Blue White Illustrated

starting lineup of Bell at the Sam posi- tion, Wartman-White in the middle and Cabinda at Will has real potential. But if this starting threesome isn't able to stay healthy, Penn State will have big prob- lems at linebacker in the fall. SECONDARY SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS Malik Golden (6-0, 205, Sr.), Troy Apke (6-1, 205, Jr.), Marcus Allen (6-2, 208, Jr.), Christian Campbell (6-1, 191, Jr.), Grant Haley (5-9, 184, Jr.), Koa Farmer (6-1, 223, R-So.), Nick Scott (5-11, 195, R- So.), Amani Oruwariye (6-1, 204, R- So.), John Reid (5-10, 188, So.), Jarvis Miller (6-2, 201, R-Fr.), Ayron Monroe (5-11, 202, R-Fr.), John Petrishen (6-0, 207, R-Fr.), Garrett Taylor (6-0, 196, R- Fr.) OUTLOOK Even with the graduation of Trevor Williams, Penn State has the potential to be better at both corner- back positions than it was last season. Reid will most likely replace Williams at the 9eld cornerback spot. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman, starting the 9rst two in place of the injured Ha- ley. He led Penn State with two inter- ceptions and posted 33 tackles including three tackles for loss. The area Reid needs to improve the most is in run sup- port. Haley returns as the starter at the boundary cornerback position. He had 42 tackles last season and was tied with Reid for the team lead in interceptions with two. Haley has the best man-to- man coverage skills on the team and is one of the fastest players on the Lions' roster. Backing up Reid and Haley in spring practice will be Campbell, Oruwariye and Taylor. Campbell saw action in 10 games in 2014, mostly on special teams, but he participated in only eight games last fall due to several nagging injuries. Campbell totaled 16 tackles and broke up two passes in 2015. Oruwariye played in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman last season, totaling five tackles. It will be interesting to see what Taylor is able to do in spring practice. Rated by Rivals.com as one of the top 10 corner- back prospects in the nation coming out of high school in 2015, he sat out his 9rst college season while recovering from an ACL injury he su:ered during his senior year at St. Christopher's High in Rich- mond, Va. Taylor and Campbell can play both the 9eld and boundary cornerback posi- tions. Oruwariye is a boundary corner- back who is physically capable of play- ing free safety. Allen returns at free safety, where he started as a freshman and sophomore. He was Penn State's second-leading tackler last season with 81 stops, in- cluding five tackles for loss and a sack. Golden is the projected starter at strong safety, replacing Jordan Lucas. He played in all 13 games last season with four starts and finished with 40 tackles. Depth at the safety positions will be provided by Apke, Miller, Monroe, Petr- ishen, Scott (who was recently moved from running back to the secondary) and possibly Farmer. Since arriving at Penn State two years ago, Farmer has moved back and forth between the strong safety and Sam outside line- backer positions. Miller, Monroe and Petrishen were all redshirted as fresh- men last fall. Penn State appears to have quality starters in Haley and Reid at cornerback, with Campbell, Oruwariye and Taylor supplying excellent depth. Allen has All-Big Ten potential at free safety, while Golden and Apke have solid game experience at strong safety. One final note regarding the second- ary: It's possible that Farmer and/or Miller will get some reps at outside linebacker this spring. But even if one or both players were to be moved to the linebacker corps, the secondary has a chance to establish itself as one of the biggest strengths on Penn State's de- fense. Allen needs to overcome a dis- appointing sophomore season, while Reid and Haley need to take the next step in their development. If that hap- pens, the Lions will be in good shape here. ■

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