Blue White Illustrated

F A S T F O R W A R D > > A N E A R L Y L O O K the defensive scheme while being able to be mentored by some older players that [had] a lot of success." Elsewhere, however, the Lions will need a thorough makeover. Cothren and White project as the starters at defensive tackle simply because they're the only returning players with any experience. Cothren played in all 13 games this past season, while White saw action in 10. At about 300 pounds apiece, they meet the physi- cal specifications. But they're stepping into some very big shoes, and they won't have a lot of backup because the Nittany Lions' 2015 recruiting class did not in- clude many interior linemen and the 2016 class has suffered a significant setback. Of the DTs they have brought in re- cently, Windsor is probably the most likely to have an impact this coming sea- son. He could have played last year if the Lions had needed him, assistant coach Sean Spencer said. They'll definitely need him this fall. The coaches have also talked about switching Buchholtz from end to tackle, a move that Zettel successfully made two years ago. But the redshirt freshman was listed at 254 pounds on Penn State's TaxSlayer Bowl roster. If that weight is accurate, he would have to bulk up sub- stantially before he could see action at the three-technique tackle spot. That might be an option in 2017, but he ap- pears more likely to make his debut at defensive end. Carter, a four-star defensive end prospect in the Class of 2015, will almost certainly have to see playing time in the middle. Spencer said he was up to 284 pounds last August, and he's presum- ably not done growing. The Nittany Lions appeared poised to welcome a potential impact freshman this year in Karamo Dioubate. A four- star prospect from Prep Charter in Philadelphia, Dioubate was the highest- rated defensive lineman in Penn State's 2016 recruiting class after committing in August. But he recanted that commit- ment in early January, and his change of heart had the coaches scrambling to find someone else to fill in at a position of ex- treme need. Whether they're able to sign a prospect with the potential to see ac- tion in 2016 is an open question. Penn State appears much better posi- tioned to absorb the loss of Nassib. Brown played in all 13 games during his redshirt freshman season and saw sub- stantial action in November when Sick- els and Nassib went down with injuries. Cothran also played in every game, while Schwan missed only the Army game. The Lions are also set to receive a big in- fusion of young talent. Buchholz was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2015, while Simmons, an incoming freshman, has received the same designation from Rivals.com. With Nassib gone, Penn State probably won't finish second in the nation in sacks again this year, but the future appears very bright at this position. It's the de- fensive tackle spots that raise concerns. An injury here would be devastating. LINEBACKER KEY RETURNEES ILB: Jason Cabinda, Jake Cooper, Nyeem Wartman-White; OLB: Brandon Bell, Manny Bowen, Von Walker KEY LOSSES ILB: Ben Kline, Gary Wooten Jr.; OLB: Matthew Baney, Troy Reeder NEWCOMERS Cameron Brown, Aaron Mathews, Shaka Toney OUTLOOK A few months ago, Brent Pry was pleased with the depth that Penn State was developing at this posi- tion group. Said Pry, who will continue to coach the linebackers in 2016 as he assumes new responsibilities as the Li- ons' defensive coordinator, "We're cer- tainly going to be in a great situation. We're going to have a lot of depth. We're going to have a lot of quality guys with experience." It might still be a great situation, but it's not quite as great as anticipated fol- lowing Reeder's decision earlier this month to transfer to Delaware. On the heels of a redshirt freshman season in which he started 11 games and finished fourth on the team with 67 tackles,

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