Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/399784
Since moving to defensive tackle, Anthony Zettel has been cutting opponents down to size nthony Zettel knows he's under- sized. He's supposed to be, a4er all. A backup defensive end the past two seasons, Zettel gladly accept- ed an o2-season position change prompted by head coach James Franklin, de- fensive coordinator Bob Shoop and defensive line coach Sean Spencer. Already established on the end, Zettel was asked to move inside to bolster a group of less-experienced defensive tackles. "When I went up to Franklin's o3ce and he told me that they wanted me to switch, I basically al- ready had the same plan," Zettel said, "so it wasn't really a big reaction." Call him a glutton for punishment, if you want. He'd probably agree. An aspiring mixed martial arts amateur – with two years of train- ing at a local studio – Zettel likes the idea of using sheer determination to overcome an op- ponent. "You've gotta test the will of other people," he said, "and 1ght through like you're in a tough 1ght." The 6-foot-4, 282-pound redshirt junior is putting that philosophy into practice this season, lining up against o2ensive linemen who typically enjoy a size advantage of 20 pounds or more. It's a big disparity, but not as big as it was when he came to Penn State four years ago. Arriving as a true freshman in the summer of 2011, Zettel was a four-star strongside de- fensive end according to Rivals.com. Rated as the No. 65 overall player in the country, the West Branch, Mich., native was stationed at defensive tackle, even though he weighed only 250 pounds. The size di2erential made those 1rst practice sessions challenging, to say the least. "It was rough on the body, let's just say that," Zettel recalled. Still, there was something about the position that appealed to him. "I played defensive tackle and I seemed to enjoy it a lot more [than defensive end]," he said. "I was making plays at 250 just | A INSIDER The