Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
4 0 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M the end of his PSU tenure. "He's had to battle and work for everything he's gotten his whole career. ... He's earned every- thing he's gotten in life. No one has given him anything. "I think that's why there's so much confidence and trust in our locker room in him, because all he knows how to do is walk in a room with a chip on his shoul- der and prove people wrong. I couldn't be more impressed, but I'm not surprised by it. I'm not shocked by it whatsoever. He's built for this, and he's a self-made man in a lot of ways." 2. Shaka Toney Class: 2016 Position: Defensive end On3 Consensus rating: H H H H H H What we said: "It will take a while for him to develop the size needed to play de- fensive end in the Big Ten, which all but as- sures that he will redshirt this coming fall. But if the coaches decide to go in a different direction, I could easily see him excelling as a 225- or 230-pound Sam outside line- backer." — Phil Grosz What happened next: A lot of people doubted Toney's ability to play defensive end at the college level. He was a gangly 6-foot-3, 200-pounder coming out of Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia and was widely believed to be destined for a role in the PSU linebacker corps. Toney had other ideas, though. He was committed to playing defensive end, and it didn't take long for him to begin win- ning over the coaching staff. In August 2017, a year after Toney's arrival, Franklin insisted that there was a role for him on the defensive line even though he didn't fit the template. "Everybody is going to say, well, he's not 260 pounds, so he can't play D-end in the Big Ten," Franklin said. "I don't know about that. "I remember walking in during spring ball and telling our coaches, 'Change your mindset. Don't [think] he can't play because of this or that. Watch the tape. Watch how he's straining in the run game now more than he ever has. Watch him in the pass game when he's on his third step before the offensive tackle is taking his first.' He's going to bring something to us that we haven't had, to be honest with you." Toney brought it, all right. Against Indiana as a redshirt sophomore, he al- most singlehandedly ended the Hoo- siers' comeback bid, totaling 4 sacks in the fourth quarter, one of which forced a fumble. Toney's speed was formidable, and coupled with the muscle he added in PSU's weight room — he was listed at 252 pounds by his senior year — he turned himself into a force on the Nittany Lions' defensive line. Defensive end Shaka Toney amassed 20.5 sacks in his four seasons at Penn State, a total that ranks eighth in school history. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL