Penn State Football: Defensive end a fun position to watch in 2019
Each season key defensive linemen graduate or get drafted from Penn State football, and every year, the position group still carries an abundance of depth.
It seems like Penn State football defensive coordinator Brent Pry and associate head coach/ defensive line coach/run-game coordinator Sean Spencer continue to pull out defensive line depth out of thin air. The duo’s constant rotational system creates a next-man-up approach each season. It’s highly underrated and exhilarating to watch, because there’s always someone pressuring the QB. Well, the two coaches have done it again heading into 2019, specifically at the D-End spot. The unit returns one starter and four other contributors.
Future, top-flight NFL draft pick and PSU junior Yetur Gross-Matos leads this group as a disruptive, physical, fast presence on the edge. He rolled up 54 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss and eight sacks, earning him All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media.
His 6-foot-5, 265-pound frame paired with overpowering strength, downhill attacking speed and productivity is just one of the reasons this defense is expected to be near the top of college football. Gross-Matos carries 26 games under his belt and that should help him lead a line that lost active sack leader Shareef Miller to the NFL Draft.
He’ll be the cornerstone on one side of the D-Line, but he’s far from the only productive player on the outside. This is where Shaka Toney most likely comes in as the leading candidate to replace Miller at the other defensive end spot.
Toney offers a blazing fast defender on the edge that has proven he can produce at a high level at times. He’s recorded 40 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three forced fumbles in despite not starting a single game in his career so far.
His move into the starting lineup doesn’t shake things up much, because he’s already played so many snaps. In addition, there are three other contributors that can keep pressure on offenses while Gross-Matos and Toney need a breather.
Fast-rising second-year player Jayson Oweh and third-year players Shane Simmons and Daniel Joseph can slide in. The latter two return with a combined 47 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. While Oweh returns after redshirting his freshman season but still getting to play in four games, due to the newly established redshirt rule.
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All five players return with a total of 24.5 sacks in their careers, showing that they know how to get after the QB – that’s not even including the guys inside either. This group will see another landmark year in 2019 under the leadership of Pry and Spencer once again. Opposing QBs won’t have anywhere to go because the pressure won’t slow down with how many different options Penn State football has up front.