Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from 2022 spring practice

1. New coordinator, same punishing defense

Before the Outback Bowl last year, James Franklin saw the departure of his longtime defensive coordinator Brent Pry who took the head coaching job at Virginia Tech. Franklin replaced Pry with former Miami head coach Manny Diaz. The defense looks to be just fine regardless of who is calling the plays.

Diaz calls a more aggressive style of defense than his predecessor. More blitzing and his players like to be ball hawks with takeaways. Redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley led the team this spring with five takeaways. The Nittany Lions will also be getting back outstanding safety Ji’Ayir Brown and sophomore cornerback Kalen King looks to make a bigger impact this fall.

The Nittany Lions should also have the services of defensive tackle PJ Mustipher and defensive end Adisa Isaac, both returning from season-ending injuries a year ago. Both are coming along in their rehab. The outside linebackers look to be settled in with Curtis Jacobs and Jonathan Sutherland moving over from the secondary.

The spring and even into the first part of fall camp, a team’s defense is usually ahead of their offense. This is most certainly the case with Penn State. They may have lost their coordinator but they look to continue being the strength of the Nittany Lions this fall.