Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
6 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★★ The Nittany Lions look to be very solid at the defensive end positions, where junior Chop Rob- inson and redshirt senior Adisa Isaac are expected to handle the starting spots. Isaac was a 13-game starter last year and led the team with 11 tackles for loss. Robinson played behind the since-graduated Nick Tarbur- ton but was a pocket-crushing force on passing downs. Between them, Isaac and Robinson to- taled 9.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss last season. They're going to be a handful for opposing block- ers this fall. The defensive tackle posts are more unsettled. The Lions return a 12-game starter in redshirt senior Hakeem Beamon, who weighed in at 284 pounds in June, up from 256 pounds at the begin- ning of the spring, but that's still light for the po- sition in the Big Ten. At the opposite tackle spot, Penn State must replace PJ Mustipher, most likely with junior Coziah Izzard. EXPERIENCE ★★★ Isaac and Beamon combined to make 25 starts in 2022. Izzard was a backup last year, but he started seven games in 2021 after Mustipher suffered a season-ending injury. If Izzard is the choice to re- place the graduated Mustipher this fall, the Lions certainly won't lack experience up front, even with only two starters returning. Robinson didn't start any games, but he played 455 defensive snaps to Tarburton's 384. The projected backups at all four positions have at least sophomore eligibility, so experience shouldn't be a problem unless there's a run of injuries. DEPTH ★★★ After watching Dennis-Sutton total 2 sacks and a quarterback hurry in the Blue-White Game, Franklin gave him a hearty endorsement, noting that the sophomore defensive end "is going to have a big year for us." Adding to PSU's depth, redshirt senior Smith Vilbert and redshirt junior Zuriah Fisher are back after seeing action in just three games last year. The Lions' depth should be fine at defensive end. In the middle, PSU has been working to bolster its rotation. Landing junior Alonzo Ford Jr. from Old Dominion this spring should help, but this is a work in progress. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ Penn State averaged 3.31 sacks per game to rank sixth in the FBS last year and should be able to bring the heat again this fall. Of the 43 sacks it amassed in 2022, only 7.5 were by players who have since left. Robinson and Isaac look to be an effective tandem coming off the edge, and Dennis-Sutton is a star in the making. The big question here is whether Penn State is as strong as it will need to be in the middle. The Lions allowed Michigan to run wild in a 41-17 loss last Oc- tober, with four Wolverine ball carriers piling up 418 yards. PSU can't afford a reprise of that game if it's going to reach the College Football Playoff. BY THE NUMBERS 3rd The PSU defensive line's spot in Ath- lon's position group rankings for the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions trail only Michigan and Ohio State. 92.4 Chop Robinson's pass-rushing grade last season, as determined by Pro Football Focus. It was the second-best grade of any edge defender in the FBS, trailing only the 93.1 mark that Houston's D'Anthony Jones received. 104 Tackles for loss by Penn State last season, a figure that tied the Nittany Lions with Oklahoma for fifth place nationally. Adisa Isaac led the way with 11, the third-highest total among Big Ten defensive linemen. Redshirt senior Adisa Isaac is coming off a 2022 season in which he finished fourth on the team with 4 sacks. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Deion Barnes: When John Scott Jr. left to join the Detroit Lions' staff in late February, Penn State had to act fast. Spring practice was just around the corner, and head coach James Franklin needed to find someone quickly to oversee the Nittany Lions' defensive front. Fortunately for PSU, Franklin already had a promising young coaching prospect on his staff. Barnes had been promoted from graduate assistant to analytics coordinator a few weeks earlier, and when the on-field coaching posi- tion suddenly opened up, the timing was right for him to step into it. A 30-year-old Philadelphia native, Barnes is steeped in Penn State's football culture, hav- ing been a player for the Lions from 2011-14 before moving on to a pro career and eventu- ally into coaching as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. He's also been a persuasive recruiter for the Lions, and will now have a chance to play an even bigger role in the team's fortunes. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS Defensive Tackle KALEB ARTIS R-Fr. | 6-4 | 320 • Appeared in two games last season, pre- serving his freshman eligibility. • Was a three-star prospect in the On3 In- dustry Ranking. • Finished with 2.5 sacks in an injury-short- ened senior season at St. Francis (N.Y.) Prep. HAKEEM BEAMON R-Sr. | 6-3 | 284 • Played in all 13 games and made 12 starts as a redshirt junior in 2022, totaling 16 tackles including 6 for loss and 2 quarterback hurries. • Missed the 2021 season for undisclosed reasons.