Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
3 4 O C T O B E R 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 of his brightest pupils, having soaked up all the knowledge that Barnes has striven to impart. "He's a hardworking kid who wants to work on everything that he could possi- bly do to be great," Barnes said. "I know for sure what I'm going to get out of Dani. Every play, he's going to go as hard as he can. If that ball is 40 yards down the field, he's going to run 40 yards downfield and chase that ball. "If the ball is in the backfield and I've asked him to go get a [tackle for loss], he's going to try his best to get that done. Anything you ask him to do, he's going to get it done." Comfort Zone Dennis-Sutton's improvement did not happen overnight. He had to be dili- gent throughout the offseason about his physical development and technique. He worked daily on improving his hand placement and action right when the ball is snapped. Along the way, he tried to learn everything he could from more- experienced players, such as Robinson and Isaac. It helped, too, that Barnes and first- year graduate assistant Torrence Brown were both Penn State defensive linemen themselves and were well aware of the path that Dennis-Sutton needs to fol- low to reach his full potential with the Nittany Lions. "Throughout camp, I think I've defi- nitely gotten better with my technique as far as coming off the ball, staying lower and stuff like that," Dennis-Sut- ton said. "Obviously, I've been stron- ger and faster throughout camp and throughout the offseason, but I will say that's my biggest growth, my technique on the football field. "I'm a lot more comfortable out in the field as far as being able to know my as- signments and knowing what the plays are, all those sorts of things. I know it's a pass or I know when the other team is going to run, and different stunts. I [can figure it out] on my own instead of having to get it all the time from the sideline. I'm a lot more comfortable out in the field." Putting In The Work Dennis-Sutton did not have any counting stats in Penn State's season opener against West Virginia, and he totaled 1 assisted tackle and 1 QB hurry the following week against Delaware. His performance against the Moun- taineers is likely to end up as an outlier on his final stat sheet for the 2023 sea- son. Given the potential he showed as a freshman and the confidence that his teammates and coaches have expressed in his abilities, there's every reason to Dennis-Sutton has been an intense presence in the weight room and on the practice field since arriving at Penn State as part of the 2022 recruiting class. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR "I know for sure what I'm going to get out of Dani. Every play, he's going to go as hard as he can. If that ball is 40 yards down the field, he's going to run 40 yards downfield and chase that ball." D E F E N S I V E L I N E C O A C H D E I O N B A R N E S