Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1445781
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Bowl that the team might be forced to play either King or Buddin, maybe both, against Arkansas. But after talking it over with the players and their parents, the staff kept them on the bench, thus pre- serving their freshman eligibility for 2022. With only one returning starter in Ja- cobs, who will be a junior next fall, the Lions will look very different at this po- sition group. QUOTABLE: Jacobs on Buddin and King: "Those guys are going to be special. They're going to be big for us coming up. They're playing a little faster. I noticed that, because I know with me last year, I wasn't playing that fast. I'm just trying to get them more comfortable and get their confidence up. From the end of this year to next year, someone is going to need to be that leader. It's just exciting to get put into that position now." SECONDARY KEY RETURNEES: CB: Jeffrey Davis Jr. (R-Fr.), Johnny Dixon (Sr.), Daequan Hardy (R-Jr.), Kalen King (So.), Joey Por- ter Jr. (R-Jr.), Zakee Wheatley (R-Fr.), Marquis Wilson (Sr.); S: Ji'Ayir Brown (Sr.+), Keaton Ellis (Sr.), Jaylen Reed (So.), Jonathan Sutherland (Sr.+) KEY LOSSES: CB: Tariq Castro- Fields, A.J. Lytton; S: Jaquan Brisker, Drew Hartlaub, Enzo Jennings, Tyler Rudolph NEWCOMERS: CB: Cam Miller (Fr.); S: Cristian Driver (Fr.), Mehki Flowers (Fr.), Tyrece Mills (Jr.), KJ Winston (Fr.) OUTLOOK: The Lions have lost a lot of experience in the defensive back- field. Between them, Castro-Fields and Brisker started 51 games for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has prioritized the second- ary in its recent recruiting efforts, and there's plenty of young talent waiting in the wings, along with a handful of vet- eran returnees like Brown, Sutherland and Porter who should help the Lions field one of the Big Ten's better pass defenses. The Nittany Lions allowed 199.8 yards per game through the air this past sea- son, ranking third in the Big Ten and 23rd in the FBS. They'll have two 13-game starters back, with Porter set for his red- shirt junior year and Brown back for his final season at safety after arriving from Lackawanna College in 2020. Both considered leaving early for the NFL, but you can understand why they returned. Brown is following in the footsteps of Brisker, his fellow Lackawanna alum who opted to return for one more season in 2021 and saw his draft stock improve. Porter has been hailed as an NFL pros- pect for a while now, but he had a bad habit of drawing pass-interference pen- alties last season, and all those yellow flags might raise some red flags among pro scouts. He's back, too, in the hope of reining in that tendency and using his third season as a starter to propel him into the league, where has father, Joey Porter Sr., played for 13 years. "I think the next step for him is to challenge those routes but also not put himself or the program at risk with some of the pass-interference penalties," Franklin said. "That's a fine line, because when you're aggressive and you're challeng- Senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown (No. 16) was tied for the national lead with six interceptions last season, including two picks in the Outback Bowl. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL