Blue White Illustrated

A P R I L 1 3 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 How quickly roles can change. Once a true freshman starter, Grant Haley is approaching his junior season at Penn State and is now one of the veteran leaders of a defensive unit that is aiming to replace almost half of last year's starters. At cornerback, especially, Haley is as- suming a role at the forefront of the po- sition, having seen the field more o@en than any of his position-mates. But that doesn't mean it's an in- experienced group. In fact, four other CBs have played at times throughout their career. Chris- tian Campbell missed much of his sophomore season due to injury, a@er starting once as a true freshman, but he's practic- ing again in full this spring, while Garrett Taylor, who redshirted as a true fresh- man, is also seeing an expanded role. With Haley in charge, in addition to a bona fide supporting cast, the corner- backs are settling in nicely this spring, despite losing starter Trevor Williams to graduation. "I think [with] having Christian back and having him being healthy and then people getting their feet wet last year and coming off redshirts, everyone is just comfortable," Haley said. "We know the system a@er almost our third year playing in this defensive system. Now everyone is more comfortable and now they can just play fast. We're making each other better, trying to make our offense better and just continuing to get better as well." Further bolstering the CB lineup this spring is Taylor, a Virginia native who suffered a severe knee injury in high school. He was held out last year as he completed his rehabilitation and ad- justed to college-level competition. Now Haley is beginning to see Taylor, too, adjusting in time to fill a role as a key cog in PSU's rotation of defensive backs. "I think Garrett has looked really good," Haley said. "He came in with a little trouble with his knee, but he has gotten stronger and has gotten faster. He had a great winter and now he's having a great spring." While Taylor redshirted last year, class- mate John Reid saw the field right away, starting the opener vs. Temple in place of the injured Haley. With a full year under his belt, Reid has picked up where he le@ off and then some, Haley said, due to some defensive packages that are built around his skill set. "I think John is playing extremely con- fident right now," Haley said. "Very com- fortable. He had a good lead year last year and he's just excited for this year. He can play fast now. We're getting some calls in that he loves playing. He loves playing man, so we're playing little bit of man out there." In addition to the five experienced cor- nerbacks and Taylor, another athlete has been added to the mix this spring. For- merly a running back and special teams standout, Nick Scott has been practicing with the defensive backs as of late and could play either cornerback or safety in the fall. As he's made the switch from offense to defense, Scott has focused on his DB technique, staying a@er practice with Haley, Reid and some other defensive backs to polish his cra@. "It's hard to make the transition to the defense," Haley said, "but he's an athletic TWO OF A KIND Reid and Haley head back to the locker room after one of Penn State's spring practice sessions earlier this month. The two are projected to be PSU's starting corner- backs this fall. Photo by Steve Manuel Last line of defense Haley touts Nittany Lions' burgeoning depth in defensive backfield T I M   O W E N   | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M

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