Penn State Football Early Position Preview 2016: Linebacker
By Marty Leap
As we continue our position previews for 2016 here at VBR, it is time to take a look at the position Penn State football is most famous for, linebacker. Linebacker U has produced many great linebackers over the course of the last half century, and in 2016 the Nittany Lions will feature another strong group of linebackers.
Even though Penn State will not be very deep at linebacker in 2016, it should be on of their strongest positions groups if everyone stays healthy. The Nittany Lions will boast a starting trio of Brandon Bell, Nyeem Wartman-White, and Jason Cabinda that can stack up with any in the Big Ten. Also, sophomores Manny Bowen and Jake Cooper were forced into duty last year due to injury, and now have vital game experience for this season when they will be looked upon to play a larger role in the defense.
This fall, the Nittany Lions will miss the departed Troy Reeder. As a redshirt freshman last year, Reeder recorded 67 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and had an interception after being thrusted into starting duty due to Nyeem Wartman-White suffering a season ending knee injury in the second quarter of the season opener.
This offseason Reeder decided to transfer to Delaware. Reeder is a Delaware native, and his brother plays for the Blue Hens. So while no one can blame for Reeder wanting to be closer to home and to play with his brother, this transfer was a big blow to the Nittany Lions’ depth at linebacker.
However, getting Wartman-White back from his knee injury should help to ease the loss of Reeder. Wartman-White was expected to be the leader of the Nittany Lion defense last fall, and will be looked upon to fill that role again this season.
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With Wartman-White back in the fold to start at middle linebacker, I look for Jason Cabinda, who wound up starting in the middle last year, to bump back outside to SAM backer. Cabinda burst onto the scene last year as a true sophomore racking up 100 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Cabinda is also arguably the hardest-hitting player on the team and absolutely punishes the ball carrier when he tackles them. I look for Cabinda to have another big season in 2016.
The returning starter at the WILL backer position, for a third straight season, will be senior Brandon Bell. Bell had an injury-riddled 2015 season, but still recorded 66 tackles, while also leading the Nittany Lion linebacker corps in tackles for a loss (12.5) and sacks (5.5). Bell also had an interception as well as a fumble recovery last season.
As long as those three players stay healthy, they should all have very good seasons for the Nittany Lions this fall. And that should help Penn State’s linebacker corps be one of the best in the Big Ten in 2016.
The main depth players this fall will be the aforementioned Manny Bowen and Jake Cooper, as well as former walk-on Von Walker. Redshirt junior Brandon Smith is another player to keep an eye on. The former walk-on often times got rave reviews from former defensive coordinator Bob Shoop for his work ethic last season, and he could see some reps if there are injuries.
Of the three main backups, the one with the most potential is Bowen. He recorded 18 tackles, two tackles for a loss, and forced a fumble as a true freshman last season. Bowen is extremely athletic, and has good size at six-foot-one, 214 pounds. Bowen also has room to add on more good weight yet. I expect him to have a very good season as a reserve in 2016, and to really burst onto the scene as a starter at either WILL or SAM backer in 2017.
Cooper was a player who really could have used a redshirt last season, but was thrown into the fire due to injuries. Ultimately, Cooper held his own in 2015, recording 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a sack but the freshman growing pains shined through at times. There were times Cooper was out of place and struggled to read plays. However, those are things that should change with more playing time and experience.
Von Walker is coming off a 10-tackle season, most of them on special teams, and probably will not see much playing time this season outside of mop-up duty or injuries.
In their 2016 recruiting class, the Nittany Lions signed a pair of linebacker recruits in Potomac (MD) native Cam Brown, and Philadelphia native Shaka Toney. However, barring utter catastrophe, I fully expect both to redshirt this fall.
As I said above, Penn State’s linebacker corps is very talented this season but depth could be an issue. The Nittany Lions can trot out some very talented linebackers, but they are an injury or two away from being in some hot water at linebacker.
It is also important for Penn State’s linebackers to have a strong season due to the inexperience on the defensive line. The past two seasons Penn State has had a dominant defensive line, odds are that will not be the case this season, which make the linebackers even more important.
Hopefully everyone can stay relatively healthy at linebacker this season for Penn State, if not things could get hairy on defense, and fast.
2016 Penn State Early Position Previews