An underclassman Penn State defensive player has made a position switch. DaKaari Nelson, who played safety throughout his true freshman season in 2023, has moved to linebacker, a team spokesperson confirmed to StateCollege.com on Sunday. On3’s Sean Fitz was first to report the news.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Nelson appeared in just two game last season, and did not record a stat. He adds depth to a linebacker position that will be without one of its young playmakers, Kaveion Keys, who was dismissed from the program early this month.
Nelson joined the Nittany Lions as a four-star recruit out of Livingston, Alabama, last offseason. He was the third-highest rated defensive prospect in the team’s 2023 recruiting class.
Penn State’s starting linebackers are all but set in stone, with two captains, Kobe King and Dominic DeLuca, likely leading the pack alongside highly touted sophomore Tony Rojas. Nelson will compete for time off the bench with senior Tyler Elson, sophomore Keon Wylie and redshirt freshman Ta’Mere Robinson.
Nelson leaves behind a safety room loaded with depth and talent. It’s become widely anticipated that defensive coordinator Tom Allen will find a way to play his top three safeties — Kevin Winston Jr., Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley — all at once. Behind them is rising talent Lamont Payne Jr., Tyrece Mills and a pair of true freshmen in Vaboue Toure and Dejuan Lane.
