Penn State football roundtable: Which player will break out in 2021? Here are our picks
Penn State football’s season opener is just over three weeks away, and that means it’s time to project some key categories for the Nittany Lions in 2021.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be projecting potential standout players and the team’s record.
We begin this week with our projections for player most likely to break out in 2021.
Jon Sauber: TE Theo Johnson
There might not be a more talented player on Penn State’s offense than Theo Johnson. The 6-foot-6, 256-pound tight end looks the part of a player ready to burst onto the scene this season. He’s clearly added bulk to an already massive frame and has as much athleticism as any tight end who’s played for the Nittany Lions in recent memory. Johnson is the ultimate weapon for an offensive coordinator like Mike Yurcich.
He can scatter the sophomore’s snaps all over the field. He can line up in the slot and beat up on safeties, linebackers and nickel cornerbacks with his speed. He can line up on the outside and out-muscle cornerbacks, using his frame to box them out when he can’t get past them. He can line up attached to the line and run shorter routes to present redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford with a massive safety valve.
Wherever Yurcich decides to use Johnson, he’ll likely have an advantage. He has the size, speed, strength and athleticism to figure out a way to win 1-on-1 matchups, not to mention the length and ball skills he possesses that will allow him to snatch the ball out of the air in front of defenders.
Johnson may not start Week 1 against Wisconsin, but it’s hard to imagine him not forcing his way onto the field sooner rather than later. There’s a world where he’s the team’s second-leading receiver this season behind senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
Kyle J. Andrews: TE/H-Back Brenton Strange
Brenton Strange’s skill set is different from the likes of Pat Freiermuth and Mike Gesicki, but the redshirt sophomore tight end could wreak havoc in a different way. Strange, standing at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, could be deployed in more of an H-Back role. He caught 17 passes for 164 yards and two touchdown grabs last season after Freiermuth went down with an injury after four games.
In offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s bag of tricks is using a fullback in the play-action pass. Strange could be used in 12 or 13 personnel with Theo Johnson also in tow. The young pass-catching duo could have Johnson split out wide to post up corners, safeties and linebackers, while Strange works the middle of the field. Strange also converted on 17/20 of his targets without any drops.
Quarterback Sean Clifford is adept at finding his tight ends, so expect Strange to have a strong 2021 season.
Josh Moyer: TE Theo Johnson
Forgive the platitudes, but let’s agree on something first. When it comes to picking a breakout player, you need two things — opportunity and ability. And the 6-foot-6 and 256-pound tight end has plenty of both.
Let’s start off with the obvious. With the departure of all-time great Pat Freiermuth, who was picked in the second round of the NFL draft, Johnson will have an opportunity to make an impact here. Granted, the more experienced Brenton Strange could earn the starting nod early in the season — but Johnson, a second-year player, has the higher upside. By far. And that brings me to my second point and main reason the former top-100 overall recruit is my breakout pick: He’s good. Really, really good.
In 2019, at The Opening Finals, Johnson was the fastest prospect over 220 pounds there. He can currently run in the 4.6s in the 40-yard dash — making him faster than Freiermuth (4.72) was in 2019 — and Johnson already boasts the size and athleticism to intimidate Big Ten defenders. His position coach has already labeled him “explosive,” and, given the fact he wasn’t 100% last season and the difficulties associated with COVID-19, he’s bound to make a big jump in 2021. Don’t wait; hop aboard the hype train now.
Lauren Muthler: LB Brandon Smith
When I think of Brandon Smith, the first thing that comes to mind is one of his very first hits for Penn State — when he smacked an Idaho receiver into oblivion his true freshman season. He went on to have a solid freshman campaign, then stepped up last season after star linebacker Micah Parsons opted out, leading the team with eight tackles for loss, to go along with 37 tackles (15 solo), two sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.
However, I believe the best is still yet to come with Smith.
Like former Penn State stars Parsons and Odafe Oweh before him, Smith landed a spot on The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s annual football “Freaks List,” — at No. 32 for 2021 — reportedly posting a 10-5 broad jump, 36-inch vertical and a 4.25 shuttle run time. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound former five-star recruit should be feeling even more confident in his starting role this season. With senior Jesse Luketa set to split his time between linebacker and defensive end, Smith will have the opportunity to separate himself as the undisputed leader of the linebackers.
Derek Heid: LB Brandon Smith
The junior from Louisa, Virginia, has been an extremely entertaining linebacker to watch since his first days on campus when he would dish out punishment for fun as a true freshman. Students would stare in amazement from the south end zone in 2019 as Smith’s hits echoed throughout Beaver Stadium.
He is now entering his third season on the team, and second as a starter, but this will be the first time he gets a full offseason of training for that role under his belt. In addition to the pandemic, he was thrust into the starting spot as a surprise after Micah Parsons decided to forgo the season.
The 6’3, 241 lbs. former 247Sports five-star prospect has all of the tools to be the next big name to come out of Linebacker U. His first season ended with 37 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, all of which I would look at to improve even more with a full season in 2021.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 1:51 PM.
