Five Key Returners on Defense for Penn State Football in 2022

Penn State Football linebacker – Curtis Jacobs

The Nittany Lions’ defense loses their two box linebackers from a year ago in Ellis Brooks and Brandon Smith, so Curtis Jacobs will probably be moved into the box this season after starting at the strong-side linebacker position last season.

Jacobs did a great job at strong-side linebacker last season, and he showed continual improvements throughout the year as a first-year starter. He did move inside and play in the box in the bowl game against Arkansas, and he had one of his best games of the season with 10 total tackles, including a sack.

That productivity will need to carry into the 2022 season, as linebacker is a big question mark on defense, with the exception of Jacobs.

The junior linebacker will really need to play well against the run in 2022 if the Nittany Lions as a whole hope to turn things around from a run-stopping perspective. They ranked 67th in the country last season in rushing defense, allowing 152.7 yards per game on the ground, which also led to them losing the time-of-possession battle more often than not. They only won in that category in four out of 13 games (Ball State, Indiana, Maryland, and Rutgers).

Whoever starts next to Jacobs in the box will be someone with minimal experience, whether it be Charlie Katshir, Tyler Elsdon, Kobe King, or Jamari Buddin. So, Jacobs’ leadership will be as important as anything, making sure everyone knows their role and sticks to their assignments.

Curtis Jacobs has a chance to break out as one of the better linebackers in the Big Ten in 2022. If he can do that, it would go a long way towards helping the Nittany Lions once again have one of the best scoring defenses in college football, where they allowed 17.3 points per game last season, tied for sixth-best in the country.