Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
2 0 1 6 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L MAN IN THE MIDDLE Parker Cothren prepares to step into a bigger role on the defensive line CROWD CONTROL Cothren fights through blockers during Penn State's game at North- western last season. Photo by Steve Manuel P arker Cothren was home watching TV when the phone rang. On the line was one of the organizers of his pee- wee basketball league, asking what number he wanted to wear for the upcoming sea- son. Cothren glanced over at the TV. It was tuned, as it often was in those days, to channel 41: the Cartoon Network. "Forty-one," he told the organizer. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it's turned out to have a lot of staying power. With a handful of exceptions, Cothren has worn the number ever since, even at Penn State, where it makes him something of a standout on a defensive line populated largely by guys wearing numbers in the 90s. A walk-on fullback had been wearing it previously, but that player graduated prior to Cothren's arrival. "So it worked out really well," he said. "It's been my go-to number since little league." If all goes well, that number won't be the only reason fans notice him this fall. A 6-foot-4, 300-pound redshirt junior, Cothren is poised to succeed Austin Johnson as the team's starting one-technique de- fensive tackle this fall. Although he was held out of spring practice after undergoing an unspecified surgical procedure, he's been cited by the coaching staff as a key player in an extensively overhauled defensive front. "He's a 300-pound guy who has some experience," defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. "We feel very good about him." With Johnson and fellow tackle Anthony Zettel both having been taken in the NFL Draft, the Lions don't have much experience returning at nose tackle. Converted defensive end Curtis Cothran "can be a 300-pound guy," Pry said during the spring, but on Penn State's most recent roster, he was listed at 280. Robert Windsor will be a red- shirt freshman this coming fall, and new- comers Brenon Thrift and Tyrell Chavis are making the jump from junior college to D E F E N S I V E L I N E M E N |