Blue White Illustrated

games I was playing that I was a little hesitant," Cabinda said. In the weeks following the injury, he studied film of Hull with Wartman-White by his side and steadily began to develop some semblance of comfort. "It's just a whole lot more to digest, and you've got to get the trust of the guys around you because you're making calls. You're making checks and you're doing all that stuff. To be doing it as a true sophomore, it's dif- ferent. "It takes some time, and I think that's something where this year I was able to get the trust of my teammates and kind of embrace that role. They've obviously helped me out a ton, especially guys like Brandon Bell and Troy Reeder and Ny- eem. They've helped me out so much to learn the role and succeed." Looking back on the season, Cabinda sees many areas where he can improve, but his success given the circumstances was undeniable. Finishing the regular season with a team-high 100 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, an intercep- tion, a forced fumble and a handful of passes defended and broken up, he was a stabilizing force in a banged-up line- backing crew. That his own replacement – the red- shirt freshman Reeder – had even less experience than he did complicated matters even further. But the adverse circumstances didn't diminish Cabin- da's optimism. "That's just how our game is. With in- juries and all those kinds of things, you're always constantly hit with adver- sity. It's always [a question of] how are you going to respond to these situa- tions?" he said. "I think this year, that's really what it was about, guys stepping up. … This guy goes down with an in- jury, the second man comes in and plays well. "I think we did that all year. All across the board, on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball, we were able to do that. I think that's really what this season was about, learning how important it is for guys to step up when other guys go down." Cabinda's approach will be no less ap- plicable when the Nittany Lions take the field this spring and, eventually, for the 2016 season. With the recent transfers of Reeder and senior-to-be Gary Wooten, the Lions' contingent of pure linebackers has been reduced to five – one of whom is coming back from a seri- ous knee injury. The changes have forced Cabinda to be prepared for a number of contingencies. He could end up playing again on the inside, a spot at which he says he now feels "very com- fortable," but he could also end up at his former weakside position. Either way, he said he's confident that he'll be ready. "Obviously it's something that I've thought about," he said. "When the time comes, that's when we'll shift things around or whatever it may be. It's going to be a great competition, though, ab- solutely." ■ F A S T F O R W A R D > > A N E A R L Y L O O K Penn State lost one of its rising stars, along with two defensive reserves, in a wave of transfers that took place in mid- January. Some of the departures were not sur- prising, but one caught Nittany Lion followers off-guard. Linebacker Troy Reeder had seemed as though he was headed for a fine career after starting 11 games last fall as a redshirt freshman. But on Jan. 12, the Wilmington, Del., na- tive announced that he will be moving back to his home state to play for the University of Delaware. Because the Blue Hens compete in the Football Champi- onship Subdivision, he will be able to play immediately. Reeder's younger brother, Colby, a two-star prospect in the Class of 2016, recently gave a verbal commitment to play for the Blue Hens next year. Their father, Dan Reeder, was also a standout at Delaware in the early 1980s. The de- sire to be closer to home while playing alongside his brother at his father's alma mater played into the decision. "I am and always will be proud of my past," Troy Reeder wrote in a prepared statement. "I hope Nittany Nation feels that I represented them well in my time there and hope they know I gave it my all for them not just every Saturday but in all that I did in my time there on and off the field. Ultimately, life is too short to not do what makes you happy." A 6-foot-1, 236-pound Will linebacker, Reeder took on an expanded role in the wake of multiple injuries this past season, playing in 13 games and starting 11. He finished fourth on the team in tackles with 67, including 5.5 tackles for loss. Among the teammates who reached out to him on Twitter following the an- nouncement of his departure was grad- uating offensive lineman Angelo Man- giro. "It's hard to see you go, brother," Mangiro tweeted. "You're one hell of a football player, but I've learned this past season, you're a better person." The Lions lost another linebacker when backup Gary Wooten announced that he was going to play his final season at Duquesne. Wooten, who received his bachelor's degree in December, saw ac- tion in 24 games in three seasons at Penn State, earning his first career start in the 2014 regular-season finale against Michigan State. A native of Miami, Wooten finished his PSU career with 25 total tackles. Redshirt freshman cornerback Daquan Worley is also expected to move on. A three-star prospect from Coatesville, Pa., he belonged to Penn State's Class of 2014 and saw spot duty in five games this past season. It was not known as of mid-January which schools Worley was considering as he explored his transfer options. –TIM OWEN Transfers erode Penn State's defensive depth

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