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Penn State Football vs Purdue: 3 Bold Predictions for the Defense

By Andrew Adair

STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Penn State Nittany Lions captains Jonathan Sutherland #0, PJ Mustipher #97, Jaquan Brisker #1, and Rasheed Walker #53 take the field alongside a Blue Band twirler before the game against the Ball State Cardinals at Beaver Stadium on September 11, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 11: Penn State Nittany Lions captains Jonathan Sutherland #0, PJ Mustipher #97, Jaquan Brisker #1, and Rasheed Walker #53 take the field alongside a Blue Band twirler before the game against the Ball State Cardinals at Beaver Stadium on September 11, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football
Ji’Ayir Brown #16 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

The Position Battle at Safety Pays Dividends

One of the biggest storylines of the offseason has been the three-way battle at the safety position. Ji’Ayir Brown is firmly entrenched at one of the safety positions, while three others are in the mix for the other.

Junior Keaton Ellis, sophmore Jaylen Reed, and redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley have all had their moments during the offseason. With all three having success, nobody has been able to definitively be named the starter. This is the rare occurrence where an undecided position battle is a good thing.

Apr 23, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Manny Diaz on the field during a warmup prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Manny Diaz on the field during a warmup prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

Keaton Ellis is the most experienced of the bunch. Jaylen Reed showed enough as a freshman that he did not need to use a redshirt year. Zakee Wheatley has made a position change from cornerback and has exceeded expectations.

So, what is the bold prediction? The bold prediction is….

Zakee Wheatley will cause a turnover in the fourth quarter that changes or seals the game.

New Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz has preached two concepts to his players. Create chaos and create turnovers. Of the three safeties vying for playing time, Wheatley has been the best at creating turnovers during the spring and fall practice sessions.

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