Published Apr 13, 2024
Penn State Blue White Game Notebook: Defensive Edition
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Dylan Callaghan-Croley  •  Happy Valley Insider
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After discussing the Penn State offense in Saturday's annual Blue White Game, we turn our attention to the Nittany Lions defense.

A season ago, the Nittany Lions had one of the country's top defenses but said goodbye to defensive coordinator Manny Diaz who took the head coach opening at Duke. Now, former Indiana head coach Tom Allen has taken over the controls of the defense.

Below, we go over a handful of notes regarding the Nittany Lions defense but overall there wasn't a ton to take away from Saturday's spring game when it comes to the Nittany Lions' defense.

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DEFENSIVE END

The big standout on the defensive line for the Nittany Lion was defensive end Abdul Carter.

The former linebacker seemed to have zero issues in making the transition from linebacker this spring. On Saturday, Carter showed off a consistent quick first step that allowed him to get into the Nittany Lions backfield routinely. It's a spring game and everything should be taken with a grain of salt but it was a strong first impression for Carter at his new position. If Saturday was a glimpse of what can be expected this fall, the Nittany Lions will have a deadly defensive end duo in Dani Dennis-Sutton and Carter.

Amin Vanover was another standout performer in the game including picking off an Ethan Grunkemeyer pass at the line of scrimmage, as was Jameial Lyons, who both James Franklin and Abdul Carter spoke highly of following Saturday's spring game.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

At defensive tackle, DeAndre Cook and Dvon Ellies were among the top standouts. Cook, a true freshman, had a trio of tackles while Ellies also had three tackles and one tackle for loss. With all four of their top defensive tackles in 2023 set to return this upcoming fall, the Nittany Lions interior defensive line should be one of the best in the country.

LINEBACKER

There probably wasn't a single major standout in Saturday's spring game at linebacker for Penn State but a few players did have quality performances. Dominic DeLuca and Tyler Elsdon were both solid as they'll both see plenty of time this fall. Younger players including Tony Rojas, Kaveon Keys, and Kari Jackson all were solid in the game as well.

There will be a lot of eyes on the linebacker room in fall camp with the departure of Curits Jacobs and Abdul Carter moving to defensive end.

CORNERBACK

Georgia transfer AJ Harris was really impressive in his first extensive showing in front of the media and fans. Even though Harris spent only a season with Georgia, you can see that time spent at UGA paying off in his development. He's got a strong football IQ, has strong play recognition skills and is quick to the ball. He would've had multiple tackles for loss in Saturday's game and also looked good in coverage. Penn State fans should be excited about what Harris could bring to the table this season.

Walk-on Kolin Dinkins also had a nice performance including a sack and a would-be pick-six that was negated due to the coaching staff calling a sack on Beau Pribula. True freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter also flashed at times. Even with being called for pass interference at one point in the game, he looked good in coverage and could see the field at times this fall.

The cornerback room will have to replace a trio of starters before the fall but there is plenty of talent from top to bottom in cornerbacks coach Terry Smith's room. There may be some speed bumps early but ultimately this should be a strong cornerback group again next fall.

SAFETY

Redshirt freshman safety DaKarri Nelson certainly flashed quite a bit during the game. He's definitely on the bigger side for a safety but he's athletic and moves well for his size. Sophomore King Mack who played last fall for the Nittany Lions as a true freshman also looked good on Saturday. Notably, Mack also was the "returner" for the beginning of the second half kickoff.

The Nittany Lions safety room should be a strength once again this fall. Notably, KJ Wallace was out for this one after being banged up this spring with what appeared to be some sort of lower arm or hand injury as shown in social media postings earlier this spring.