Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
2 8 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M played last season, but he was able to pre- serve a redshirt. Defense Zane Durant: The defensive tackles were overlooked this spring for a few rea- sons. Most of all, we think we know what we'll see from the group, which returns its top four contributors from a year ago. While stability is great, it doesn't tell us much about what the ceiling is here. Durant personifies that statement. The 6-1, 288-pound junior had a very good spring. That's to be expected at this point in his career. He's been eliciting praise from the coaching staff from the moment he arrived on campus as a January en- rollee in the 2022 recruiting class, and he's since displayed a penchant for making splash plays. This spring wasn't much different. The exciting part, though, is that there's still room for him to improve on a good show- ing in 2023. Durant was credited with 16 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and 2 sacks as a sophomore. He was more disruptive than those numbers indicate, and there's potential for all of them to rise signifi- cantly this fall if he stays on his current track. Durant is a fairly established guy who can still take a step forward for Penn State in 2024. Amin Vanover: The chatter at defen- sive end this spring was about junior Ab- dul Carter's move to the position. While that change has the potential to help PSU long-term, Carter still has work to do to be an all-around defensive end. That's where Vanover made his mark this spring. As with Durant, the numbers didn't tell his story as a junior in 2023. The 6-4, 262-pounder played in only eight games due to an injury he suffered against Ohio State in October, and he finished the year with 6 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. As a sophomore in 2022, he had 16 total stops, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Vanover's play in this year's Blue-White Game, in which he had 2 tackles, a sack and an interception, was encouraging. Sure, the offensive tackles he was going against weren't what he will see in the Big Ten, but it's a good confidence booster going into the summer. He's drawn praise, on- and off-record, for his approach this spring. It remains to be seen how position coach Deion Barnes is going to balance snaps and starts, but Vanover is high in the pecking order. Ta'Mere Robinson: There aren't as many question marks on defense as there are on the opposite side of the ball, but linebacker depth is certainly one of them, especially now that Carter has moved up front. There are some mitigating factors. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen is mov- ing PSU toward a 4-2-5 alignment, which will help. Also, we envision Carter playing some snaps at linebacker in certain situ- ations. Nevertheless, one of Penn State's priorities this spring was to rebuild its depth at the position group. There's still work to be done in that regard, and much of it will focus on the development of Robinson and fellow red- shirt freshman Kaveion Keys. While Keys garnered more attention late in the 2023 season, it was Robinson who seemed to turn a corner this spring. He's the third- team Mike linebacker behind redshirt ju- nior Kobe King and senior Tyler Elsdon, but it's more about his progress than his current standing. Robinson flashed this spring, showing some of the skills that Penn State saw in him as a recruit out of Brashear High in Pittsburgh. Robinson and Keys will both need to make more progress to crack the actual game rotation, but they will help from a depth perspective. Audavion Collins: Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said late in the spring that nobody on the defensive side of the ball has made more progress than Collins, a redshirt sophomore who arrived last year as a transfer from Mississippi State. Smith has a logjam that he'll have to resolve heading into the fall, but the 5-11, 179-pound Collins will be in the mix to join the rotation. By all accounts, every- thing started to click for him over the winter. He turned that showing into a productive spring and a potential role in the fall. Program insiders say it's not out of the question that Collins could challenge for a starting spot. Maybe that's simply an indication of how close the competition has been at cornerback this offseason, but after not hearing anything about Collins in 2023, it's a noteworthy admission. Jaylen Reed: Junior Kevin Winston Jr. is the headliner at safety, and redshirt ju- nior Zakee Wheatley appears set to play a bigger role in 2024 after helping himself with a strong performance this spring. Meanwhile, one guy who often goes over- looked is Reed. He's probably in the most fascinating situation of the three heading into the 2024 season. On top of that, he should probably be considered a favorite to be a defensive captain as a senior. Tight end Andrew Rappleyea had a 30-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter of the Blue-White Game. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Cornerback Audavion Collins played sparingly last sea- son after transferring from Mississippi State, but he has a chance to see substantial action following a strong showing in spring practice. PHOTO BY SEAN FITZ