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 9 OPENING SHOT BALL HAWK By all accounts, including James Franklin's, the secondary should be one of the strengths of Penn State's team this year. That's due in large part to the return of safety Ji'Ayir Brown for his super senior season. Under first-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, the Nittany Lions are prioritizing takeaways this season. Brown has certainly shown that he has a nose for the football. Last year, in his first season as a starter at PSU after transferring from Lackawanna Col- lege in 2020, the 5-foot-11, 208-pound de- fensive back finished with 6 interceptions to tie Oregon's Verone McKinley III and Baylor's JT Woods for the FBS lead. "Ji'Ayir is a guy who obviously established himself last year," Franklin said. Among Brown's interceptions was an 87- yard pick-six that clinched a victory at Mary- land. It was one of only two games that Penn State won during the final two months of the regular season after getting off to a 5-0 start. Despite last year's disappointing finish, Brown is feeling good heading into his final season with the Nittany Lions. "I'm going to be confident in what my team can do and what my coaching staff can do, and just continue to believe in them and be- lieve that we were supposed to be [in cham- pionship contention last year]," he said. "Unfortunately, the chips didn't fall in our favor, so this year we've got to do a better job executing. Hopefully, we can pull that out." If they do make the strides they're looking to make this year, the secondary will have to play a critical role. The position group has consistently been a strength during the Franklin era, a reflection of the high priority that Penn State has put on cornerbacks and safeties in recruiting. Of the 40 Nittany Lions who have been drafted since 2015, 10 have been defensive backs, including two in the most recent draft: safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Tariq Castro- Fields. "Outside of each one of our position rooms [in the Lasch Building], we have lists of all the players who were All-Americans or first-round draft choices, whatever it was," Franklin said. "If you look at the number of guys who have made all-conference, All-American or been drafted out of the defensive backs room, I think that's been a real emphasis and probably a shift historically in what we've been able to do there." PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE