 1998 and '99. His first job as a position coach was at North Carolina State, where he led the linebackers from 2002-03. Diaz became a de- fensive coordinator for the first time at Middle Tennessee State in 2006. He later served in the same capacity at Mississippi State, Texas and Louisiana Tech. In 2016, he became de- fensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.) and held that position for three years. Diaz's first head coaching job was at Temple, but his tenure with the Owls lasted just 18 days. When the Hurricanes' head coaching job became available in December 2018 following Mark Richt's resignation, Diaz headed back to Coral Gables. He went 21-15 in three seasons before being fired on Dec. 6, 2021. Six days later, he was hired by Penn State. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS JAMARI BUDDIN R-Fr. | 6-2 | 219 • Played in four games while preserving his freshman eligibility, recording 3 tackles against Ball State and 1 against Indiana on special teams. • Rated by On3 as a four-star recruit out of Belleville (Mich.) High. TYLER ELSDON So. | 6-2 | 229 • Finished with 12 tackles in 12 games dur- ing the 2021 season, including a 6-tackle performance in Penn State's victory over Auburn in September. • Played in only the season finale against Il- linois as a true freshman in 2020, making 1 tackle. CURTIS JACOBS So. | 6-1 | 227 • Finished sixth on the team in tackles last year with 61. • Led all linebackers with 3 sacks and recorded 7 tackles for loss while earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. • Had 9 tackles and a pass breakup as a true freshman in 2020, a season in which he played in eight of Penn State's nine games. CHARLIE KATSHIR R-Sr. | 6-3 | 224 • Has struggled with injuries for much of his career and was unavailable for a portion of spring practice in 2022. • Recorded 11 tackles in 13 games during the 2021 season, mostly while playing on special teams. • Missed all but three games in 2020 due to an injury. • Had his first career tackle and forced a fumble against Purdue in 2019, his redshirt freshman season. KOBE KING R-Fr. | 6-1 | 242 • Played in four games as a true freshman in 2021, preserving his freshman eligibility. • Recorded 3 tackles and a quarterback hurry. • Was an On3 four-star recruit out of Cass Technical High in Detroit. JONATHAN SUTHERLAND Sr.+ | 5-11 | 210 • Played mostly safety and special teams for his entire career before moving to the Sam outside linebacker spot full-time during the 2022 offseason. • Recorded 24 tackles while playing in 10 games and starting two during the 2021 season. • In 2020, became the first player to wear jersey No. 0 as the leader of the special teams. • Blocked 2 punts against Idaho in 2019, be- coming one of two players in FBS history — Houston's Keith Corbin is the other — ever to have 2 punt blocks in one game. • Played in 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2018 and made 38 tackles. NEWCOMERS ABDUL CARTER Fr. | 6-3 | 235 • Finished his senior season at La Salle Col- lege High in Philadelphia with 78 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. • Was a three-time All-Philadelphia Catholic League selection and two-time all-state choice. • Received a four-star rating in the On3 Con- sensus and was the No. 223 player nation- ally and No. 6 player in Pennsylvania. KEON WYLIE Fr. | 6-2 | 200 • Totaled 9 sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a senior at Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia. • Was a three-year captain and two-time team MVP for the Panthers, who won three Public League championships during his tenure. • Received a three-star rating in the On3 Consensus and was the No. 52 linebacker nationally and No. 15 player in Pennsylvania. Super senior Jonathan Sutherland has brought leadership skills to Penn State's defense and special teams units. Last season, he was voted a team captain for the third time in his career. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL