Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
M A Y 2 0 2 6 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M it was one of our safeties." Penn State is expected to use a four- down front primarily. It will line up in 4-3 looks but will still have the ability to switch to a 4-2-5 alignment in which an additional defensive back replaces a linebacker, usually the Mike. The Nittany Lions want to be as flexible as possible, and that's one of the main reasons for en- suring that defensive backs are prepared to relay the play calls on the field. Inju- ries are a factor, too. The defense needs to have options in case someone gets hurt. In addition, there are intangible fac- tors that have to be taken into account. Players who wear the green dot must be able to keep a cool head at all times and be ready to get the defense properly aligned no matter what happened on the previ- ous play. "There are a lot of ebbs and flows in a game," Lynn said. "When that play is over, you need to be able to put it to bed. You need to be able to get everybody else [prepared] and give everyone the call." Last season, linebackers Amare Camp- bell and Dominic DeLuca wore the green dot for Penn State. Campbell has since transferred, while DeLuca has exhausted his eligibility. This year's green dot candidates include a trio of Iowa State transfer linebackers — seniors Caleb Bacon and Kooper Ebel and junior Cael Brezina — along with redshirt junior returnee Tony Rojas. At safety, junior Marcus Neal Jr., an- other former Cyclone, is likely a candi- date, along with a pair of fellow Iowa State transplants — seniors Jeremiah Cooper and Jamison Patton — as well as senior returnee Zion Tracy. Whichever players are chosen to wear the radio-enabled helmet, they will need to be prepared for a challenging job. Lynn, who spent nine seasons in the NFL, said that communications can be trickier at the college level because of the prevalence of hand signals in addition to verbal calls. "I would say the more challenging part in college is the tempo and the fact that the field is spread out more," Lynn said. "You have guys that are farther away. In the NFL, we used the green dot, and that was it. We didn't have signals for calls. In college, a lot of times you're doing both just because of the tempo or because of the field." Fortunately for Penn State, the staff has time to figure out who will wear the green dot on defense. There was no need to make a firm decision during spring prac- tice. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the players who handle the responsibility are fully prepared. ■ Amid an offseason filled with significant turnover, the defensive end position was one of intrigue for Penn State this spring. The Nittany Lions lost Dani Dennis-Sutton to the NFL and seven other players to the transfer portal. They retained only four scholar- ship edge rushers from last year's roster, and even though they bolstered their numbers by welcoming redshirt senior Ike Ezeogu from Iowa State and sopho- more Alexander McPherson from Colorado, they still have significant questions to answer ahead of the 2026 season. Those concerns intensified in mid-April when red- shirt junior Mason Robinson suffered an injury that will force him to miss the 2026 season. The 6-foot-3, 257-pound Robinson didn't see action in his first three seasons on campus but was expected to compete for a backup role this fall. He had been a three-star prospect coming out of the McDonogh School in the class of 2023, listed No. 652 overall, No. 60 among edge rushers and No. 12 in Maryland, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Meeting with reporters on April 14, head coach Matt Campbell was asked to address the Lions' depth at defensive end. He struck an optimistic tone about the potential within the room, citing McPherson and Ezeogu, along with a trio of sophomore-eligible returnees —Yvan Kema- jou, Max Granville and LaVar Arrington II, the last of whom was moved from linebacker to defensive end this spring. "Alex McPherson … played a ton of reps at Colorado. He actually started against us last year when we played them out there," Campbell said, referring to Iowa State's 24-17 loss to the Buffaloes last October. "You see what Yvan did [at Penn State last season], and you have to go back a year to watch what Max Granville did, but you saw Max working in the weight room. And then Ike is a guy who has flashed every single day so far, and you saw LaVar [last season]." Campbell also cited true freshman Jackson Ford as "a guy who continues to grow and probably flashed maybe a little bit sooner than maybe we would have even [expected] as a freshman." "That room has got some really talented players," he concluded. — Nate Bauer When he was defensive coordinator at USC the past two years, D'Anton Lynn typically relied on safeties to relay calls from the coaches to the field. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR Redshir t junior edge rusher Mason Robinson will miss the 2026 season because of an injury. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS Injury Cuts Into PSU's Depth At Defensive End