Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533674
3 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M filled this role against Penn State while Knowles experimented with different players throughout the season. Last year, Ohio State added safety Caleb Downs via the transfer portal and fully integrated him as a pseudo- linebacker, changing the "Leo" hybrid role from the defensive end to the field safety spot. All of this information raises an inter- esting question: Which path will Penn State take as it adapts to Knowles' de- fensive approach in 2025 and beyond? Who Is PSU's Ideal Leo? During his first media availability at PSU, Knowles was elusive when asked whether or not he'll revive the Leo po- sition. "That remains to be seen," he said. "We're going to have to dive into who the players are and what they do well. We experimented with it a little bit when I first got to Ohio State. It was huge for me at Oklahoma State, because we had the kind of players who really fit it." If you were to roll back the clock to 2022 when Abdul Carter was a true freshman, you'd have a perfect tem- plate for the Leo. In fact, Penn State ran many of these concepts with Carter last season, moving him from linebacker to defensive end in what would turn out to be Allen's lone season as the Nittany Lions' defensive coordinator. Carter is now headed to the NFL, leaving two potential paths for the Li- ons in 2025. The first would be to use a hybrid linebacker in the defensive front. The second would be to use a hybrid safety as a middle ground between cov- erage and run defense. The questions that Knowles must answer are, which position best fits that role, and which players within that position have the necessary skill set? There are three defensive ends on the current roster with the versatility to be a Leo at Penn State: super senior Zuriah Fisher, redshirt freshman Max Granville and true freshman Dayshaun Burnett. There's also a linebacker who appears to fit the bill: true freshman LaVar Ar- rington II. Two other defensive ends — true freshman Yvan Kemajou and red- shirt freshman Jaylen Harvey — might also merit consideration but have fewer linebacker traits and are bigger-framed or thicker players. Although he's coming back from an injury that forced him to miss the 2024 season, Fisher is this year's clear choice to play the run from a stand-up, off-ball position. Looking beyond the upcoming season, Granville and Arrington are the answers for explosive, versatile players who can do a little bit of everything as undersized potential edge rushers. If Penn State plays the Ohio State ver- sion of this defense, it will require three safeties in a Cover 2 alignment to get a Safety Zakee Wheatley is Penn State's top returning tackler. He made 96 stops and had 3 interceptions as a redshirt junior last fall and could be a candidate for a hybrid role this coming season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL