Ranking Penn State football's 25 most important players ahead of spring practice: 1-5
In the leadup to Penn State football’s spring practice, which begins next week, Blue White Illustrated is ranking the 25 most important players on the Nittany Lions’ roster ahead of the 2022 season.
Today, we finish with Nos. 1-5 on our list.
Previous segments:
Ranking Penn State football’s 25 most important players ahead of spring practice: 21-25
Ranking Penn State football’s 25 most important players ahead of spring practice: 16-20
Ranking Penn State football’s 25 most important players ahead of spring practice: 11-15
Ranking Penn State football’s 25 most important players ahead of spring practice: 6-10
Methodology: This list is our best attempt at ranking the players on Penn State’s roster according to their importance for the 2022 season. It is not a ranking of PSU’s best players, though on-field effectiveness will obviously be taken into account among several other factors.
One of two big transfer additions for the Nittany Lions, Tinsley should be a leading figure in Penn State’s wide receivers room as the Lions adjust to an offense without Jahan Dotson. Crucially, Tinsley showcased an ability to make explosive plays during his time at Western Kentucky — something Penn State really needs. Tinsley averaged 16.1 yards per reception last season, racking up 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air.
The lone returnee among Penn State’s starting linebackers, Jacobs is going to have plenty of weight on his shoulders this season as the Nittany Lions integrate two new starters, and that alone makes him extremely important. He should be in line for a jump in production, too, entering his second season as a starter and his third season on campus. Jacobs concluded the 2021 season with 61 tackles, seven TFLs, three sacks and an interception on his ledger.
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With Jaquan Brisker moving on, Ji’Ayir Brown will be asked to become the anchor of the Penn State secondary as the Nittany Lions sort out who will start alongside him. Crucially, Brown injected some big-play ability into Penn State’s defense last season — something the unit missed in 2020. Brown finished the year tied for the nation’s lead with six interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. That’s a stat that can vary considerably from year-to-year, but Penn State needs Brown to continue generating takeaways in 2022.
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Mustipher’s start to the 2021 season was so impressive that the Big Ten coaches rewarded him with a second-team all-conference nomination despite missing Penn State’s final seven games of the year after suffering an injury. Mustipher’s recovery progress is going to be one of the storylines of the offseason, and with good reason. If he can return to his pre-injury form, he gives the Nittany Lions a massive run-stopping presence in the middle of their defense. His role as a leader on this team shouldn’t be overlooked, either.
Whatever your opinion of Clifford, there is nobody on the roster who holds a stronger influence over how the Nittany Lions will perform this season. Barring something unexpected, Clifford is primed for his fourth season as Penn State’s starting quarterback in 2022, and the Nittany Lions will go as he goes. He began the 2021 season well enough, helping PSU to a 5-0 start, before an injury against Iowa derailed his season — and his team’s. Any notion of the Nittany Lions achieving great things in 2022 has to start and end with a performance from Clifford that equals or surpasses what he did in the first half of 2021.
