Can Penn State’s defense be elite in 2019, and what should fans expect?

Camp opens for Penn State on Friday and, in preparation, we’re tackling the biggest questions facing the Nittany Lions every day until then. Up today: Can Penn State’s defense carry the offense in 2019, and what should fans expect?

The Nittany Lions have plenty of question marks on offense. But, on defense, this group has a chance to be one of the nation’s best.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos is a potential top-10 NFL draft pick, and both DE Jayson Oweh and LB Micah Parsons landed on Bruce Feldman’s annual “College Football Freaks” list. At virtually every level of the defense, there’s a game-changer.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there are zero question marks to this defense. But the talent is immense.

So let’s break it down:

What are the question marks, and how much will those hinder the defense?

Question marks aren’t necessarily weaknesses. (Even Saquon Barkley was a question mark in the summer of 2015.) But James Franklin acknowledged during Big Ten media days that both safety and defensive tackle are where the uncertainty comes in to play.

Both positions will have to rely on new contributors. At defensive tackle, Kevin Givens’ early departure to the NFL was a big loss and, at safety, Nick Scott’s leadership and experience will be sorely missed.

But, thanks to Franklin’s penchant for recruiting and Brent Pry’s ability to develop, there’s some talent waiting in the wings. Redshirt junior Antonio Shelton (6-foot-2, 311 pounds), who played in every game last year, will likely take over for Givens — and sophomore P.J. Mustipher (6-foot-4, 311 pounds) should see plenty of time, potentially even pushing Shelton.

Outside of Mustipher, the backups are unproven and inexperienced. But Shelton liked what he’s seen in the offseason, especially praising redshirt sophomore Damion Barber.

“I feel like Damion is going to shock a lot of people,” Shelton said earlier this month. “Just from what we’ve all seen and what we know of him, Damion folds people in half in practice. I’ve seen it. ... As long as he can be consistent with that, then the coaches will be able to be like, ‘OK, we can throw him out there.’ But Damion has really come a long way; he’s as strong as an ox.”

That’s pretty high praise for a defensive tackle who might, at best, see the fourth-most snaps out of the position.

The most intense position battle in camp should come from safety, however. Garrett Taylor will be penciled in as one starter, but who will start alongside him? At this point, corner-turned-safety Lamont Wade likely has the edge — but that might not last much longer.

JUCO safety Jaquan Brisker wasn’t brought in from Lackawanna to sit on the bench for two seasons. He’s competing for a starting job and, according to strength coach Dwight Galt, he added 15 pounds within his first seven weeks of arriving on campus. “Brisker’s a stud,” Galt added. “He’s a big, strong, fast, athletic safety.”

It’s not just a two-man competition either. Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Sutherland played in every game last year — and even started against Iowa — so there are plenty of options to replace Scott. The drop-off, if any, at this position should be pretty marginal.

As far as defensive tackle, yes, a drop-off is expected. It’s nearly impossible to replace the athleticism of Givens. But the good news for Penn State is its defensive coordinator is no dummy. In situational downs last season, Pry broke out four-DE sets. And, if Givens’ replacement struggles, Pry will adjust. It also certainly doesn’t hurt that defensive end is stacked this season or that the linebackers are expected to take a big step forward. That should help hide some of the shortcomings of the interior.

Who are the starters, and who’s poised to break out?

Let’s project the starters first and then talk about breakouts.

DE: Yetur Gross-Matos, Shaka Toney

DT: Robert Windsor, Antonio Shelton

LB: Cam Brown, Jan Johnson, Micah Parsons

CB: John Reid, Tariq Castro-Fields

S: Garrett Taylor, Lamont Wade OR Jaquan Brisker

There are literally a half-dozen players that one could argue for “breakout” status. But let’s keep it to the three biggest candidates — who aren’t starting.

The first candidate will find his way on every major national breakout list this season: redshirt freshman Oweh. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound athlete is still relatively new to football; he was a basketball player who was forced to take up football for two seasons because his new high school required two sports.

His freakish athletic feats are reminiscent of Anthony Zettel. Oweh ran a hand-timed 4.33-second 40-yard dash this offseason and, even if that time might be a bit inaccurate, just know he was previously clocked in the 4.4s. He boasts less than 5 percent body fat, has a vertical jump of 36.5 inches and benches 380 pounds. Definite “freak” territory.

In the first college game of his career, in limited time, he had two sacks and a QB hurry. He’s still raw and he’s still learning the game, but he’s also so talented that he can make an impact even before he figures it all out.

For our second breakout, let’s just keep it with the defensive ends. As a former five-star prospect, redshirt junior Shane Simmons is another candidate. He hasn’t had the career many expected, but an injury in camp last year derailed the first half of his season and he never recovered in 2018.

He’s healthy now, and he gained nine pounds since his listed weight at the Blue-White Game. He’s now up to 259 pounds, and he’s not just a pass-rushing specialist anymore. Shelton said he’s stronger than most people think.

Simmons doesn’t have the ceiling of an Oweh, but defensive line coach Sean Spencer loves to rotate his “wild dogs” — and Simmons will have an opportunity.

The other breakout candidate has to come at linebacker, and it’s close between Jesse Luketa and Ellis Brooks. Luketa might’ve shown more improvement this offseason, but Brooks should have more opportunity.

Luketa won’t usurp Brown or Parsons from their starting outside spots, but it’s not unfathomable to see Brooks pushing Johnson at MLB later in the season. Brooks is a leader — he was a first lieutenant in his Corps of Cadets in high school — and, as a redshirt sophomore, he’s ready to step up if called upon.

Where is the defense’s ceiling? How good can it be?

Penn State’s defense has the potential to be one of the nation’s top 10.

Some analysts and reporters have been even more zealous in their assessments. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller projected the Nittany Lions’ defense at No. 2 behind Alabama this season.

Granted, the defense wasn’t perfect in 2018. Missed tackles were an issue, the ends struggled setting the edge early on, and the defense gave up scores at clutch moments. But, overall, this was still the nation’s No. 23 scoring defense and No. 34 total defense — and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be better this year.

There was clear improvement down the stretch, and last season’s breakouts are now on virtually every major preseason watch list.

Gross-Matos and Parsons are both All-America candidates this season, and the Nittany Lions haven’t had a defensive player earn that honor since Carl Nassib in 2015. The last time Penn State had two defensive All-Americans in one season was 2007, with linebackers Sean Lee and Dan Connor. So that’s the kind of unique potential this year’s group has.

This defense is good enough to carry the offense — but Penn State is hoping it won’t have to.