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Five Penn State defensive players to watch this weekend

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•04/14/23•

ThomasFrankCarr

Dani Dennis-Sutton Penn State Football On3
Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton could still have a breakout season despite the glut of talent ahead of him at defensive end this year. (Photo: Dan Althouse/BWI)

Penn State’s Blue-White Game is Saturday at Beaver Stadium. To prepare you for the action on the field, here are five defensive players you need to watch during the game. If you haven’t yet, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube so you don’t miss special video content.

5) Abdul Carter

There’s a 50-50 chance that we don’t see much of Abdul Carter during the Blue-White game as the team will try to protect its best players. However, the lack of linebacker depth might put Carter on the field more than expected.

Carter isn’t just bigger, faster, and stronger this year, but he’s also smarter. Another year in the system and his first spring practice gives defensive coordinator Manny Diaz more time to tinker with how to use Carter best. We won’t find out much, but watching him fly around the field will be fun either way.

4) Cam Miller/Elliott Washington

I will cheat here and select two young cornerbacks, freshman Elliot Washington and sophomore Cam Miller. Miller was a standout to the coaching staff last season and made an effort to be a key contributor on special teams. His presence in the secondary this year should be more pronounced.

Meanwhile, Washington exited his first winter conditioning period at 6-0 200 pounds. Of course, he’s a massively strong, thick player, but the Blue-White game should be a good chance to see how his technique has improved since high school.

3) Kaleb Artis

Penn State needs to find a big-bodied defensive tackle to help fill in the rotation up front this season. Kaleb Artis arrived in Happy Valley as a solid 6-4 315. However, he was very raw at the position. After a redshirt season and a full spring, where is he on the learning curve?

2) Tony Rojas

Even head coach James Franklin doesn’t really believe the transformation that Tony Rojas has undergone this spring.

“He’s put on 29 pounds of weight since he got here. And it’s good weight. I’m not necessarily sure how that’s possible, but he’s put on 29 pounds of good weight,” Franklin said.

For those playing at home, that puts Rojas somewhere between 224 and 229 pounds, based on his enrollment weight. Also, the Virginia Gatorade player of the year has looked very good in positional drills this spring during open practice. How he plays at full speed will be a great first step to understanding how much we should expect him this fall.

1) Dani Dennis-Sutton

Penn State’s five-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton tops the list of players you’ve got to watch during the Blue-White Game. He has freakish strength, and he’s a humble and insanely hard-working player who wants to be great.

There’s a log jam at defensive end for the fall, but veteran Adisa Isaac shouldn’t see too many snaps during the scrimmage. That opens the door for Dennis-Sutton to show off what he can do. After an offseason of work on his game, we’re dying to see what that looks like.

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