Depth chart breakdown: Here’s where Penn State football stands at defensive tackle in 2021

Penn State football’s defensive line will face turnover in the 2021 season. The unit will replace both starters at defensive end, and a longtime starter at defensive tackle.

That means there’s an opportunity for players to step up and improve the unit from last season, depending on how they play.

Let’s take a look at how the team shapes up at defensive tackle for the upcoming season.

Projected starters

Senior PJ Mustipher and redshirt sophomore Hakeem Beamon

Penn State had two stalwarts at defensive tackle with PJ Mustipher and Antonio Shelton both starting all nine games last season. Mustipher returns, but Shelton entered the transfer portal in the offseason and will play his final year of eligibility at Florida. Now the team will have to find a new starter on the interior who can pair well with Mustipher — and potentially help him reach greater heights.

No player is in a better position to fill the void left by Shelton than redshirt sophomore Hakeem Beamon. Beamon appeared in all eight games last season and flashed upside as a pass rusher from the interior and even some ability on the outside as a defensive end if necessary.

The redshirt sophomore has good height at 6-foot-3 but is slightly undersized at 273 pounds. That size isn’t as much of a disadvantage in the passing game, where he uses his athleticism to get to the quarterback and collapse the pocket. He can get by bigger guards and centers with his quickness and rush moves. The defensive tackle gets inside the grip of linemen and doesn’t allow them to get their hands on him — where he’s at a disadvantage because he has less strength than bulkier defensive tackles. Instead, he uses his quickness and explosive first step to create pressure up the middle, dismantling the pocket from the inside.

He isn’t as effective in the running game because he lacks high level strength at his current weight, but he can be effective when linemen pull and trap if he can slip into the vacated gap using his quickness.

Mustipher is much more well-rounded than Beamon, but doesn’t have the same upside as a pass rusher. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 323 pounds and carries that weight very well. Mustipher was a wrestler in high school and uses those skills to win with leverage and hand fight at a high level on the interior. He’s a good athlete but relies more on his strength than his quickness to win individual battles.

The redshirt senior is still good against the pass, even though he only has two career sacks. Instead of getting his hands on the quarterback, Mustipher creates pressure by collapsing the pocket. He gets good push up the middle, forcing linemen back into the quarterback’s airspace and making it difficult for them to get off a pass cleanly without moving their feet. That type of disruption can be as effective as getting pressure off the edge in some instances.

Mustipher is still very good against the run, where his size and ability to get leverage makes him especially effective. He holds up offensive linemen and can shed blocks in the run game by fighting with his hands and knocking away blocks when opponents reach to get their hands on him. Mustipher is never going to be an elite pass rusher but is a high level starter because of his complete game as a defensive tackle.

Key backups

Senior Derrick Tangelo and redshirt senior Fred Hansard

The Nittany Lions’ starters should see plenty of time on the field but the nature of the position means the team’s backups will also get their fare share of snaps. It will be difficult to replicate the exact skillsets of the two starters because of their athleticism and size, but the team’s two primary backups are suitable to replace both Mustipher and Beamon.

Derrick Tangelo is the best option to replace Beamon and could potentially start over him — especially early in the season. Tangelo has plenty of experience as a senior heading into his fifth year after the NCAA granted all athletes an extra year of eligibility. He has 4.5 career sacks in four seasons playing at Duke, including two in the 2020 season.

He can rush quarterbacks from the inside and has good size at 6-foot-2, 307 pounds to hold up in the running game. The real test for Tangelo will be his ability to hold up against offensive linemen in the Big Ten that are generally stronger while having less athleticism than offensive linemen in the ACC. He could be an important part of the team’s defense if he shows he can provide the pass rushing ability the team could get from Beamon.

Fred Hansard is much more of a traditional nose tackle. He’s 6-foot-3, 313 pounds but has much more strength than athleticism as a lineman. Hansard is a space eater in the run game, where he can occupy multiple blockers rather than actually making the play himself. The same can be said for his impact in the passing game, where he should allow pass rushers around him — both on the interior and edges — to get 1-on-1 matchups with opponents.

The redshirt senior will likely rack up fewer tackles, tackles for loss and sacks than his teammates but is likely to play a role in them getting their stops because he can occupy multiple blockers.

Freshman to watch

Redshirt freshman Amin Vanover

Amin Vanover is the player most similar to Beamon on the defensive line and could potentially make an impact if the team wants a more direct replacement for the redshirt sophomore — if he starts. The talented redshirt freshman has the same type of pass rushing upside, inside-out ability and size to take over for the projected starter when he heads to the bench.

Vanover is long and athletic along the interior and has continued adding weight as he’s spent more time on Penn State’s campus. The redshirt freshman is now listed at 276 pounds after being listed at 260 pounds as a recruit. That isn’t ideal weight, but it’s fairly similar to Beamon, although Vanover is an inch taller at 6-foot-4. He’s still likely to be behind both Tangelo and Hansard when the season starts but he’ll have a chance to make a legitimate impact if he can show he’s the best option when Beamon comes off the field for stretches.

This story was originally published July 10, 2021 at 10:10 AM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.