Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526526
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M starting to look the part of a big-time safety just a few months into his college career. "You can see [Lane has] the measur- ables. He's got the speed, and through the summertime he was starting to come on," Poindexter said. "During fall camp, you really saw it. I put him in the mold of how we brought along J-Reed and KJ as true freshmen playing. "And, quite frankly, we need him. We don't have a ton of proven depth in that room right now. He's mature enough to know what he's doing. He has a long way to go, but if he keeps watching those older guys, they'll speed up his process. He has all the physical tools to be a really good player here" The Lions are hoping they will be able to bring the 6-2, 211-pound Lane along at their chosen pace, rather than hav- ing to rush his development because of an injury. There were some concerns about Winston's availability after he came out of the home opener against Bowling Green in the second quarter and didn't return. This fall, PSU would like its three-headed monster to continue causing problems for opposing offenses. "I think we're in the argument for hav- ing the one of the best safety rooms in the country," Franklin said. "When we take Zakee, KJ and Jaylen Reed, that's a really nice combination of pieces to work with. We need this to continue to grow." ■ Penn State redshirt freshman defender DaKaari Nelson made a rare move recently, switching posi- tions deep into preseason camp. Nelson had begun his Nittany Lion career at safety in 2023 after signing as a four-star prospect out of Selma (Ala.) High. He practiced at that position in the spring and began preseason camp as a safety. The Nittany Lions have been looking to build more depth at linebacker, though, and at 6-foot-3, 222 pounds, Nelson was a logical candidate. Realizing that he was becoming too big to remain in the sec- ondary long term, head coach James Franklin and defensive coordinator Tom Allen made the decision to move Nelson closer to the line of scrimmage and play him at linebacker. The transition is in its early stages, but the coach- ing staff has liked what it's seen so far. "I think with a lot of these guys, we recruit them and bring them here based on what position they played in high school, but right away he was 220 pounds and fighting it," Franklin said. During the handful of practice sessions that have been open to the media, Nelson has looked big enough to handle the rigors of playing in the box, and he certainly possesses the speed that the position requires. He didn't see action in the Lions' opener at West Virginia but got on on the field the following week against Bowling Green. The Lions have been looking to shore up their linebacker corps in recent months. Junior Abdul Carter has moved to defensive end, redshirt sophomore Keon Wylie is out of action indefinitely with an injury, and redshirt freshman Kaveion Keys left Penn State this past summer after he and sophomore defen- sive end Jameial Lyons were suspended by the team for undisclosed reasons. "Obviously, we need a little bit more depth at linebacker, and you're looking at creative ways to solve problems," Franklin said. "We had a conversation with [Nelson]. He was open to it. It's really been good for him and us. He's playing physical right now, showing up a lot in practice, making plays. I think he's excited about it. "He's never done it before. You're kind of unsure. But I think it's genetics. We're telling them [a position switch could happen one day]. And then an opportunity presented itself, and he's moved there. So far, so good. He's done some really nice things." Penn State outside linebackers coach Justin Lustig echoed Franklin's assess- ment, calling it "a really good move, for him and for us." Nelson is expected to see action on special teams, at the very least, in the weeks ahead. Lustig, who also serves as the Nittany Lions' special teams coor- dinator, envisions roles for the redshirt freshman both on defense and in the kicking game. "I give him a lot of credit," Lustig said. "In this day and age, for guys to move positions this late in camp, usually they fight that. He embraced it from Day 1. He's gotten better and better, and he's playing his best ball that I've seen since I've been here in the past nine months. "I'm excited about him. I think he's going to play a factor on special teams as well. He's a big, strong kid who can run and is physical, so there's always a place on the field for those type of guys. "He was one of our bigger safeties, right? And with that, maybe he was sus- ceptible a little bit in real big open spaces. We tightened the spaces down, put him in at linebacker, and now that's not an issue anymore." — Greg Pickel DaKaari Nelson Finds A New Role On Nittany Lions' Defense At 6-foot-3, 222 pounds, Nelson was already growing out of the safety position when Penn State moved him to linebacker. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL