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Penn State defender Antoine Belgrave-Shorter talks position switch, Jim Knowles hire, more

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•about 8 hours•

GregPickel

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Cornerback Antoine Belgrave-Shorter. (Credit: Sean Fitz | Blue White Illustrated)

Antoine Belgrave-Shorter admits that he was not sure of the switch his coaches were asking him to make just weeks into his first regular season at Penn State. A three-star in the Class of 2023, cornerback is the only position he’s ever known. Yet, as September winded to a close, the Lions suddenly found themselves without KJ Winston Jr., who would ultimately be lost for the season with an injury afte just five quarters, and more depth was needed at safety. So, the staff approached ‘ASB’ about moving to the last line of the defense.

“They thought I was a good enough player to do it and to fill behind the other safeties,” Belgrave-Shorter said Tuesday. “But it took me some time, because I never played safety in high school. I always played corner. And I love playing corner, going in front of receiver, playing man, setting the edge, that was the thing. But I had to think about it. And safety is what I want to do now.”

Blue-White Illustrated’s Sean Fitz has previously told subscribers on The Lions Den message board about the likelihood that Belgrave-Shorter’s move to safety would stick. And, ahead of his second winter workouts before spring practice at Penn State, that still appears to be the case. The defender said that the staff joked about moving him during the recruiting process, but the talks didn’t extend beyond that. However, need and fit often turn possibility into reality at the college level, and that’s where Belgrave-Shorter and the Lions find themselves in 2025.

“I want to be a versatile player that can play anywhere on the defense,” Belgrave-Shorter said.

More from Penn State second-year defender Antoine Belgrave-Shooter

Here are some more thoughts from the Jacksonville, Fla., native. He, like his classmates, spoke at the Lions’ media day for members of the Class of 2024 on Tuesday.

On how Anthony Poindexter helped him move from cornerback to safety:

“I was with him every day, studying the playbook, studying film formations, route concepts, to help me better learn and get a better understanding of how a safety thinks rather than what a corner thinks,” Belgrave-Shorter said. “So he pretty much helped with all of that.”

On the wait for Penn State to hire a new defensive coordinator

“I was just curious, but I wasn’t really worried about it. Because whoever comes in, I’m willing to work. I’m willing to know the defense, and give it my all and just performing to my best ability.”

On his initial thoughts about Jim Knowles

“It was just one conversation so far. [It was just about] his time at Ohio State, and why he came here, and what he’s going to bring to us.”

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