Penn State Football: Can Nittany Lions replace key players in 2018?
By Shane Lunnen
Defense
Last season, Penn State was one of the stingier defenses in the country, only giving up 16.5 points per game. They lose quality pieces, eight starters are gone, but have experience returning too. Credit defensive coordinator Brent Pry for playing more backups than any other team in the country last season.
The defensive ends look set, with both senior Torrence Brown and junior Shareef Miller back. The Lions lose both starting tackles, but both Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor have a lot of experience as backups and should step in nicely to starting roles.
The linebacker corps lost all three starters gone including team-leading tackler Jason Cabinda. However, Koa Farmer and Cam Brown have a lot of experience and should fill in the two outside linebacker roles. The middle looked more unsettled until recently with the return of Manny Bowen, who was dismissed last December for an unspecified team rules violation. Bowen’s second chance has given the Lions a depth boost and now the coaches can ease in star recruit and true freshman Micah Parsons.
The secondary lost all four starters, including dynamic safety Marcus Allen. Senior Nick Scott and junior Ayron Monroe will look to fill the void left by safeties Allen and Troy Apke. At cornerback John Reid returns after missing all of 2017 to a torn ACL and Amani Oruwariye also returns after 12 passes defensed last year as a backup.
The defense lost enough production to be concerned, but there is still plenty for the Lions to become a pretty good unit. If injuries strike though, it could be concerning with the lack of experience at some positions.