Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M games over the past two seasons and has the ability to play multiple positions across the secondary. Lynn describes him as "a nickel with a cornerback skill set. But when we go base, we can put him back at safety." Playing Tracy in deep coverage "makes our safety room extremely athletic," Lynn said. Meanwhile, Penn State imported sev- eral linebacker-sized athletes at safety, including a pair of Iowa State expats in Neal, a 6-1, 216 pounder, and senior Jamison Patton, who is listed at 6-2, 206 pounds. That size allows the defense to add safeties to the box as pseudo-line- backers — especially given how big the defensive line will be this fall. By now, with preseason practice well underway, Penn State has gotten an ex- tended look at most of its talent, in- cluding players like redshirt junior line- backer Tony Rojas, who missed spring football while recovering from an ACL injury. At a certain point, the infinite possibilities need to be pared down into a streamlined plan. "You have to make decisions about who you're going to be," Lynn said. "At this point, it's about the players. It's about, OK, what skill sets do these guys have? What positions can they play? When we're in these packages, do we need a sub? Do we have guys with the position flexibility to play a couple of different spots? We're identifying those guys and making sure we can keep our best 11 on the field." Who Will Benefit? One question that remains unanswered is whether Lynn's pro-style approach to snap distribution will carry over to Penn State. In the NFL, starting cornerbacks, safeties and box linebackers play nearly every snap. Only the defensive line ro- tates a true two-deep. Factor in third- down and heavy packages, and the num- ber of players who see meaningful time for an NFL defense rarely stretches be- yond 15 in any given game. When Lynn was serving as defensive coordinator at USC last season, only 14 players had more than 250 game reps in a meaningful role. By comparison, Penn State had 18 players with more than 250 snaps in both 2023 and '24. Part of that calculation involves fig- uring out how the secondary will come together. Lynn is clearly leaning into the yin and yang of Neal and Tracy at safety. While redshirt senior Jeremiah Cooper will factor in when he returns from the ACL injury that ended his final season at Iowa State, Tracy has captured the coach- ing staff's imagination. He has shown the ability to play coverage at every level of the defense — from a true safety position and in the slot. Essentially, Tracy allows Lynn to play a three-safety defense with- out actually playing three safeties. "This spring, he played nickel, he played field safety, he played bound- ary, he played safety in base," Lynn said. "He can blitz, cover slots and cover tight ends. You can do a lot of stuff with him." Meanwhile, Neal can play near the line of scrimmage and hunt the football. "We can put him down in the box," Lynn said. "He's like an extra inside linebacker, but he could also play deep. That just allows you to do a lot of stuff, especially on third down." Rojas has to be near the top of any list of players this sys- tem will benefit most. As Lynn has said, "If you have the ability to do something on tape, we're going to make sure we put you in position to do it." That phi- losophy was built for a player with Rojas' coverage skills, blitzing ability and run-game versatility. Redshirt senior Caleb Bacon is another player the NFL could value as a hybrid — a bruising run stuffer on early downs who transitions to a pass rusher on third down. That role has become increasingly popular in defensive systems across col- lege and pro football. Finally, the defensive ends room is wide open. Without knowing who rises to the top, it's impossible to say which players Lynn will build around. Redshirt senior Ikenna Ezeogu will likely get the first crack. He has proven interior ver- satility but needs to show he can win off the edge consistently. ■ Senior Jamison Patton was one of three Iowa State safeties who trans‑ ferred to PSU in January. At 6‑foot‑2, 206 pounds, he has the size to serve as a de facto linebacker in certain down‑and‑distance situations. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS