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knows all about his penchant for speaking his mind. He was a media room favorite last year due to his willingness to entertain just about any question, o;en at length. And in February, he served as LaVar Ar- rington's comic foil during a signing-day event at the Bryce Jordan Center. One of several players to address the crowd – quarterback Christian Hackenberg pre- ceded him – Lucas boasted that Penn State was someday going to be known not as Linebacker U but as "DBU." Ar- rington, a former All-America linebacker, didn't :nd that assertion entirely con- vincing, and he wore a bemused grin as he turned to James Franklin, with whom he was sharing the spotlight. "The quar- terback's real laid-back, real diplomatic. He's in control," Arrington said. "Then Jordan came out with his muscles and tattoos, and he got the mike and he lost his mind." Lucas's freestyle approach to life – or at least to public speaking – de:nitely got Franklin's attention during his :rst few months on campus. "Jordan Lucas never lacks for something to say," the :rst-year head coach said this past spring. "He enjoys talking and speaking his mind. He's got a lot of personality, and he's very, very charismatic. It's not always well thought out before he says it. It just comes out of his mouth." In fairness to Lucas, there's been a lot to talk about. He started all 12 games as a sophomore, :nishing third on the team with 55 tackles and tying for the team lead with three interceptions. Lucas said that during spring practice, he worked on "ball skills, ball disruption." He broke up a team-high 13 passes last season, so he's already well on his way to becoming one of the Big Ten's more dis- ruptive defensive backs. That impressive debut at cornerback last season gives Lucas plenty of credibility as he looks to assert himself as a leader. But he's not willing to simply let his sta- tistics speak for themselves. He's looking to channel his outgoing personality in a way that will dovetail with his on-:eld performance to ensure that he has every- one's attention. "I think that'll :re some guys up," he said. "Some people don't get the lead- by-example thing. It takes a voice some- times. When you hear somebody's voice and they're telling you something, and then they go out there and show you, that can do a lot." ■ >> >> KEY PERSONNEL CB: Da'Quan Davis, Grant Haley, Jordan Lucas*, Amani Oruwariye, Dad Poquie, Devon Pryor, Jordan Smith, Trevor Williams*, Daquan Worley; Saf.: Marcus Allen, Adrian Amos*, Christian Campbell, Jesse Della Valle*, Koa Farmer, Malik Golden, Ryan Keiser* LOSSES Saf.: Stephen Obeng- Agyapong*, Malcolm Willis* RISING STAR The Nittany Lions binged on defensive backs in their 2014 recruiting class, taking three corner- backs (Haley, Oruwariye, Worley), three safeties (Allen, Campbell, Farmer) and at least one other player who could end up in the secondary be- fore it's all said and done (Trace Mc- Sorley). If there's a guy in that group who seems poised for immediate play- ing time, it's probably Farmer. He's got the size (6-foot-1, 208 pounds) to play strong safety, and that's a position at which the Nittany Lions could use some additional manpower. BIGGEST LOSS Willis started 11 games at strong safety last season, fin- ishing fourth on the team with 61 tack- les. And while he only made four starts, Obeng was truly one of the unsung he- roes of the Bill O'Brien era. He not only played hurt, he played out of position, too, yet still was among Penn State's top 10 tacklers each of the past two sea- sons. NUMBERS GAME It's been six years since Penn State last produced a first- team All-Big Ten defensive back. The Nittany Lions' most recent first-team honoree was safety Anthony Scirrotto in 2008. OUTLOOK The Nittany Lions return three experienced starters in Lucas, Amos and Keiser, and Della Valle has seen plenty of action, too. But there are going to be some significant changes in the back of the defense. There already have been, in fact. If Amos's move to safety proves permanent this time, the Lions will need someone to step up at cornerback. Right now, it looks like a dead heat between Williams, Smith and Davis. But Amos is a bit of a wild card. He's got the speed to play cornerback and the size (6-0, 209) to play either safety spot, so it wouldn't be surprising if he ended up seeing spot duty at his former position. The Lions' new coach- es prize versatility, so it's likely that we'll be seeing new faces in new places throughout the season. – M.H. CORNERBACK NO NAME YR HT WT 9 Jordan Lucas Jr. 6-0 198 12 Jordan Smith So. 5-11 183 SAFETY 4 Adrian Amos Sr. 6-0 209 6 Malik Golden So. 6-1 198 SAFETY 23 Ryan Keiser Sr. 6-1 208 39 Jesse Della Valle Sr. 6-1 203 CORNERBACK 10 Trevor Williams Jr. 6-1 188 3 Da'Quan Davis Jr. 5-10 171 * Starting experience in 2013

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