Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
P R E V I E W KEY PERSONNEL DE: Torrence Brown, Ryan Buchholz, Kamonte Carter, Curtis Cothran, Kevin Givens, Shareef Miller, Carl Nassib, Evan Schwan, Garrett Sickels; DT: Tarow Barney, Parker Cothren, Austin John- son*, Antoine White, Robert Windsor, Anthony Zettel* LOSSES DE: Brad Bars, Deion Barnes*, C.J. Olaniyan* RISING STAR The consensus pick – from coaches, teammates and media – for this category would undoubtedly be Nassib, despite being a fifth-year senior. Nassib is what defensive coor- dinator Bob Shoop calls "a late bloomer." He arrived on campus four years ago as a wiry 6-foot-5, 218- pound walk-on from Malvern, Pa. He now stands 6-7 and weighs 270-plus pounds, and with a strong final sea- son, some believe a professional fu- ture may lie ahead. After spending the past two seasons as a situational con- tributor with only two career sacks, Nassib turned heads this spring and set himself up to be a full-time starter. BIGGEST LOSS From the opener in Dublin to the season finale in New York, Barnes and Olaniyan started all 13 games at defensive end in 2014 and racked up 43 and 44 tackles, respec- tively. Although Barnes doubled Olaniyan's sack total with six, they were equal in terms of consistent con- tributions to the defense. Replacing both ends is never an easy task, but PSU appears to have the up-and- coming talent on hand to help smooth the transition. NUMBERS GAME Zettel tied for the team lead a year ago with three inter- ceptions, and no one had more INT return yards (52) than the 280-pound defensive tackle. A native of West Branch, Mich., Zettel now has four ca- reer picks, three of which have come against Michigan and Michigan State. Additionally, he ranks 15th in school history with 16 career sacks. And like Barnes and Olaniyan, Zettel and fellow tackle Johnson started every game in 2014, combining for 26 total starts. OUTLOOK Despite losing two starters, the cupboard is far from bare at defensive end. Nassib and Sickels – the latter was a four-star Army All- American – are projected to fill in as starters, while Brown, Cothran and Schwan proved throughout the spring that they're capable of handling an ex- panded role. It's likely that most of the true freshmen on the defensive line will redshirt, but if there's one who is built to make an impact, it's Buchholz. He might simply prove to be too pow- erful and athletic to keep off the field. Stalwarts like Johnson and Zettel re- turning in the middle should make life much easier for whoever is playing on the outside. The key at defensive tack- le, however, is developing depth. If healthy, Barney is a viable backup, but since he has only one remaining year of eligibility, PSU needs youngsters like Cothren and White to step up, espe- cially for the long-term stability of this position. – T.O. >> END NO NAME YR HT WT 95 Carl Nassib Sr. 6-7 270 52 Curtis Cothran R-So. 6-5 258 94 Evan Schwan R-Jr. 6-6 258 3-TECHNIQUE TACKLE 98 Anthony Zettel Sr. 6-4 280 41 Parker Cothren R-So. 6-5 292 1-TECHNIQUE TACKLE 99 Austin Johnson R-Jr. 6-4 325 91 Tarow Barney Sr. 6-1 310 END 90 Garrett Sickels R-So. 6-4 262 19 Torrence Brown R-Fr. 6-3 256 * Starting experience in 2014 Johnson is more subdued than Zettel, and he plays a position – the one-tech- nique tackle spot – that affords him fewer opportunities to amass big numbers. But Penn State's coaching staff is quick to note that the defensive line's success is a team effort. Said Franklin, "A.J. and Zettel have shown that not only are they two of the better guys in the country, but they complement each other so well. You've got one massive guy who runs better than people realize and is just so powerful at the point of attack, and then you have the other guy who is just so disruptive and quick. They complement each other really, really well." They've been friends since Johnson joined Zettel at Penn State in 2012, and they have developed an easygoing chem- istry over the past three years. Asked to throw an arm around each other for a "candid" photograph to be featured with PHIL'S TAKE I'm convinced that Penn State's defensive line has the poten- tial to be better than it was last fall. Johnson and Zettel give PSU the Big Ten's best defensive tackle tandem. If Nassib and Sickels can adequately replace Barnes and Olaniyan, and Cothran, Schwan and Brown are able to supply quality depth, this defense can match its stellar performance of 2014. SEE TACKLES, PAGE 93