Back from injury, Tariq Castro-Fields ready to lead Nittany Lions' corners

As is always the case at Penn State, the injury that Tariq Castro-Fields suffered midway through the 2019 season was not elaborated upon, beyond an acknowledgement that it had happened. Both the coaching staff and Castro-Fields himself declined to get into the specifics, and even though nearly a year has since passed, their reticence has barely changed. During the Nittany Lions’ virtual media days last week, the senior cornerback was reluctant even to acknowledge that his on-field performance had been impacted all that much.

“The injury was the injury,” he said. “Some things happened. I’m not going to say how much it affected me, because to me there are no excuses. I still was on the field. I wouldn’t say it hindered things, but it’s just the way life goes.”

His position coach, Terry Smith, was more forthcoming this past spring, conceding that there was a before-and-after aspect to Castro-Fields’ junior campaign. “The first half of the season, he came out of the gate looking like a first-round draft pick,” Smith said. “He played very well and then he suffered an injury. And from that injury on, he was a different player. He wasn’t as confident, he wasn’t as sure of himself.”

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Castro-Fields’ defensive teammates didn’t look entirely sure of themselves either at times. The Lions suffered a series of late-season breakdowns that led to big plays in the passing game, particularly in a 31-26 loss to Minnesota that derailed their College Football Playoff hopes. They finished the year ranked 13th in the Big Ten and 100th in the Football Bowl Subdivision, having allowed 251.5 passing yards per game.

In order for that number to improve, several factors will have to dovetail, one of the most important being Castro-Fields’ return to full health. Fortunately for PSU, it doesn’t look as though that’s going to be a concern. “I feel great right now,” he said. “I’m flying around. I feel great, feeling better than ever.”

Having played in 37 games during his first three seasons at Penn State, the 6-foot-0, 195-pound Castro-Fields is the veteran in an otherwise youthful cornerback group. Sophomores Keaton Ellis and Marquis Wilson and redshirt freshmen Joey Porter Jr. and Daequan Hardy are battling for playing time in preseason camp, and coach James Franklin said he appreciates the impact that Castro-Fields has had on them.

“We feel really good about that group, and Tariq leads the group,” Franklin said during a recent appearance on the Penn State Coaches Show. “He’s been a tremendous player, and he’s also been a tremendous leader. He’s a culture-driver in our program. I think Tariq is going to have a huge year.”

Two priorities for Castro-Fields and the rest of the Nittany Lions’ defensive backs during preseason camp have been communication and opportunism.

Castro-Fields said that many of the defense’s problems last year had to do with blown assignments that could have been prevented if everyone had been in sync before the ball was snapped. “If you saw a lot of those big plays, there was probably a person who was out of place,” he said. “So I’m really trying to emphasize, and the leaders of our defense are trying to emphasize always communicating. For me, it would be with the Will [linebacker] and the free safety. If we’re on the same page, then everything is cool. But if one person is off of that page, that’s when big plays happen, because there’s either a hole in the zone or maybe the safety isn’t overtop, whatever it may be. So communication is the biggest thing that can eliminate big plays.”

One other way to eliminate those plays is to cut short opponents’ possessions by generating takeaways. The Nittany Lions were tied for eighth place in the Big Ten last season with 10 interceptions. To Castro-Fields, who finished with two of those takeaways, that’s not enough. “I know we had a couple of dropped picks last year,” he said, “so we’ve all been trying to get a lot of JUGS work.”

Added Franklin, “One of the things that we work very hard with all of the defensive backs is those guys understanding and buying into getting on the JUGS machine and catching as many balls as possible. Because, at the end of the day, defending the pass and pass breakups are great, but the guys who are most impactful and the guys who have an opportunity to really change our season here at Penn State, and also change the trajectory of their careers at the next level, are guys who can create interceptions and even score on defense. Tariq has the ability to do that, and we’ve really been emphasizing that. So I think that’s the next step for our defense is not only to challenge more routes, but also have the confidence to go make the play and actually intercept the ball.”

With three career interceptions, 21 passes defensed and 10 tackles for loss, Castro-Fields did enough in his first three seasons to consider leaving early for the NFL. He said that when the season was in limbo, he weighed his options and thought about moving on. But now that the Lions are set to begin their season later this month at Indiana, he’s eager to play one more year of college football.

“I’m just grateful that I get another opportunity to strap up the pads and practice and play on Oct. 24,” he said. “It’s been a while, so I’m extremely excited for sure.”

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