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Banks, Franklin optimistic about Penn State's safeties

The list of names wore on and on as Tim Banks, meeting with the media after Penn State's practice on Wednesday night, gave his obligatory assessment of the Nittany Lions' options at safety.

Obviously, there's Lamont Wade and Jaquan Brisker — both projected starters. Then there's Jonathan Sutherland, who saw plenty of snaps last season. Then comes Ji'Ayir Brown, an exciting junior college product.

That has to cover it, right? Wrong.

Don't forget about Trent Gordon, who is making the transition from cornerback to safety. To round it off, there's Tyler Rudolph, a redshirt freshman who Banks said has shown flashes so far in camp.

"I think, for me, this is the most depth that I've had since I've been here and I'm really excited about having it," Banks said.

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Penn State safety Lamont Wade makes a tackle against Michigan State last season.
Penn State safety Lamont Wade makes a tackle against Michigan State last season.
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It might be more talent than the Nittany Lions can regularly use in those two safety spots, despite an overall defensive philosophy that makes them more keen to rotate than many other defenses around the country.

Seven different players saw game time at safety last season for the Nittany Lions. Starters Garrett Taylor and Lamont Wade each hovered around 775 snaps at the position, while Brisker saw 470 and Sutherland saw 167 in backup roles.

Wade's versatility could create an opportunity for others inside the safety room.

He's Penn State's primary option at the slot corner spot in a nickel defense, where Wade can showcase traits unique to his game.

"We think he's the ultimate nickel," Banks said, "because of the cover ability, the physicality. He's super competitive. That guy is on an island a lot of times and you require a lot of things from him, so not only must he have physical traits, but he also needs to be able to think and adjust like a linebacker.

"We're gonna take advantage of every skill set that he has, from pressuring with him, from covering with him, just getting him involved. It's a critical piece to our defense and it's one that he's embodied and he's taken and run with it."

Like Wade, Brisker — the other pillar of Penn State's safeties room — brings his own unique attributes, starting with his ball skills.

Penn State was in the bottom half of the Big Ten last season with 10 interceptions, trailing Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan State and Illinois.

Brisker accounted for two of those despite playing in a reserve role, and figures to have plenty more chances to make plays on the pigskin this season.

"I think there's a lot of excitement in our program for Jaquan," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "He looks unbelievable. He just developed so much. I think we all know typically you see a dramatic change of those junior college players in year two, and we see that with him.

"He's an impressive looking guy right now and he's making a bunch of plays on the ball. We're getting our hands on so many more balls in practice than we have in the past, which I'm excited about. It's been a real point of emphasis with us, especially on the back end with our defensive backs, and I'm seeing their hard work start to pay off."

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