Blue White Illustrated

T H E 2 0 1 5 S E A S O N friends, it happens. That's life. I had a lot of growing up to do. And it's crazy. You never really know how much you've grown up until you've grown up." Across the board, Nittany Lion players and coaches say they have seen Lucas's evolution firsthand. They've seen him grow increasingly assertive, not just in the secondary but throughout the defense. Teammate Nyeem Wartman-White said that Lucas's strong opinions – and his confidence in sharing them – are central to the unique brand of leadership he brings to the team daily. The junior linebacker, whose season-ending injury against Tem- ple deprived the team of a proven on- field leader, said Lucas provides a powerful voice. "He's not afraid to let a guy know, 'All right, you've got to pick it up,' " Wart- man-White said. "We call it confrontation. He's comfortable having a confrontation with you, as long as it's for the good of his teammates and the team. "Jordan is not one of those guys who holds back. He's a great leader for us. He's one of those guys who can go out there and you know what you're going to get from him." That may be true, but Lucas did have one surprise in store for Penn State fol- lowers when he donned Wartman-White's jersey No. 5 against Rutgers in honor of his injured teammate. He plans to wear the jersey for the rest of the season. "I came in with Nyeem, and we've seen each other grow as football players and as individuals," Lucas said. "He really means a lot to me. He's been my roommate since sophomore year. It hurts that he's not going to be out there playing with me for my final season. That's why I think it's the right thing for me to wear his jersey." As the end of Lucas's college career ap- proaches, he hopes the decision-makers in the NFL will be able to say the same when the time comes. He readily acknowledges that he has every intention of playing professional football and is fixated on being the player his coaches want him to be, being the leader he knows he needs to be, and putting himself and his Nittany Lion teammates into all of the right positions to build on the success they experienced in 2014. To show that he has value, he's played a variety of positions, from safety to nickel and cornerback, even special teams. But getting to where he ultimately aims to be is about more than just putting an im- pressive product on the field. It's every- thing, he says. Lucas need not look far to remind him- self. On a torso that is covered with ink, Lucas finds reminders and inspiration over nearly every inch of his body. One tattoo, located on the inside of his left wrist, stands out. It resembles the NFL's shield logo, but in place of those familiar initials is a Bible verse. "That's something that means a lot to me, to where I want to go with this. Football is my vehicle for many things," Lucas said. "I just want to be the best all-around player I can be for this team and the best individual I can be outside of this team, being Jordan Lucas." Determined to be the best version of himself yet, he recites the verse – Philip- pians 4:13 – by heart: "I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me," he says. "I feel like I can." ■ P enn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith talked per- sonnel a few days before the Nittany Lions' home opener against Buffalo. Below are his thoughts on John Reid's emergence as an impact freshman and the loss of Grant Haley, a projected starter who missed Penn State's first two games. ON JOHN REID He's a really smart kid. He picked up the system really quickly. He's a driven and competitive kid. He competes at a high level. He came from a big- time high school program in St. Joe's Prep. He's used to competing at a high level. His skill set is really good. He's going to continue to get better for us with each rep he takes on the field. ON GRANT HALEY Grant is clearly one of our better corners on the team. … He brings some experience. He brings us some speed, athleticism and com- petitiveness. He's one of our smarter players on the defense, as well. We really miss him. He gives us added depth to the numbers that we have at the corner position right now. He's clearly one of the better guys at that position. We need his presence and experience on the field. ON REBOUNDING FROM THE TEAM'S SLOW START We've had an em- phasis on communication. We've done a really good job with that. We have some younger players who are in there getting more reps than they did [prior to the Temple game]. And I thought practice was really good. … We are moving forward. ON THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION The thing that makes our defense go is the communication. We have to have 11 guys on the same page playing the same defense. Oftentimes when you are in big stadiums, you can't Smith emphasizes good communication TERRY SMITH

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