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Penn State Football: Week 8 Studs and Duds against Indiana

By Corey Hunter

BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 20: Robert Windsor #54, Ryan Bates #52 and Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrate as they leave the field after the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 20: Robert Windsor #54, Ryan Bates #52 and Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrate as they leave the field after the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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<> at Beaver Stadium on September 1, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania.
<> at Beaver Stadium on September 1, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. /

LB – Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons, Penn State’s 2018 five-star linebacker recruit, is beginning to live up the hype.  To be fair, the true freshman has been playing well all season, but his presence over the last few games has started to shine through.  Against Indiana, the Harrisburg High standout posted a career-best eight tackles.  Prior to Saturday, Parson’s previous highest tackles total came against Pittsburgh earlier in the season.

The outside linebacker is beginning to get more and more reps each game as he rotates with fifth-year senior Koa Farmer.  While Farmer has been listed as the Nittany Lions starter, Parsons has been steadily seeing his number of reps increasing each game.  According to Lions247.com who profiled the standout freshman this week, Parsons athletic talent and on-field production could help him garner more playing time.

Parsons has already shown glimpses of why he may be one of Penn State’s best linebacking prospects since Lavar Arrington.  Earlier this season, he was named to ESPN’s freshman midseason all-american team ($).  While the accolades continue to pour in for Parsons, he has maintained his poise and shown a maturity rarely seen by a true freshman player.

Next season, when Parsons is a clear starter, the question won’t be how many snaps will he see, it might be which position will he be playing?

During the summer, Parson was under consideration for playing time at the MIKE or middle linebacker spot.  However, with him needing to learn to call the defensive plays and direct the defense, the learning curve for the MIKE backer was more than the Brent Pry wanted to give his young star and ultimately chose to move him to the strong side or SAM linebacker position.

Whatever position Parsons lines up at, his speed, agility, and overall athletic prowess are factors opposing teams must account for.

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