Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1496986
M A Y 2 0 2 3 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M defense was shaping up heading into the final week of spring practice: Defensive End Walter Camp preseason All-American Chop Robinson is back to anchor the Penn State defensive line. Now in Year 2 with the Lions after starting his career at Maryland, Robinson is considered one of the top defensive ends in the country heading into his junior year. Opposite Robinson, redshirt senior Adisa Isaac is another year removed from the Achilles injury that kept him off the field two seasons ago. He's expected to be the starter on the other side. Behind those two, Penn State has been using spring practice to figure out how the rest of the rotation shapes up. Sophomore Dani Dennis-Sutton will be oft-used af- ter burning his redshirt in 2022. Redshirt senior Smith Vilbert and redshirt junior Zuriah Fisher are looking like the other top backups, while junior Amin Vanover should be in the mix, too. How often those three play compared to the top three, however, is what Barnes is figuring out this spring. Defensive Tackle While there are many reasons to feel good about the defensive end situation, the picture is murkier at defensive tackle, where the graduation of two-time team captain PJ Mustipher has left behind huge shoes to fill. Redshirt senior Dvon Ellies looks to be the player who will try to replicate what Mustipher delivered, while Coziah Izzard is getting set for his junior season. Beyond those two, the Lions are hoping redshirt senior Hakeem Beamon is ready to have his best season yet, and sopho- more Zane Durant continues to take on a large number of snaps. Durant saw ac- tion in 13 games as a true freshman last fall and has been one of the team's more talked-about players this spring. Coach James Franklin said he was "on a really good trajectory" heading into the final week of PSU's spring practice sessions. Still, size continues to be a concern. While the 302-pound Ellies and the 291-pound Izzard resemble prototypical Big Ten defensive tackles, many of the rotational players are on the lighter side, including the 275-pound Durant. Linebacker This group is overseen by Diaz, of course. Junior Curtis Jacobs and sopho- more Abdul Carter will lead it on and off the field and will almost certainly out- snap their position mates significantly over the course of the season. Jacobs has been seeing action this spring at all three linebacker spots, while the 6-foot-3, 249-pound Carter has re- portedly been getting reps at the Mike po- sition in addition to the Will spot, where he started six games last season. Jacobs was third on the team in tackles last year with 52, while Carter was second with 56. The idea is to find additional ways of getting them both on the field at the same time In the middle, redshirt sophomore Kobe King has been seeing additional reps, with junior Tyler Elsdon bothered by an unspecified injury. A 13-game starter last year, Elsdon is expected to be healthy in the fall. Both he and King are likely to see action, as they did throughout the 2022 season. The other news here concerns January enrollees Tony Rojas and Ta'Mere Rob- inson, both of whom have impressed in spring practice. Rojas, in particular, has turned heads during his short time in the program. When he signed with Penn State in De- cember, he was listed at 195 pounds, but he was up to 214 heading into spring prac- tice, and Franklin indicated in early April that the four-star prospect from Fairfax, Va., was still growing. "He's put on 29 pounds since he's been here, and it's good weight," Franklin said. "I don't know how that's necessarily pos- sible, but he's put on 29 pounds. Every time I go to the nutrition bar, he's sitting there eating. After practice, he's getting an extra pump in, and he's playing fast." Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is expected to be the first Penn State defensive back ever taken in the first round when the NFL Draft begins later this month. Kalen King could well be the second. A junior from Detroit, King earned Walter Camp All-America honors after leading the Big Ten and ranking third na- tionally with 21 passes defended last year. King headlines a cornerback corps that should be one of the team's strengths this fall, even with Porter gone. North Caro- lina transfer Storm Duck and returnee Johnny Dixon, both seniors, have im- pressed in spring drills, giving the coaches plenty of options. Dixon can play both the slot and outside cornerback positions, while redshirt senior Daequan Hardy will also be back in the slot. Safety The Lions must replace All-Big Ten performer Ji'Ayir Brown, but they return senior Keaton Ellis, a 13-game starter last year. Ellis has been one of the standouts this spring, coming off a 2022 season in which he totaled 24 tackles and 7 pass breakups. A reliable defender last year, Ellis has reportedly developed into the kind of playmaker that the coaches are looking for on the back end of a defense that prioritizes turnovers. At the opposite spot, junior Jaylen Reed is expected to lead the way, but redshirt sophomore Zakee Wheatley showed many positive signs last season, and it won't be a surprise if he ultimately earns a starter-like number of reps in the fall. ■ Sophomore Abdul Carter has been working at the Will and Mike linebacker positions after a debut season in which he led the Nittany Lions with 6.5 sacks. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE