Penn State football is less than a month away from opening preseason camp for the 2022 season, and the Nittany Lions will be looking to return to the Big Ten’s upper tier after a combined 11-11 record over the past two years.
Despite the records there was still reason for optimism, but a difficult schedule and a young team in some areas could mean Penn State is still a year or two away. Then again, nobody saw 2016 coming either.
Today we continue our look at each area of the team with a defensive secondary that loses one star safety but brings back another.
The Ones to Miss:
If Penn State’s wideout group misses Jahan Dotson in ways that can’t easily be replaced, then Penn State’s coverage units miss safety Jaquan Brisker the exact same way. Brisker went from “pretty good” to “elite” within the course of about two years and everything he did was top notch. The good news for Penn State is that while great safeties can change a game, having average ones doesn’t hurt that much either. That’s not to say Brisker won’t be missed, but his production can be made up for a lot of different ways.
At corner, the loss of Tariq Castro-Fields means the end of a long, sometimes up-and-down career for a player who flashed plenty of potential over the years. Even if TCF wasn’t always healthy or always at his best, he was experienced and that counts for plenty in this line of work. He might not be missed quite as much as Brisker is, but veteran players are hard to come by no matter what.
The Ones to Watch:
If losing Jaquan Brisker was the bad news, then keeping Ji’Ayir Brown is the good news. Brown isn’t quite the hard hitter that Brisker was but he’s a ball hawk and the kind of player that can lead an entire defense. Brown isn’t the most vocal, but when he talks, players listen. Beyond him, Jonathan Sutherland is back for another year and while he’s going to slide into the linebacker role for Penn State this season, Sutherland’s experience at safety at least puts him in the “capable skills” conversation. Otherwise the safety position looks to be a mixture of State College native Keaton Ellis and a few other depth players that could help make a difference in 2022. Redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley has been the talk of spring camp heading into the summer and figures to be a big part of what Penn State does with its last line of defense.
At corner Joey Porter Jr. will run the show and look to bounce-back from a penalty-heavy 2021. Daequan Hardy will also chip in at that spot as well as rising sophomore Kalen King. This group has plenty of options and talent and shouldn’t miss the loss of Castro-Fields quite as much as one might think.
The New Ones:
Christian Driver — son of Packers legends Donald Driver — will join Penn State this season at corner as the most highly touted cover guy in the Nittany Lions’ freshman class. Lackawanna College transfer Tyrece Mills will also join the group at safety to give Penn State some more immediate experience at the position as well looking to continue the pathway between Lackawanna and Penn State. Brisker and Brown both once hailed from there as well. Wheatley doesn’t count as a new face since he was on the team last year, but he’s certainly going to be a new face to see making plays this fall, so he gets a — secondary — mention here.
The Bottom Line:
Jaquan Brisker heading to the NFL is good for the program’s reputation but the secondary will miss everything he brought to the table at every level. Brown will be more than enough to pick up the slack and this group has the talent to reload from Week 1, the challenge will be playing as good as this group did in 2022, which was among the best the program has seen.
Previously:
