As the offense was tasked to find a new coordinator, so to was the defense this season after former defensive coordinator Bob Shoop left for the Smoky Mountains and University of Tennessee. Head coach James Franklin promoted from within and named Brent Pry the new defensive coordinator for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The odds are stacked against Pry in what looks to be the weakest year for the defensive unit in recent history. Pry, an Altoona native, is tasked with replenishing a defensive line which lost three players to the NFL Draft in Austin Johnson (Tennessee Titans), Carl Nassib (Cleveland Browns) and Anthony Zettel (Detroit Lions).
While Pry might not have the horses up front like he has in the past, the first-year defensive coordinator will benefit from an experienced secondary and linebacker core this fall.
Penn State’s first real challenge will come in Week 2 when they travel to Pittsburgh and take on Pitt in a battle for Pennsylvania supremacy.
Let’s take a look at how the defensive position groups will look under Pry:
Secondary
At corner, the Nittany Lions have one of the more experienced groups on the team in 2016. Penn State returns four players who played a considerable amount in the 2015 season in Grant Haley, Amani Oruwariye, John Reid and Christian Campbell. The corners will also benefit from former running back Nick Scott coming to the defense and adding much needed depth to the corner positions.
Reid looks to be the breakout candidate among corners as the sophomore looks to one-up his freshman campaign, which saw him earn All-Big Ten Rookie Team honors.
At safety, Penn State returns both starters at free and strong safety and their backups for 2016. Marcus Allen started at free safety, while Malik Golden started at the strong safety position in 2015. Look for those two to continue their roles as starters but see Troy Apke and Koa Farmer get more reps as the season wears on. Both Apke and Farmer played considerably in 2015 with Apke getting the bulk of his time on the special teams units.
Linebackers
Penn State will forever be known for their ability to produce linebackers and put them in the NFL to have a considerable amount of success a la Sean Lee, Navarro Bowman and LaVar Arrington to name a few. This year’s edition of Linebacker U will see two seniors with potential NFL futures suit up for the Nittany Lions. Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman-White hope to hear their name called at the April NFL Draft, but until then, they remain anchors in a linebacker core that is made up primarily of upperclassmen.
Wartman-White’s 2015 season was derailed due to a season-ending injury suffered in the season-opener at Temple. Bell started in 11 games for the Nittany Lions recording 12.5 tackles for loss. The duo of Bell and Wartman-White look to hold down a defense that will be inexperienced at the defensive line position.
Jason Cabinda should return to the starting middle linebacker position for Pry’s defensive unit as he looks to return to 2015 form that saw him start all 13 games and receive Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore.
Defensive Line
The defensive line is by far the youngest group on the defensive side of the ball and will be forced to replace three linemen now in the NFL in Zettel, Nassib and Johnson.
Both Parker Cothren and Kevin Givens had stand out springs for Penn State as both look to be formidable players along the defensive front this fall.
Kevin Givens and Torrence Brown will be keys to Penn State's defensive line. What does their coach think? https://t.co/yxc2bkIWIT
— Frank Bodani (@YDRPennState) August 4, 2016
Givens may still be fairly raw, but come September, his presence will be known one way or another on the football field.
As far as Cothren, his leadership will be the most valuable asset he brings to the table this season.
Franklin: DL is a critical area for us. We lost 4 guys to the NFL. Parker Cothren's leadership is going to be critical for us.
— Kris Petersen (@GoPSUKris) August 4, 2016
On the outside of the line, Franklin, Pry and company will turn to redshirt junior Garrett Sickels for well-needed leadership and production. The defensive end has been a big brother of sorts to incoming freshman Shane Simmons, who could eventually lineup as the other defensive end this fall.
Sickels started in all but one game last season and contributed along with the three players in the NFL to be one of the nation’s best front four.
With Sickels providing veteran experience and leadership, as well as some of the other young players Penn State boasts on defense, Pry’s unit should rarely miss a beat even with the loss of Nassib, Zettel and Johnson.
The Nittany Lions welcome Kent State to Happy Valley for a 3 p.m. kick off, Saturday, Sept. 3.
