Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State Football: Projecting Nittany Lions’ spring depth chart

By Lawrence Santa Maria

Sep 27, 2019; College Park, MD, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin leads his team onto the field prior to their game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2019; College Park, MD, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin leads his team onto the field prior to their game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 8
Next
Penn State Football
Brandon Smith #12 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

Linebacker

Outside: Ellis Brooks (RS JR) – Jamari Buddin (FR) – Kobe King (FR)

Mike: Brandon Smith (SO) – Jesse Luketa (JR)

Outside: Curtis Jacobs (FR) – Charlie Katshir (RS JR) – Tyler Eldson (FR)

Offseason speculation is the shakeup in this group will be Brandon Smith moving from outside linebacker to the mike position, or middle linebacker, keeping him on the field for all three downs even when they go to a nickel package.

Luketa is a great team leader, special teams player and locker room guy, but he struggled last season filling the shoes of Micah Parsons. Luketa especially struggled to tackle in space, and is built for 90’s football, not the modern game where linebackers need to be sideline to sideline.

With Lance Dixon transferring to West Virginia, former four-star recruit Curtis Jacobs steps into a starting role on the outside and fits the mod of Smith, a lean, fast and athletic playmaker.

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry called this group out when he met with the media last season, especially Luketa and Brooks, and their is no excuse for poor play within this group considering the amount of blue chip talent.

Home/Penn State Football