Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/557480
enough. And as good as our defense plays, if we can add that aspect of get- ting more turnovers, that's not only going to help our defense by getting them off the field and dropping the play count of the offense, but it's also going to create opportunities for our defense to score or to put our offense in better field position." Despite returning an abundance of players, including three starters in Lu- cas, senior cornerback Trevor Williams and sophomore free safety Marcus Allen, the secondary will look different this year. Lucas's move to safety has opened up a vacancy at cor- nerback that will most likely be filled by sophomore Grant Haley. The front seven has also undergone significant changes that will impact the second- ary, and as defensive coordinator Bob Shoop noted prior to the start of pre- season practice, "Every unit takes on its own identity. … This isn't the 2014 Penn State defense. It's not the 2016 defense. It's the 2015 defense, and this identity is ever-evolving. "The thing that is non-negotiable, though, is that we're always going to be in your face. The defense itself is built on relentless pursuit and never- ending pressure, and we're going to try to challenge you every route. We feel like what we do have are guys on the perimeter in Trevor Williams and Grant Haley who are fast and can cov- er well. I think moving Jordan Lucas to safety put a guy who can match up with slot receivers there, and like Adrian [Amos], we're going to move him around. You'll see him at strong safety, you'll see him at the star or the nickel, you'll see him at the dime. We've done some things with Marcus, putting him in some dime positions. Shoop said he was pleased with the team's depth at cornerback, telling re- porters, "You guys are going to be re- ally excited this camp watching Chris- tian Campbell and Amani Oruwariye, and the two freshmen are really going to push those guys. They're nipping at their heels. I think everybody is excit- ed to watch John Reid and Garrett Taylor get out there." 2 0 1 5 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L C hristian Hackenberg wants no part of any discussions concerning his pro- fessional future or when he might enter the NFL Draft. Not right now, anyway. In a prepared statement that served as an opening to his 2015 preseason news conference in the Beaver Stadium media room, the junior quarterback squashed any inquiries before they could even be asked. "I respect that all of you guys have a job to do, but I also have a job to do and that's to lead this Penn State football team," he said. "That being said, I would ask for you to respect the job that I have to do and please refrain from asking any ques- tions regarding my future beyond this season. I'm strictly focused on making this Penn State football team the best team we can be." This off-season, however, he has done |