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 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M be an oft-used member of the secondary in 2022. Adisa Isaac | DE | Isaac missed last season due to an off- field injury. He has rehabbed well and fig- ures to be a starter this fall. Isaac has just 25.5 career tackles to date, but this could be a breakthrough season for him. Michael Johnson Jr. | QB | Johnson left the Penn State program in 2020, transferring to Florida Atlantic, where he did not see any game action last fall. TJ Jones | WR | Jones transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2021 after playing in seven games for PSU the previ- ous year. He made 8 catches for 50 yards in 13 games with the Blazers last fall and is on their 2022 roster. Joey Porter Jr. | CB | Porter was a third-team All-Big Ten pick in 2020 and '21. To date, he has made 21 starts and racked up 84 tackles, 1 interception and 8 pass breakups. He is expected to be one of the country's top cornerbacks in 2022 and a potential first- round draft pick the following spring. Ta'Quan Roberson | QB | Roberson was pressed into action at Iowa last year after starter Sean Clifford was injured and completed only 7 of 21 passes for 34 yards, with 2 interceptions. He transferred to Connecticut before the 2022 season. Tyler Rudolph | S | Rudolph appeared likely to have a siz- able role in 2021, but he never got on the field during the Big Ten season and ended up playing in just 12 games as a Lion be- fore transferring to Massachusetts. Brandon Smith | OLB | Smith was a third-team All-Big Ten pick in 2021 after making 81 tackles (9 for loss) to go along with 2 sacks and a forced fumble. He opted to leave school early and became a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2022 NFL Draft. Brenton Strange | TE | Strange followed up a solid 2020 sea- son by making 20 catches for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns last year en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. He started all 13 games and is expected to be the Lions' first-team tight end in 2022. Smith Vilbert | DE | Vilbert had a big afternoon in the Out- back Bowl, setting a PSU postseason re- cord with 3 sacks. Before that, though, he netted only 3 stops in 2021, a modest showing after a redshirt freshman sea- son in which he played in just four games. Vilbert should see substantial action at defensive end in 2022. Caedan Wallace | OG | Wallace is slated to suit up at right tackle again in 2022. He has started 20 games at that po- sition during his tenure at Penn State, including all 13 in 2021. Anthony Whigan | OT | A year ago, Whigan was fighting for a starting job at guard during preseason camp. However, he fell out of the rotation after the opener at Wisconsin and saw primarily special teams work in his final season as a Lion. Marquis Wilson | CB | Wilson played cornerback and wide receiver in 2021. As an offensive player, he had 3 recep- tions for 29 yards. On defense, he totaled 6 tackles and a pass breakup. He may again play both ways in 2022, but Wilson is likely to focus primarily on de- fense as a junior. Saleem Wormley | OG | Wormley missed all of last season due to an injury. Before getting hurt, he had been projected as a likely starter on the of- fensive line. Now he's part of a three-way battle with redshirt freshman Landon Tengwall and Cornell transfer Hunter Nourzad for the two open guard positions going into the 2022 season. ■ Top Contributor To Date S Jaquan Brisker: The veteran safety was outstanding in 2021 after a strong effort in 2020. He jumped from the junior college ranks to the Big Ten quickly and is already drawing rave reviews in the pros. Unsung Hero: CB Daequan Hardy: Few three-star play- ers have made the kind of impact on their team that Hardy has. He is underrated and ready to help lead the secondary again this fall. Ready To Make An Impact This Fall DE Adisa Isaac: Penn State missed him last year. The Lions need his explosiveness and edge-rushing abilities badly this fall. Now healthy, he appears poised to lead the defensive ends. R E P O R T C A R D : Players In Class: 23 On3 Team Ranking: No. 10 Players Still At Penn State: 14 This class could raise its grade sig- nificantly if players such as Wormley, Isaac, Ellis, Ford, Vilbert and Strange have big seasons. But, by and large, this class is littered with misses and players whose college production has not yet matched the expectations set for them in high school. C+ Redshirt junior Joey Porter Jr. is getting set for his third season as a start- ing cornerback at PSU. He was a third-team All-Big Ten pick last year. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL