Up For Grabs: Penn State’s Unsettled Position Battles Entering Spring Practice

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Quick off-season recap for those of you who live off the grid but somehow manage to read this blog…North Carolina DB Storm Duck waddled his way to Happy Valley. As of this typing, Penn State still hasn’t hired a defensive line coach. And Kent State WR Dante Cephas (a Pittsburgh native) chose Penn State over Pitt in the transfer portal this winter — yet another knife in the back for Panthers fans who insist they’re on the same level as the Nittany Lions.

Our hearts certainly go out to them in this trying time.

Alright, enough with the punching down. At the risk of counting unhatched chickens, in 2023 Penn State should field one of the most loaded teams (if not THE™ most loaded team) in the James Franklin era. Talent wins games, sure, but depth captures banners. At least that’s what we’ve told ourselves to justify this blog post. Therefore, let’s take a look at some of the unanswered questions on this year’s depth chart as the spring practice schedule begins on Tuesday.

WR 3

The aforementioned Cephas is more quick than fast but his nuanced route-running makes him a prototypical X-receiver. KeAndre Lambert-Smith fits best in the slot; Parker Washington’s exodus opens the door for an increased role there. I feel safe assuming those guys will be 1 & 2 in targets this year. But who will be Drew Allar’s third option?

Harrison “Trey” Wallace is the only other returning receiver who made significant contributions last year. He led the team in drop share (20% of his targets) so that will need to be cleaned up to hold off leapfrogs.

The guy most likely to do that is the other transfer: Malik McClain from Florida State. He’s a strong hands-catcher with what engineers refer to as “oh-bleep” speed (I can say that, I was a ME major for two-and-a-half semesters). Pair that with his 6’4” frame and you couldn’t design a better Z-receiver if Michelangelo chiseled him from marble.

TE 3

Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson are both 6’6” and 250+; Coach Franklin certainly has a “type.” Khalil Dinkins is a dash smaller but this is his job to lose. The third TE isn’t going to get a ton of targets (barring injury) so we’re looking for a plus blocker here. Dinkins can set an edge in the run game; I’m sure his lower center of gravity is a big part of that.

Mathias “Mega” Barnwell – the 6’6”, four-star true freshman – will eventually become Drew Allar’s best friend. He’ll be a fan favorite, too, once they see those one-handed catches he put all over his high school tape. He could see work immediately in the red zone but this team has a glut of weapons; don’t burn his redshirt if you don’t have to.

1-Tech DT

The job of a 1-tech is less pass rushing or run stuffing and more to occupy blockers — usually multiple linemen – in order to keep linebackers clean. PJ Mustipher’s departure leaves, in my opinion, the biggest hole on this roster, right in the teeth of the defense.

Dvon Ellies wasn’t ready to fill in when Mustipher went down in 2021 and his performance in  2022 didn’t inspire a ton of confidence, either. Coziah Izzard (my pick) is a nice penetrator, and have you seen Jordan van den Berg lift? Problem is all three of these guys weigh between 20-30 pounds less per man than PJ.

If you’re as sick of getting bullied inside as I am, you might want to root for 315-pound Kaleb Artis to fight his way into the mix. It’s foolish to expect him to leap into a starting role after playing only three snaps in 2022, but he could be a valuable chess piece against the Michigans of the world that want to out-body you. By my count, Penn State allowed conversions on 6 of 7 QB sneaks in 2022; they need beef to plug up those lanes.

DE 3

Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac should be one of the best DE tandems in the country — certainly the B1G — but who’s the first guy off the bench?

This one should be obvious: Dani Dennis-Sutton registered 21 pressures in his true-freshman season — a 17.4% pressure rate. That figure was eclipsed only by Chop whose 91.6 pass rushing grade led all Power Five DEs. Rarefied air…and did I mention he was a TRUE FRESHMAN?

I’d be remiss, however, if I didn’t remind you Amin Vanover put up 15 pressures, three batted passes and a respectable 5.9% missed tackle rate in 2022. Smith Vilbert tallied three sacks in the Outback Bowl last year (yes, that was just a year ago) and Zuriah Fisher was supposed to miss all of 2022 but fought his way back by Week 11. This is easily the deepest position group on the team.

MLB

Penn State has a bit of a hole in between All-Everything WILL Abdul Carter and SAM Curtis Jacobs. Kobe King was projected to be the MIKE of the future but he wasn’t able to unseat Tyler Elsdon in the heart of the defense. I think this is the year that changes.

While both guys were fairly pedestrian as run defenders last year, King has a clear edge in pass coverage – possessing the athleticism and flexibility to flip his hips and play backwards as opposed to strictly coming downhill. He’s also a better tackler; Elsdon’s three missed tackles in the Rose Bowl left a sour taste in our mouths. If this team goes the distance with the King twins playing prominent roles, Disney will be producing a movie based on their life stories someday.