Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
ed about are Cabinda and Reeder. Jason Cabinda played a lot last year and em- bodies our core values possibly as much as any player we have on our roster. He's a hard worker, he's got a positive atti- tude and he's very competitive, so I think everyone has really enjoyed watching Jason play from his first action vs. Northwestern and then throughout the course of the year. He played a hand- ful of reps each game and was a major contributor on special teams. Then the guy I'm personally really excited about, that I think is next in the long line of Penn State linebackers, is Troy Reeder. You put him in the category of Posluszny, Connor, Lee, Hull, those types of guys. He fits the bill. He red- shirted last year, which was the right move. He had a good spring. He missed some time in the spring, but as far as his work ethic, his attitude and his skill set, I'm not sure if when it's all said and done, we won't be talking about him as one of the better ones here. Brent Pry mentioned last season how Reeder takes it all in and mental- ly processes everything, maybe to the point where it slowed him down a step at first. Have you seen him get past that, where he's playing faster? Absolutely. During the first week of spring he excelled in the goal-line scrimmage situation and was very pro- ductive. I think it's a fair point. He's so conscientious and he's so thorough in everything he does, just by his nature. I think in the short term that can be a negative, but in the long term I've found that there are very few players I've been around who have that work ethic, that desire to watch that extra film. He trav- eled every week with the team, and when he took the [opponent] quizzes, his were on-point and sharp. I think you're going to find in the long run it'll be an incredible benefit for him. That's why I feel like he's a big, giant part of the future of our program at that position. We had a text conversation about that last night. He and I just had that same conversation. I said, "It's your turn now." He said, "I know and I appreciate your trust in me." So that's the kind of relationship Troy and I have developed. Seems like you have a lot to look forward to. You made a few headlines this off-season with a possible career change, but it sounds like you're hap- py to be staying put. I really am. It's nice to have my family up here. My son, who we talked about earlier, graduated and they got moved up in mid-May, so that adds a little more normalcy to my life. It's nice to have the family around. It's good in that respect, and anytime you're in the second year of a program – just from the expectation level, how we coach the guys, under- standing how they learn, understanding what their practice habits are – I think the relationship piece of the defense is so special to us. There's the coaching dynamic be- tween myself, Brent and Sean [Spencer], too. We'll have been together for our fifth year, and with Terry [Smith], it'll be our second year. It's really kind of unique. One of the writers a couple weeks ago called us "Ocean's Eleven." We all have a similar trait, but we also have a unique trait that makes us work within the framework of an organiza- tion. I think that's a good description of our defensive staff right there: "Ocean's Eleven." We all seem to make it work, and I think the players have bought into that piece. They see us interact with one another. Our consistency, our approach to things and our mentality – they buy into that. So, yes, all of the off-seasons are ex- citing, and Sandy Barbour and Coach Franklin were very generous. It's excit- ing to be back. I'm just excited to take the next step toward building another big-time defense. ■ 2 0 1 5 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W >> LETTERMEN RETURNING 21 DE Carl Nassib, Evan Schwan, Garrett Sickels DT Tarow Barney, Parker Cothren, Austin Johnson, Anthony Zettel LB Brandon Bell, Jason Cabinda, Jordan Dudas, Ben Kline (lettered in 2013), Von Walker, Nyeem Wartman, Gary Wooten CB Christian Campbell, Grant Haley, Trevor Williams SAF Marcus Allen, Troy Apke, Malik Golden, Jordan Lucas LETTERMEN LOST 10 DE Brad Bars, Deion Barnes, C.J. Olaniyan DT Tyrone Smith LB Drew Boyce, Mike Hull, T.J. Rhattigan SAF Adrian Amos, Jesse Della Valle, Ryan Keiser STARTERS RETURNING 7 >> Austin Johnson (13 starts in 2014), Anthony Zettel (13), Jordan Lucas (12), Nyeem Wartman (12), Trevor Williams (12), Brandon Bell (10), Marcus Allen (7) OTHERS WITH STARTING EXPERIENCE 6 >> Ben Kline (2 career starts), Jason Cabinda (1), Christian Campbell (1), Grant Haley (1), Von Walker (1), Gary Wooten (1) STARTERS LOST 4 >> Adrian Amos (13), Deion Barnes (13), Mike Hull (13), C.J. Olaniyan (13) 2014 STATISTICS POINTS/GAME 18.6 (1st Big Ten; 7th FBS) YDS/GAME 278.7 (1st; 2nd) RUSHING YDS/GAME 100.5 (2nd; 3rd) PASSING YDS/GAME 178.2 (3rd; 9th) PASS-EFFICIENCY DEF 101.14 (1st; 2nd) INT 16 (3rd; 15th-T) SACK 31 (6th; 45th)