Penn State vs. Maryland depth chart: Defense
Penn State takes on Maryland and the banged-up Taulia Tagovailoa at quarterback this weekend. But the Nittany Lions aren’t fully healthy themselves. Find out what we saw this week and what we’re predicting with the Blue White Illustrated defensive depth chart. These are the Nittany Lions tasked with stopping the Terrapin’s attack.
Offense:
Penn State defensive line
Defensive end
46 Nick Tarburton (R-Sr)
44 Chop Robinson (So.)
56 Amin Vanover (So.)
Defensive tackle
51 Hakeem Beamon (R-Jr)
99 Coziah Izzard (R-So)
28 Zane Durant (Fr.)
55 Fatorma Mulbah (R-So)
Defensive tackle
97 PJ Mustipher (Sr+)
91 D’Von Ellies (R-Jr)
52 Jordan van den Berg (R-Fr)
Defensive end
20 Adisa Isaac (R-Jr)
33 Dani Dennis-Sutton (Fr.)
94 Jake Wilson (R-So)
The Lowdown:
Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg has seen much less work over the last two weeks, with only 17 total defensive snaps. That’s because redshirt sophomore Coziah Izzard has taken some of those snaps since his return. Now that Izzard is fully up to speed, van den Berg is a reserve player.
Beyond that, things are the same along the defensive line for the Nittany Lions.
Lions linebackers
WILL linebacker
11 Abdul Carter (Fr.)
23 Curtis Jacobs (So.)
45 Charlie Katshir (R-Sr.)
42 Jamari Buddin (R-Fr.)
Middle linebacker
43 Tyler Elsdon (So.)
41 Kobe King (So.)
SAM linebacker
23 Curtis Jacobs (So.)
0 Jonathan Sutherland (R-Sr.+)
34 Dominic DeLuca (R-Fr.)
The Lowdown:
Linebacker is a different story. Starter Curtis Jacobs wasn’t at practice on Wednesday and only played eight snaps before coming out of the game against Indiana with an injury. His status for the weekend remains unclear.
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Unlike teammate Olu Fashanu on offense, we have less information to determine his likelihood of participation this weekend. He’ll stay atop the depth chart for now, but expect a heavy dose of Abdul Carter and Jonathan Sutherland this weekend. Veteran Charlie Katshir saw significant playing time at Will with Jacobs out.
Things seem more optimistic at middle linebacker with Tyler Elsdon and Kobe King.
Penn State secondary
Safety
16 Ji’Ayir Brown (Sr.+)
7 Jaylen Reed (So.)
21 KJ Winston (Fr.)
Safety
2 Keaton Ellis (Jr.)
6 Zakee Wheatley (R-Fr.)
7 Jaylen Reed (So.)
The Lowdown:
Aside from seeing less of starter Keaton Ellis last week, the safety rotation hasn’t changed. Tig Brown plays most of the game, and the other three players rotate through, providing Penn State with depth and options in game plans and matchups.
Cornerback
9 Joey Porter Jr. (R-Jr.)
8 Marquis Wilson (Jr.)
24 Jeffrey Davis Jr. (R-Fr.)
13 Cristian Driver (Fr.)
Cornerback
3 Johnny Dixon (Jr.) OR 4 Kalen King (So.)
5 Cam Miller (Fr.)
Nickel
25 Daequan Hardy (R-Jr.)
3 Johnny Dixon (Jr.)
The Lowdown:
Backup Marquis Wilson hasn’t seen the field for two weeks, dating back to the Ohio State game. While it’s only been in garbage time, slot corner Daequan Hardy has taken snaps on the outside, which we haven’t seen him do since the Blue-White game in the spring. Beyond that, the rotation at corner with Kalen King and Johnny Dixon continues.
