Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
Tom Pancoast – who can relieve that stress on Mike this fall." DEFENSIVE END One of the strengths of Penn State's defense last season was that it was able to deploy 8ve- and six-man rotations at defensive tackle and defen- sive end. With the departure of Garrett Sickels and Evan Schwan, one couldn't help but wonder if Penn State would be able to put a solid 8ve- or six-man rota- tion on the 8eld at defensive end this fall. Those two players totaled 21 tackles for loss and 12 sacks a year ago. That's why the emergence of redshirt freshmen Shane Simmons, Shaka Toney and Daniel Joseph was so important this spring. Simmons, Toney and Joseph have the potential to combine with red- shirt sophomores Shareef Miller and Ryan Buchholz and redshirt junior Tor- rence Brown to give Penn State a solid six-man rotation at defensive end. This group might turn out to be the equal of last year's. Miller appears to be on the verge of having a breakout season at the strong- side defensive end spot. He totaled 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as a fresh- man and had four solo tackles including two sacks in the Blue-White Game. At 6-5, 261 pounds, Miller has the potential to become a leader on Penn State's de- fensive line. LINEBACKER Everyone knows that depth has been a concern at all three po- sitions. Even if projected starters Jason Cabinda, Manny Bowen and Koa Farmer remain healthy for the entire 2017 sea- son, they'll need to come o9 the 8eld from time to time. Senior Brandon Smith backs up Cabinda in the middle, with sophomore Cam Brown projected to back up Bowen at Will OLB and red- shirt sophomore Jarvis Miller behind Farmer at the Sam OLB spot. The development of Farmer, Brown and Miller this spring was critical. In- deed, their collective performance was one of the best pieces of news to come out of the team's o9-season drills. "I think Koa Farmer has been a real pleasant surprise for us this spring," Franklin said. "We knew he had it in him. It was just a question of when that light was going to go on for him, and it has come on. I think he has a very bright fu- ture for us." Farmer stands 6-1, 239 pounds and still turns in consistent 4.4-second 40- yard times. Brown has added about 20 pounds and was up to 224 in the spring, while Miller is listed at 6-2, 220, having added close to 25 pounds since arriving at Penn State. Despite packing on more weight, those players might just provide Penn State with the fastest OLB corps it has ever had. Farmer, Brown, Bowen and Miller have all topped 4.55 seconds in the 40. DEFENSIVE BACK One other area on defense where Penn State showed tremendous improvement this spring was at the strong safety position. The Lions need to replace Malik Golden, who had an excellent 2016 season, 8nishing as Penn State's fourth-leading tackler with 75 stops. The player in spring prac- tice who stepped forward was redshirt sophomore Ayron Monroe. One of the stars of the Blue-White Game, Monroe totaled 8ve tackles, one pass breakup and an interception, which he returned nearly 40 yards. He will battle senior Troy Apke and redshirt junior Nick Scott in preseason practice for the starting spot. Two other defensive backs who made strides in the spring were redshirt fresh- man cornerback T.J. Johnson and Janu- ary enrollee Lamont Wade. Johnson was the biggest surprise of the Blue-White Game, totaling 8ve tackles and an inter- ception, while Wade led all members of the secondary with four interceptions in spring practice. Given the progress that Penn State's secondary made in the spring, it's possi- ble that the loss of standout cornerback John Reid to a potentially season-ending injury won't be as devastating as was 8rst thought. Maybe with the develop- ment of their rising stars, the Nittany Lions will 8nd themselves in position to challenge Ohio State and Michigan for the top position in the Big Ten East Divi- sion this fall. And maybe the 2017 season will end up being just as memorable as the one that preceded it. ■