Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Alonzo Ford Jr. | DT | R-Sr. Transferred to Penn State from Old Dominion during the 2023 offseason but didn't play after suffering a season- ending injury in August. Coziah Izzard | DT | Sr. Was a steady contributor for the Nit- tany Lions in 2023 after serving a two- game suspension to start the campaign. Izzard became the fourth returning piece of the Nittany Lions' DT two- deep when he appeared on the Jan. 8 spring roster update. Last year, he made 16 stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Jameial Lyons | DE | So. Made a splashy arrival as a true fresh- man, setting lofty expectations mov- ing forward. In just eight games, Lyons notched 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry while drawing consis- tent praise from coaches and teammates. Joseph Mupoyi | DE | R-Fr. Did not see game action as a true freshman. The 6-foot-5, 246-pound Mupoyi could be a candidate to transi- tion to the interior as an eventual con- tributor to the Nittany Lion defense. Mason Robinson | DE | R-Fr. Spent his debut season with the Nit- tany Lions under the radar, including battling through some nagging injuries on the front end of the campaign. Davon Townley Jr. | DT | R-Jr. Played in just three games for the Nit- tany Lions this season but registered 1 tackle in his 17 total snaps. Amin Vanover | DE | Sr. Missed two games to start the season, and more later in the year after suffering an injury against Ohio State in October. He became the fifth piece of the puzzle for the Nittany Lions' defensive end ro- tation. Vanover finished with one of the best pass rush grades on the team accord- ing to PFF, making 1.5 sacks and 6 tackles. Smith Vilbert | DE | R-Sr.+ Will return for his sixth season in the program after missing the entire 2023 campaign with an unspecified leg injury. NEWCOMERS Liam Andrews | DT | Fr. Flipped from offensive line to defen- sive line and will begin his career there for the Lions. Andrews carried four-star status with an On3 Industry Ranking of No. 116 with him to begin his college ca- reer. He is among five defensive linemen in the class to enroll in January. DeAndre Cook | DT | Fr. Will start his career as a defensive tackle after enrolling in January. Cook was ranked No. 956 nationally and No. 92 at the position in the On3 Industry Ranking. T.A. Cunningham | DT | Fr. Enrolled at Penn State in January and carries some under-the-radar qualities as the nation's No. 487 prospect and No. 50 at defensive tackle. Xavier Gilliam | DE | Fr. Has a national ranking of No. 804 while owning the No. 69 spot among edge rush- ers. Gilliam is another January arrival. Jaylen Harvey | DE | Fr. Is the last of Penn State's January en- rollees on the defensive line, carrying with him four-star status in the On3 Industry Ranking. Harvey finished the cycle at No. 400 overall. Mylachi Williams | Fr. Will enroll at Penn State this summer as a four-star prospect. Williams has been described as having "a lot of twitch, ath- leticism, and burst of the edge," by On3 national scouting director Charles Power. The conversation at Penn State heading into the 2023 campaign had every- thing to do with the strength of the ends and the relative vulnerability at de- fensive tackle. That, and the addition of Deion Barnes as a first-year full-time assis tant coach, left the Nittany Lions in a relative state of uncertainty within a traditionally strong position group. In every sense, Barnes and the Nittany Lions answered those lingering questions with their performances last year. Led by Robinson and Isaac at the end positions, with considerable improvement on the interior of the line from a host of perform - ers, the effort was an undeniable win for Manny Diaz and the Penn State defense. Mor e than eight months away from the 2024 campaign, the conversation will be reversed this offseason. Gone are Robinson and Isaac at end, reducing Penn State's room by two high-round NFL Draft picks. But, in returning Dennis-Sutton and a quartet of high-performing defensive tackles, the Nittany Lions are on solid footing in their outlook for the upcoming season. The big question for a Tom Allen defense that will likely rely on the same pass-rushing, run-stopping components that made Diaz so successful, is whether the Nittany Lions can replace the type of dynamic playmaking that made Robinson and Isaac so scary. Though the group of ends has experience and talent throughout, the pairing of the two is an element that is still to be determined. — Nate Bauer 2024 Outlook Zane Durant bulked up to 285 pounds as a sophomore and thrived in a starting role at defensive tackle, total- ing 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL 2024 LOOK AHEAD