Penn State Sports Magazine
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said. "He's very vocal and he's a great leader. If everything is not in line the way he wants it, he makes sure it gets there." His effort on the field helps reinforce his message. In Penn State's run to the 2016 Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl – during which Cabinda missed five early games due to a hand injury – he averaged more tackles (9.0 per game) than anyone on the defense. Dating back to his sophomore season, when he led the team with 100 total stops, Cabinda has tallied eight or more tackles in 11 of the past 13 games he's played. As he sees it, though, there's still plenty of room for improvement. In practice and during film work he has been focused on particular portions of his skill set. One of his goals has been to quicken his play recogni- tion and to improve his footwork in order to become more effective in one-on-one tackling situations. He is also working to increase his range in pass defense. As a guide, he's pulled out the game film of predecessors such as NaVorro Bow- man, Gerald Hodges and Sean Lee, all of whom achieved NFL stardom after their Penn State careers were over. He's paid specific attention, he said, to how "they have no wasted footwork, no wasted mo- ments, stuff like that, getting good leads, plays in space and one-on-one tackling in space. All those kinds of things are my focus and things that I can bring into next season." He's also watched a number of players with no Penn State connections. Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis of the Car- olina Panthers have been regularly on his screen. "All really good players who are very productive in the NFL and do a lot of good things that I hope I can take from their game and implement into mine," Cabinda said. If he's able to build upon those qualities, focusing largely on his own progress, he hopes his efforts rub off on the rest of his team – not only the newcomers, but ex- perienced veterans as well. "It's one thing to talk the talk. You have to walk it, too," he said. "Doing the right things at all times [is important], being a guy who your coaches can look at [as an example for] younger guys, whether it's athletically on the field, whether that's academically, socially, all those things." Teammates have noticed his leadership style take effect. "I think Jason is a guy that everybody on the defense can look up to and that we can depend on," Brown said. "He has gained a lot more confidence, and I feel that has carried over to the field. He's one of those guys that we know we can depend on whenever we need him." Younger linebackers also appreciate Cabinda's presence in the meeting room and in the huddle and credit him with helping accelerate their growth. "He's an outstanding leader and team- mate," sophomore linebacker Cam Brown said. "He's somebody you can look to- ward in film study, for work after practice, for anything – work during practice, any- thing. Jason is definitely going to play a big role." Personally, Cabinda is hoping it's an even bigger role than last year, when he was a critical cog in a defense that helped lead Penn State to its best season in nearly a decade. "A season for the ages," Cabinda called it. "It's kind of hard to truly under- stand how big of a deal it was. It's proba- bly something that we won't be able to truly understand until maybe years later." He's not resting on the accomplish- ment, waiting on the realization to hit. No, that's not Cabinda's style. Opting to come back for his senior sea- son – he announced via Twitter just be- fore the Rose Bowl that he intended to complete his eligibility before trying his hand in the pros – he's aiming to lead his squad to even greater heights this season. One key to that effort is an attempt to emulate what made last season so special. It wasn't just about the X's and O's, the emergence of a high-powered offense led by a new coordinator, a nifty quarterback and a Heisman-caliber running back. What went into it as well, Cabinda be- lieves, was a determined underdog ap- proach, a chip on the team's collective shoulder that drove its players week in and week out. When many counted out the Nittany Lions after a 2-2 start that included a 39- point shellacking in Ann Arbor, Mich., when many counted them out after they fell behind Minnesota by 10 points the following week, when many thought it was all over once they allowed Wisconsin to build a three-touchdown lead in the P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> NITTANY NATION Cabinda greets fans following Penn State's 24-21 victory over Ohio State last season. The veteran linebacker had 13 tackles in his return to action after miss- ing five games with a hand injury. Photo by Steve Manuel