Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476228
S E P T E M B E R 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 two seasons, but his best performances demonstrated that he has the potential to become the kind of difference-making receiver that Penn State needs following Dotson's departure. Lambert-Smith finished the 2021 sea- son with 34 catches for 521 yards and 5 touchdowns. Now a third-year sopho- more, he appears capable of stretching the field for PSU this fall. 18. Hunter Nourzad | R-Sr. | G Like his fellow transfer Robinson, Nourzad is set to change positions this fall. At Cornell, Nourzad excelled as an of- fensive tackle, winning second-team FCS All-America honors. At Penn State, he's set to play guard as a redshirt senior. He'll have to beat out redshirt junior Sal Wormley, who is recovering from an in- jury that forced him to miss the entire 2021 season, but Nourzad came to PSU as much more than a stopgap player. He has an opportunity to significantly improve the offensive line while also bettering his NFL stock. 19. Jonathan Sutherland | Sr.+ | OLB Sutherland wouldn't be back for his super senior season at Penn State if the coaching staff didn't value his contribu- tions to the program from a multitude of perspectives. Sutherland's most im- portant role is probably on special teams, where he is a three-time team captain poised for a fourth. He's also set to play the Sam outside linebacker spot this fall, a position that could prove to be a more natural fit for him than safety, where he spent his first five years in the program. 20. Daequan Hardy | R-Jr. | CB Hardy might not be the first name on the minds of Penn State fans when con- sidering the team's cornerbacks. But to position coach Terry Smith, he's a vital part of the Nittany Lions' plans. Smith said the 5-9, 175-pound red- shirt junior brings "elite" qualities to the field in spite of his diminutive stat- ure. Hardy "is one of our best defensive backs" heading into the 2022 season, Smith asserted. 21. Zane Durant | Fr. | DT Among the true freshmen generating buzz this spring, Durant was at or near the top of the list. That included the winter training session, the team's spring prac- tices, and all of summer workouts. Will all that early success propel him into the starting lineup as an undersized (272 pounds) defensive tackle? We're go- ing to find out soon. 22. Keyvone Lee | So. | RB Singleton might be the sexy pick to transform Penn State's running backs room, but it's Lee who is coming off back- to-back seasons as the team's leading rusher. Now a third-year sophomore, he has an opportunity to again be the Nittany Lions' most consistent ball carrier. 23. Theo Johnson | So. | TE Johnson, a third-year sophomore, might be the best pass catcher in Penn State's tight end room. He finished with 19 receptions for 213 yards and a score last season — stats that are nearly identical to Strange's even though he received 100 fewer reps than his fellow tight end. 24. Tyler Elsdon | So. | MLB Whether Elsdon or Kobe King wins the Mike linebacker job this preseason, Penn State's coaching staff is confident in what it will be getting at this crucial position. In Elsdon, a third-year sophomore, the Nit- tany Lions have a player with 13 games of experience — enough to have developed the consistency needed at the position. 25. Kobe King | R-Fr. | MLB In King, meanwhile, Penn State has a talented redshirt freshman who nearly proved too good to keep off the field last season. No matter how the battle at mid- dle linebacker plays out this month, King is going to see action. ■ Making the switch from safety to outside linebacker in his final season, Jonathan Sutherland is expected to be a key player on Penn State's defense this fall. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL