Brent Pry said it without saying it as Penn State neared the end of its spring practices in April.
Asked about the depth that his Nittany Lions have at the safety position heading into the 2021 season, Penn State’s defensive coordinator said that the secondary, as well as the unit’s linebackers, boasts the right amount of experience and depth.
“One of the things I've always done is train those guys at multiple spots,” Pry said on April 17. “You got a guy like Brandon Smith, who's played Sam and Will. Curtis Jacobs has played Sam and Will and has dabbled at Mike. Jesse Luketa is a Will and a Mike. Charlie Katshir has played all three. He's like Brandon Bell. He's played Sam, he's played Mike, and he's played Will, and he's gonna continue to do that.
“So I feel good about the depth at linebacker and the competition there. So we're excited. We got a couple of packages that you wouldn't have seen out there today that we're messing with to get our best personnel on the field in the right places.”
That last bit, about putting the best personnel on the field in the right places, is a reflection not limited to Pry’s optimism for his linebackers ahead of the 2021 season.
No longer needing to make a last-minute adjustment to compensate for the sudden loss of an All-American linebacker, here is what we’re anticipating at the position as the start of preseason practices gets closer:
Linebackers:
By any measure, last season, Penn State’s linebackers had a bad year.
Specific to Pro Football Focus’ grading, the top performer within the unit was true freshman Curtis Jacobs, who finished with a grade of 72.3 in his seven played and 64 total snaps at the Sam.
After Jacobs, within the grading system PFF uses, the Nittany Lion linebackers checked in on overall defensive performance at No. 13 for Ellis Brooks (67.7), No. 24 for Charlie Katshir (61.6 in just three games and 25 snaps), No. 27 for Brandon Smith (58.4), No. 28 for Jesse Luketa (56.8), and No. 31 for Lance Dixon (54.4).
What hadn’t been given much play through the season, but has become overwhelmingly clear in the time since, is that Penn State’s situation created fish-out-of-water personnel issues.
Luketa is a Mike linebacker who started at Will. Brandon Smith is a Will linebacker who started at Sam. Jacobs is a Sam who, though talented, was deprived of the offseason reps that might have acclimated him enough to play a more prominent role. Throw in Katshir’s absence, again lost for the season to injury, and Penn State had just four linebackers who appeared in all nine games.
(For reference, Penn State had a rotation of six in 2019, five in 2018, and five in 2017 until Manny Bowen bailed at the season’s end.)
A matter of necessity rather than choice, the conversation this offseason at the position has centered on one simple reality. Even though Dixon transferred in the offseason, Penn State is confident that not only does it have experienced, talented players at linebacker, but also that those players will, at last, be utilized at the positions at which they’re most comfortable and capable.
“I’m excited about the transition. I think Curtis bring some things to the Sam position that we didn't have. Athletically very fluid, good space player. He was a wide receiver at times in high school. He's got great ball skills,” Pry said. “Then Brandon, you know, putting him in the boundary at Micah's spot, he's very long and physical. I just think those two guys are really owning those spots and I think we're improved in both areas.”
One more note of consequence here with the conversation regarding Luketa’s potential move to defensive end.
Our understanding is that the senior is poised to be on the field quite a bit this season in something of a hybrid role, and potentially even as the starting Mike. Despite missing the spring while recuperating from offseason surgery, Luketa is going to get a shot to compete with Brooks to earn the starting job at Mike.
If Luketa were to win that battle, a rotation with Ellis - who isn’t *not* going to play - would create the opportunities to then move Luketa to end. Should Ellis win the starting job, Luketa’s opportunities at end wouldn’t preclude him from appearing as the backup Mike.
Bottom line, they’re both going to play quite a bit this season, but in roles for which they’re well-suited.
Asked about the depth that his Nittany Lions have at the safety position heading into the 2021 season, Penn State’s defensive coordinator said that the secondary, as well as the unit’s linebackers, boasts the right amount of experience and depth.
“One of the things I've always done is train those guys at multiple spots,” Pry said on April 17. “You got a guy like Brandon Smith, who's played Sam and Will. Curtis Jacobs has played Sam and Will and has dabbled at Mike. Jesse Luketa is a Will and a Mike. Charlie Katshir has played all three. He's like Brandon Bell. He's played Sam, he's played Mike, and he's played Will, and he's gonna continue to do that.
“So I feel good about the depth at linebacker and the competition there. So we're excited. We got a couple of packages that you wouldn't have seen out there today that we're messing with to get our best personnel on the field in the right places.”
That last bit, about putting the best personnel on the field in the right places, is a reflection not limited to Pry’s optimism for his linebackers ahead of the 2021 season.
No longer needing to make a last-minute adjustment to compensate for the sudden loss of an All-American linebacker, here is what we’re anticipating at the position as the start of preseason practices gets closer:
Linebackers:
By any measure, last season, Penn State’s linebackers had a bad year.
Specific to Pro Football Focus’ grading, the top performer within the unit was true freshman Curtis Jacobs, who finished with a grade of 72.3 in his seven played and 64 total snaps at the Sam.
After Jacobs, within the grading system PFF uses, the Nittany Lion linebackers checked in on overall defensive performance at No. 13 for Ellis Brooks (67.7), No. 24 for Charlie Katshir (61.6 in just three games and 25 snaps), No. 27 for Brandon Smith (58.4), No. 28 for Jesse Luketa (56.8), and No. 31 for Lance Dixon (54.4).
What hadn’t been given much play through the season, but has become overwhelmingly clear in the time since, is that Penn State’s situation created fish-out-of-water personnel issues.
Luketa is a Mike linebacker who started at Will. Brandon Smith is a Will linebacker who started at Sam. Jacobs is a Sam who, though talented, was deprived of the offseason reps that might have acclimated him enough to play a more prominent role. Throw in Katshir’s absence, again lost for the season to injury, and Penn State had just four linebackers who appeared in all nine games.
(For reference, Penn State had a rotation of six in 2019, five in 2018, and five in 2017 until Manny Bowen bailed at the season’s end.)
A matter of necessity rather than choice, the conversation this offseason at the position has centered on one simple reality. Even though Dixon transferred in the offseason, Penn State is confident that not only does it have experienced, talented players at linebacker, but also that those players will, at last, be utilized at the positions at which they’re most comfortable and capable.
“I’m excited about the transition. I think Curtis bring some things to the Sam position that we didn't have. Athletically very fluid, good space player. He was a wide receiver at times in high school. He's got great ball skills,” Pry said. “Then Brandon, you know, putting him in the boundary at Micah's spot, he's very long and physical. I just think those two guys are really owning those spots and I think we're improved in both areas.”
One more note of consequence here with the conversation regarding Luketa’s potential move to defensive end.
Our understanding is that the senior is poised to be on the field quite a bit this season in something of a hybrid role, and potentially even as the starting Mike. Despite missing the spring while recuperating from offseason surgery, Luketa is going to get a shot to compete with Brooks to earn the starting job at Mike.
If Luketa were to win that battle, a rotation with Ellis - who isn’t *not* going to play - would create the opportunities to then move Luketa to end. Should Ellis win the starting job, Luketa’s opportunities at end wouldn’t preclude him from appearing as the backup Mike.
Bottom line, they’re both going to play quite a bit this season, but in roles for which they’re well-suited.
Last edited:
