Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1496986
M A Y 2 0 2 3 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M six seasons before heading to Blacksburg after the 2021 season. At Penn State, sophomore defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, redshirt junior defensive end Zuriah Fisher, redshirt se- nior defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon and several members of the Nittany Li- ons' offensive front have all worked with Lombard this winter. The training was a welcome distraction from the grind of winter workouts, and both players and coaches have embraced the benefits of mixing Lombard's program with their own efforts. It's been a fruitful pairing for all con- cerned, a match born of an idea, circum- stances and a little bit of good fortune. "MMAFx has been around for eight years now, with a gradual stalking of guys to get people to understand it and learn it. Now, it's evolved," Lombard said. "And I've been fortunate to be across the street here. They helped me. Now it's just spread." ■ The best football players are trying to gain an edge in any way possible. One of the growing trends in the sport is to train a player's hands and reaction time using MMA-style exercises. Bruce Lombard is one of the original proponents of cross-training for football players, having developed his MMAFx program about a decade ago. At Penn State, one of his star pupils is Olumuyiwa Fashanu, a fourth-year junior offen- sive tackle and a potential first-round NFL Draft pick in 2024. Fashanu started working with Lombard during the 2022 offseason. Initially, it was his unassuming demeanor that struck the longtime martial arts trainer. At 6-foot-6, 323 pounds, Fashanu stands out in a crowd, but he wasn't trying to attract attention in Lombard's gym. "He came to training with his glasses on, very quiet, smiling a lot," Lombard said. "And then from what I see on TV, I'm like, 'Holy cow, is this the same guy?' He's just crushing people. "Those are the kind of people that I really admire. They just walk around all casual. They're friendly, but you put them in competition and they're a totally different person." Last summer, the buzz was starting to build around Fashanu. He had made his first career start in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas the previous January and was seen as a rising star. Although Fashanu was new to the boxing tech- niques that Lombard showed him, he picked them up quickly. "He started not knowing anything, and from what I see, certainly his boxing has improved," Lombard said. "It's fun to watch. From the little bit of feed- back he gives me — I don't ask much — he feels that it's helping him with his footwork, his hand quickness, his timing, his explosion. When he moves on to the next level, hopefully he can continue with his boxing to help him on the football field." Other current offensive linemen Lombard has trained include redshirt senior tackle Caedan Wallace, redshirt senior guard Sal Wormley, redshirt freshman guard Vega Ioane and redshirt junior tackle Jimmy Christ. "The guys who were with me last summer, you can see their evolution," Lombard said. "They've gotten pretty good. Last summer, it was about keeping it slow, finding a rhythm. This year, they can put a little bit more of that explo- sion into it. That's pretty cool to see." On the defensive side of the ball, one player who has thoroughly impressed during his sessions with Lombard is sophomore defensive end Dani Dennis- Sutton. In addition to his obvious athletic ability, the former On3 five-star pros- pect made an impression with his personable demeanor. "What a great guy," Lombard said. "When I see that, I know he's going to be successful. Athletics and football are not just about being a great athlete, be- cause there are a lot of great athletes. It's about being courteous, friendly, and staying focused, being smart. "People look at these [players as if they're] barbarians who physically tear each other up, but at the highest level, it's about smarts. It's about having that intellectual development and ability. And it's easier for coaches. If you have guys who go through the athletic motions but aren't paying attention and fol- lowing directions, that's hard to coach." At 6-5, 262 pounds, Dennis-Sutton has prototypical size for a defensive end. He played in all 13 of Penn State's games as a true freshman and is looking to have a much bigger role on the defense in 2023. The training that he's re- ceived throughout the offseason is likely to help him achieve that goal. "We're doing boxing," Lombard said. "He loves the sport of boxing, and he understands how it's going to help him in his craft on the football field. "I think what he appreciates is the attention to detail. We try to train perfec- tion. We're in a controlled environment. It's just me and him, and there's no stress. In that controlled environment, we want to be perfect because we know that in any sport, but particularly in combat sports or football, every- thing loosens up. "The best in the world aren't going to be perfect every play or maybe at all. But if we're as perfect as we can be in training, then as we loosen up when things are fast [and you're] fourth-quarter tired, you're still going to be pretty darn good. It's almost an autopilot. "So, I'm seeing that he really appreciates the attention in detail. When I'm correcting him, he doesn't sulk. He figures it out, and we go from there. It's fun to train guys like that. They're willing to be broken down, because the ultimate goal is to be as perfect as we can be." — Thomas Frank Carr Fashanu, Dennis-Sutton Impress With Athleticism, Attitude Dennis-Sutton is looking to build on a true freshman season in which he finished with 17 tackles, including 3 sacks. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE