Penn State football assistant Tim Banks finding ‘creative’ ways to sort out position battles remotely
Penn State’s secondary will have to replace two of its four starters in 2020 after redshirt senior cornerback John Reid and redshirt senior safety Garrett Taylor exhausted their eligibility in 2019. The battle for both spots would usually take place during spring practice and fall camp, but with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that won’t be the case this year.
The Nittany Lions will have less on-field information to use to determine their starters, but they’ll still have the off-field aspect to consider. Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks has tried to keep competition up while his unit is spread out at their respective homes.
“We’re trying to be creative,” Banks said on a teleconference with the media Thursday morning. “We try to have some fun with (quizzes) and put them in a competitive situation that way. But obviously not being on the field or having an opportunity to just be around each other physically presents its only challenges that way.”
The competition will likely be between senior Jaquan Brisker and redshirt junior Jonathan Sutherland, with the winner starting next to senior Lamont Wade.
Wade started all 13 games last season next to Taylor and was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media. The senior safety was a leader for the Nittany Lions in 2019 and a player the defense fed off of when it needed energy.
“It takes time to learn what motivates him,” Banks said. “Lamont is super smart. He’s very motivated. He definitely wants to be the best version of himself he can possibly be ... All of the guys respect him because of his knowledge and because of his work ethic. This will be a big year for him from a leadership perspective. He was a guy that on Saturdays definitely brought all the energy and the guys could feed off him. But this year I expect him to take another step in helping the kids prepare throughout the week ... I’m excited about him.”
The winner of the competition won’t necessarily need to lead the position group, because of Wade, but Sutherland could potentially add an extra layer of it. The redshirt junior was a team captain last season for his special teams play.
Brisker hasn’t had the accolades Sutherland has in that regard, but he also hasn’t been on Penn State’s campus for nearly as long. Even though Brisker is a senior, he’s only entering his second year as a Nittany Lion after signing with Penn State as a college sophomore from Lackawanna Community College and entering the program as a true junior.
However, the senior safety impressed Banks in his lone season with the team.
“I thought he had a really good season given that he got there in the summer and had to try to learn it at a quick pace,” Banks said. “He did well. Brisker is a worker. He loves to work. He loves to play the game of football. I’m excited. I’m excited about the direction he’s headed ... In the winter conditioning, I thought every week he got better in terms of his stamina, his strength. Everything we asked him to do so far, he’s answered the bell.”
The two veterans will likely have the first crack at the job, but a new face in the safety room could find his way into the rotation later in the season.
Redshirt sophomore Trent Gordon, who has spent one more year on campus than Brisker, will have to impress Banks off the field with his knowledge of the position before he gets to show him what he can do on the field. The safety was listed at the position for the first time in Penn State’s latest roster after playing his first two seasons at cornerback.
Gordon’s position switch may not have been inevitable, but it was something the staff considered since recruiting him.
“We knew when we signed him it was a possibility he could be a corner or he could be a safety,” Banks said. “We’re excited to have an opportunity to bring him into our room ... He’s been trained to cover, he has the size, the speed to fit in the box as a safety. Obviously time will tell how much playing time he gets.”
Regardless of who wins the starting spot, Banks is confident in the group to not miss a beat, even after losing a player of Taylor’s caliber. And according to Banks, Taylor deserves a lot of the credit for that.
“Garrett was a tremendous player at Penn State and a great ambassador for the university in general,” Banks said. “He was a guy that (didn’t) just talk about wanting it all, but really walked it. Great student, really good in the community, and obviously he showed up on Saturdays and played at a high level. ... I feel like he’s done a great job of helping teach and mold some of the guys behind him.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
