Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 6 5 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 / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★ Despite losing defensive ends Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac to the NFL Draft, Penn State will still have high expectations for its edge rushers in 2024. Junior Dani Dennis-Sutton earned third- team All-Big Ten honors last year and is poised for a breakout. Even though he made only three starts, he played more snaps than both Rob- inson and Isaac during the 2023 season. Con- sidering that he could enter the draft after this season, this is Dennis-Sutton's chance to cement himself as a top NFL prospect. We wouldn't be surprised if the former five-star high school player lives up to the expectations. Penn State also made the decision to move ju- nior Abdul Carter to defensive end in the offsea- son. At nearly 260 pounds, he has the frame and power to make an instant impact. He's totaled 16 tackles for loss and 11 sacks the past two seasons, so Carter has already proven he knows how to cause havoc in the backfield. It's the interior of Penn State's defensive line that is most intriguing. Super seniors Hakeem Beamon and Dvon J-Thomas (formerly Ellies) and junior Zane Durant all started at least six games last season. Beamon and J-Thomas returning for their final year suggests they weren't being looked at as NFL prospects after last season. That's a major reason why this group is so inter- esting. The experience they bring is beneficial, but those two combined to make only 6.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack last season. Durant's ceiling seems a bit higher entering his junior season. If he continues to progress like most expect him to, he could end up in the NFL Draft next April. EXPERIENCE ★★★★ This won't be an issue in 2024. Beamon, Du- rant and J-Thomas all played 300 snaps or more last season. Carter totaled more than 500 snaps at linebacker, while Dennis-Sutton was on the field for more than 400. If you go back to 2022 (and even 2021 in J-Thomas' case), these play- ers have seen plenty of action, including a com- bined 62 starts. You won't find many teams that bring back such an abundance of experience. DEPTH ★★★ Penn State returns several backups who have contributed regularly. At defensive end, redshirt senior Zuriah Fisher played in all 13 games last season after missing most of the 2022 season. However, he did suffer another injury in the spring and his status for preseason camp was looking doubtful as of early July. Behind him, Penn State also has senior Amin Vanover and sophomore Jameial Lyons to mix into its rota- tion, giving it four safe bets and potentially a fifth if Fisher is able to get healthy. At defensive tackle, senior Coziah Izzard is also back. He played in 11 games last season and to- taled more than 250 snaps, so Penn State knows it has a solid four-man rotation. And don't forget about redshirt senior Alonzo Ford Jr. He missed last season with an injury after transferring from Old Dominion, but he played nearly 1,000 snaps in 2021 and '22 for the Monarchs. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ Penn State should feel good about the ex- perience it brings back in 2024. The Lions led the nation with 49 sacks last season, and 15.5 came from returning defensive linemen. There's reason to believe those numbers will go up this fall when you consider the amount of returning talent, plus Carter's position switch, which will allow him to come off the edge much more than in previous seasons. Of course, the performance of the interior linemen will go a long way toward determining whether this ends up being one of the nation's best defensive fronts. Penn State held Ohio State's run game largely in check last season but then allowed Michigan to rush for 227 yards. This year, the Buckeyes will bring one of the nation's best backfield tandems to Beaver Stadium in TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Does PSU have an elite defensive front? We'll most likely find out on Nov. 2. • Has appeared in 16 games since the start of the 2020 season. • Has totaled 8 tackles, including 4 for loss and 3 sacks, in his career. NEWCOMERS Defensive Tackle LIAM ANDREWS Fr. | 6-4 | 260 • Was a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking coming out of the Dexter School in Brookline, Mass. • Named 2023 player of the year in the New Eng- land Preparatory School Athletic Council's Class B and Evergreen League. DE'ANDRE COOK Fr. | 6-4 | 286 • Earned a three-star rating in the On3 Industry Ranking coming out of Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C. • Had 11 tackles for loss and 10 sacks his senior season. T.A. CUNNINGHAM Fr. | 6-5 | 280 • Earned a three-star grade in the On3 Industry Ranking. • Didn't play during his senior season at Grayson High in Loganville, Ga. • Had his best season as a sophomore at John's Creek (Ga.) High, totaling 22 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. XAVIER GILLIAM Fr. | 6-2 | 306 • Earned a three-star rating in the On3 Industry Ranking. • Totaled 15 tackles for loss and 6 sacks as a senior at Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg, Md. Defensive End JAYLEN HARVEY Fr. | 6-2 | 263 • Earned a four-star rating in On3 Industry Rank- ing coming out of Quince Orchard High. • Totaled 13 sacks and 9 tackles for loss his senior season. • Received first-team all-state honors in Mary- land's Class 4A. MYLACHI WILLIAMS Fr. | 6-3 | 237 • Earned a four-star rating in On3 Industry Rank- ing coming out of Monsignor Bonner in Drexel Hill, Pa. • Totaled 70 tackles, including 28 for loss and 13 sacks, as a senior. • MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League. BY THE NUMBERS 4th Penn State's spot in Athlon's list of the nation's best defensive lines. The Lions are listed behind top-ranked Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia. 31.6 Percentage of the Lions' 49 sacks last year that came from defensive linemen who return in 2024. Those seven players combined for 15.5 sacks, and that total goes up to 20 sacks (40.8 percent) if you count Abdul Carter, who played linebacker last year but is moving to defensive end. 90.3 Carter's pass-rushing grade during the 2023 season according to Pro Football Focus. That was the fourth-best grade in the Big Ten last season out of 107 players who rushed the passer at least 100 times.