Penn State preseason hype check: Defense

Inevitably, the talking season provides some severe opinion overstatements. Whether or not you want to be, the offseason’s long, winding path turns even the most reasonable person into a hot-take artist if you’re not careful. So, we’ll reflect on the Penn State players and predictions we made this offseason to see where we were right and wrong in terms of player performance this season. 

Penn State defenders we got right

Jonathan Sutherland

The ire that some fans directed at linebacker Jonathan Sutherland this offseason got a bit out of hand. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s far from the train wreck of a football player. We allowed him the chance to play well before designating his transition to Sam linebacker a failure. So far, he’s rewarded that patience with solid play, even if he’s struggled at times in underneath coverage. His willingness to soak up blocks and play an underrated role in run defense has been quietly good. He’ll have to maintain that level against better opponents to keep us in the right. 

Zakee Wheatley

We didn’t see much of Zakee Wheatley during his freshman season, but he displayed his length, anticipation, and ball skills during the Blue-White game. That, combined with reports about his turnover productivity in practice, made him an easy sell. The main question would be if he could avoid big mistakes while producing those big plays. 

So far, he’s gotten away with some coverage errors because his gambles have paid off to the tune of a forced fumble and two interceptions. He doesn’t need to be perfect, but Wheatley needs to continue delivering his big plays through the next half of the season. 

Jordan van den Berg

You don’t have to be a star to contribute and be an effective football player. Jordan van den Berg flashed an active motor, tenacity, and strength last season during the tail end of 2021. Those skills, combined with more football experience, have allowed him to become the primary backup for the Nittany Lions. While Dvon Ellies has seen more snaps, van den Berg has been the more productive and disruptive player. His willingness to engage blockers and play on the other side of the line of scrimmage is a great fit for Manny Diaz’s defense.

ICMY: BWI Daily

PJ Mustipher

Despite the public optimism of PJ Mustipher’s return to the field during training camp, we were continually pumping the breaks on fans expecting vintage Mustipher early in the season. Unfortunately, coming back from a significant knee injury isn’t something you bounce back from quickly. Mustipher has been a solid contributor this fall but is far from his last season’s play. He’s rounding into form right at the year anniversary of his injury. It’s also right in time for when Penn State will need him most. 

Honorable mention: Chop Robinson

We won’t claim Chop Robinson thanks to a momentary lapse in judgment during the preseason. But beyond that gaffe, we were high on Robinson’s abilities as a pass rusher, which he’s displayed this season. He’s demonstrating the same explosiveness and better strength through contact than he did in high school or at Maryland. Yet the immediate impact was something we didn’t see coming, even with that level of belief in his overall skills.

Players we got wrong

Zand Durant

Indeed, there’s been nothing wrong with what Zane Durant has done this season; it’s more about the amount of time he’s played. The freshman defensive tackle has seen spot duty during non-garbage time this season, but his impact hasn’t been felt yet. Nevertheless, he’s done a good job of executing his assignment and is progressing nicely. 

But no player, save for runner Nick Singleton, got more preseason hype among the freshmen than Durant. The early enrollee showed up early and often for Penn State and was an impressive force in the Blue-White game. His athletic profile and physical development put him in a position to contribute this fall, but the idea that he’d be a difference-maker out of the gate was too far. 

Daequan Hardy

While we didn’t predict Daequan Hardy would be a star player this fall, we certainly expected to continue his play as a reliable slot receiver who played well last fall. His calling card of sticky man coverage seemed like a natural fit in Manny Diaz’s scheme. Last season, he was Penn State’s third-best corner, and we expected similar results this fall. 

The fall from that position was swift and has been unrelenting since. Hardy is still a talented athlete, but his lack of confidence in his reads has caused him to play slower than his physical skills. Unfortunately, that lack of confidence and hesitation is a death sentence in Diaz’s high-pressure man coverage system. There’s still time for Hardy to have a bounce-back story in 2022, but he’s got to find himself again soon.