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I s it realistic to think that Penn State can assemble a defense this fall that is as good as the one it 7elded in 2014, and perhaps even better? At 7rst glance, that would seem unlikely. The Nittany Lions have graduated sev- eral of their most prominent defensive players, among them Adrian Amos, Deion Barnes, Mike Hull, Ryan Keiser and C.J. Olaniyan. Meanwhile, of the players who are expected to be on the roster this fall, 55 will have either fresh- man or sophomore eligibility. The Lions will still be a very young team in 2015. It's also important to note that Penn State set the bar extremely high last season. The Nittany Lions 7nished 7rst in the Big Ten in scoring defense (18.6 points per game), total defense (278.7 yards per game) and pass-e9ciency de- fense (101.3 rating). They were also sec- ond in rushing defense (100.5 ypg), third in pass defense (178.2 ypg) and 7:h in red zone defense (18 touch- downs). Given all that, it would seem overly optimistic to expect a repeat perform- ance this coming fall. But when you consider how well several members of Penn State's 2013 and 2014 recruiting classes played in their debut seasons, especially during the second half of the year, I'm not sure it's as unreasonable as a lot of people seem to think. Two redshirt freshmen – defensive end Garrett Sickels and three-technique defensive tackle Parker Cothren – and 7ve true freshmen – safeties Marcus Allen and Troy Apke, linebacker Jason Cabinda and cornerbacks Christian Campbell and Grant Haley – performed superbly in backup roles in 2014. As that list indicates, the area in which last season's freshmen had the biggest impact was the secondary. When Keiser was lost for the 7nal six games of the regular season a:er su8er- ing a broken rib in practice before the Ohio State game, Allen stepped in and performed like an upperclassman. He ended up 7nishing the season tied with Jordan Lucas as the team's third-leading tackler (58 total stops) despite starting only six regular-season games and the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College. Allen won honorable mention Fresh- man All-America notice, and he will team up with Lucas – who has been moved from cornerback this spring – to give Penn State one of the premier safety tandems in the Big Ten this fall. When I 7rst heard in mid-January that Penn State was thinking about moving Lucas to free safety, it didn't come as a big surprise. That's because Haley and Campbell had both performed well at cornerback last fall. Haley not only played at the boundary cornerback position in all 13 games be- hind Lucas, but also combined with Campbell to provide Penn State's punt- coverage unit with its two best gunners. Haley 7nished the season with 18 tackles and posted an interception against Indiana, which he took back 30 yards for a touchdown. He has tremen- dous athletic ability, as evidenced by the 4.32-second 40-yard time he turned in during the testing that Dwight Galt, Penn State's strength and conditioning coach, did over the winter. It was the fastest 40 on the team. Campbell, meanwhile, played on spe- cial teams in 10 games, and he backed up Trevor Williams in the second half of the season at the 7eld cornerback position. He 7nished the season with 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception. At a news conference last month pre- viewing Penn State's spring practice sessions, head coach James Franklin made it clear that Lucas's move to free safety did not come about simply be- cause defensive coordinator Bob Shoop felt Lucas 7t into the scheme better at that spot. It was also directly connected to the performance of Haley and Camp- bell at cornerback last fall. "Long-term, we try to do things that are not only best for Penn State and our football program speci7cally, but also in these guys' long-term [interest]. I think Jordan is a guy who could play corner here and at the next level as well. I think he has a chance to maybe be special at safety. "It's also back to the philosophy you have heard me talk about before: I think it's easier to play a freshman at corner and a freshman at wide receiver than it would be to play a freshman at safety, linebacker or on the defensive line. The closer you are to the ball, the harder it is to get on the 7eld earlier." Last fall, Campbell and Haley were both able to get on the 7eld at corner- back. They gained valuable experience, and their quick development gave Shoop and Franklin the option of moving Lucas to free safety. "We feel good about our young talent at corner," Franklin said. "We're losing some experience at safety, and we usu- ally need to have pretty good depth at safety with the types of things you're asking those guys to do." If all goes according to plan, that's ex- actly what the move of Lucas to free safety will accomplish this fall, follow- ing the loss of Amos, Keiser and Jesse Della Valle to graduation. Lucas's move isn't the only develop- ment at safety. Penn State's depth situa- tion this fall will also be greatly en- These young players will give Penn State's defense a lift in 2015 PHIL'S CORNER

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