Among young safeties, Sutherland 'packs a punch'

Before even taking the field for spring practices in March, head coach James Franklin claimed safety Jonathan Sutherland as a returning starter for the 2019 season.

The rising redshirt sophomore, coming off a debut campaign in which he played in all of Penn State’s 13 games but started only once, had proven himself a valuable contributor to the Nittany Lions’ defense.

His 38 tackles were 11th on the team, complemented by a forced fumble and pass breakup, and Franklin expressed confidence at having an experienced group returning at both safety positions.

“We're really excited about (Lamont) Wade, what Wade's done this off-season. Really excited about what (John) Petrishen has done. He's healthy, probably for the first time in his career over a length of time,” said Franklin. “And Sutherland just continues to show up and make plays in a lot of different areas on defense, especially. So, it's going to be great competition.”

For his part, Sutherland’s work toward making an impact this spring began long before taking the field for practices in March.

Saying he’s taken “major strides” since the end of his debut campaign in 2018, Sutherland worked to improve his standing in all facets of the game, on and off the field.

“It all started with winter workouts, getting that conditioning and strength and speed work,” said Sutherland, “and then just watching it correlate and translate to spring ball.”

Capable of playing both the field and boundary positions, according to Nick Scott this spring, Sutherland has demonstrated a versatility that could ultimately come in handy for Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator Brent Pry.

Appearing in sets this spring alongside both Garrett Taylor and Wade, Sutherland figures to be a big part of Penn State’s defensive picture this fall, regardless of designation.

“Jonathan is extremely smart, so he knows both sides. In terms of what it takes to play at strong safety, if he gets a little better in space, which I think he'll only keep improving with seeing guys like K.J. and everything every day, he should be able to be interchangeable,” said Scott. “He's got a great motor. He loves to attack the ball. He's just got a little bit of that Marcus Allen in him when he comes down hill and tackles. He packs a punch.”

How that skill set manifests itself this fall remains to be seen, but the physicality previewed throughout the winter months has again demonstrated itself this spring. Having put in the time to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses, he said, working on both to become his best, Sutherland has high aspirations for the season ahead.

And it’s caught the attention of his teammates.

“Coach Banks right now, he has pretty much all of us playing a little bit of both boundary and field safety. So Sutherland has been getting reps at those. But he's been looking really good this spring,” said Taylor. “Obviously, he's real physical. He knows his playbook well and I think he has a high football IQ that allows him to play fast. So I like what he's shown so far this spring and Coach Banks has continued to try to challenge him with his man coverage... and I think he's taking steps in the right direction in terms of that, for sure.”

And of those teammates, coming off a 2018 season that saw steady improvement from the start of the year until its conclusion?

Sutherland has high expectations there, as well.

“As a defense, I think we're the best we've ever been since I've been here going into spring ball,” he said. “So I'm real excited about that. We got a lot of young guys who are ready to step up.”

Including, it seems, himself.