Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / D E F E N S I V E L I N E M E N / / / / / / / 2023 vs. 2024: Stock Up Or Down? The Nittany Lions ranked first in the FBS last year in both sacks (49) and rushing defense (75.5 yards per game). That's going to be a tough act to follow. And yet, Penn State still looks awfully solid up front. Junior Zane Durant and super seniors Ha- keem Beamon and Dvon J-Thomas (formerly Ellies) combined to make 26 starts at defensive tackle last season, and the Lions boast two additional seniors in Coziah Izzard and Alonzo Ford Jr., the latter back in action after missing last season with an injury after transferring from Old Dominion. The defensive end spots will have new starters, but juniors Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter com- bined to make 11.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks last season. There's some experienced depth here, too, even with redshirt senior Zuriah Fisher out of action indefinitely due to an injury. Smith Vilbert and Amin Vanover are both seniors, and Jameial Lyons was one of the surprise "green lights" in last year's freshman class, forgoing a redshirt and seeing action in eight games. In short, this stock is still a "buy." X-Factor Carter's transition from outside linebacker to edge rusher is the biggest unknown on the Nittany Lions' defensive front. A year ago, he was the team's sec- ond-highest-rated pass rusher, earning a 90.3 grade from Pro Football Focus. His 18 quarterback hurries were tied for third on the team behind Adisa Isaac's 20 and Dennis-Sutton's 19, and his 6 hits were tied for the team lead with Vanover. Listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds last year, Carter was essentially a linebacker in a defensive end's body. He's up to 259 pounds now, so he's certainly got the physique to play the position. There's sure to be a learning curve, though, making his transition one of the most intriguing storylines of the season. Freshman Outlook Although it must replace both of last year's start- ing edge rushers, Penn State appears to have the makings of a solid two-deep at all four defensive line spots. The roster includes six expected 2024 contributors with senior eligibility: tackles J-Thomas, Izzard, Beamon and Ford, and edge rushers Vilbert and Vanover. With the Lions having developed a decent amount of depth up front, there probably aren't going to be a lot of snaps remaining for the six defensive linemen in the 2024 recruiting class. The redshirt freshmen from the 2023 class — ends Joseph Mupoyi and Mason Robinson and tackle Ty Blanding — will also need to be patient, and so will transfer Jordan Mayer. A redshirt fresh- man who began his career at Wisconsin, Mayer came to Penn State as a walk-on and is the lightest defensive lineman on the 2024 roster, checking in at 231 pounds. Junior Zane Durant will hold down one of the Nittany Lions' first-team defensive tackle spots after starting 11 games in 2023. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL