Here are five Penn State football seniors who have something to prove in 2021
Penn State football is looking to rebound from one of its worst seasons in decades and will need several veterans to step up and produce to do so. The Nittany Lions have an experienced and talented roster but need production out of a few positions where experience may not be enough.
Let’s take a look at five seniors who could step up for the program in 2021.
Redshirt senior LB Ellis Brooks
Ellis Brooks has helped stabilize the middle of the defense in his time as a starter, but there’s still room for growth for the inside linebacker. He’s been good against the run in his career, especially in 2020, but can take a few steps forward in pass coverage.
The redshirt senior struggled when opponents decided to throw the ball for a few reasons. He isn’t the best athlete in the world — which is at the root of his struggles in man coverage — but his instincts in the run game also haven’t translated to the passing game at this point. He’s found himself out of position far too often when the team is in zone coverage. That’s allowed opponents to pick on him when the Nittany Lions drop into zone.
Staying steady in those situations and showing he can play well in zone will help, even if it’s unlikely that he excels in man coverage.
Redshirt senior WR Cam Sullivan-Brown
Cam Sullivan-Brown’s career has been marred with injuries to this point and time is winding down for him to make the imprint he’s capable of making. The redshirt senior has produced very little on the field to this point, but it’s hard to fault him for it. The injuries he’s dealt with have either kept him off the field or kept him from getting into a rhythm on it.
He has 13 catches in his career for 119 yards and has yet to score a touchdown. However, he was named a starter heading into the 2020 season but nothing came of the eight games he appeared in when it comes to producing. Sullivan-Brown is a savvy route runner who can create space and has the strength to be a threat with the ball in his hands. This may be his final opportunity to prove he can be an impactful wide receiver.
Redshirt senior QB Sean Clifford
Much has been made of Sean Clifford’s lackluster performance in 2020, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a chance to turn things around. The redshirt senior is now a third-year starter and will be learning under the most high-profile offensive coordinator since he took the reins from Trace McSorley. Mike Yurcich has turned worse quarterbacks than Clifford into quality starters and there’s no reason to believe he can’t take a quarterback with Clifford’s arm strength and athleticism to a level beyond that.
The real question is whether he can do it quickly enough. Yurcich will only have one offseason and preseason to work with Clifford before the quarterback enters what could be his final year at Penn State
He needs to clean up his footwork and his composure under pressure to take the step under Yurcich. While he’s had success in the past, the senior quarterback may have more to prove than any single player on Penn State’s roster this season.
Redshirt senior DT Fred Hansard
Fred Hansard has become a bit of a forgotten name at defensive tackle for Penn State. He’s been in the shadow of P.J. Mustipher and Antonio Shelton for the past few seasons, but the redshirt senior has a chance to prove he deserves a starting role this season.
Hansard can fill a role that not many other Nittany Lions can along the defensive front as a space eater who can occupy blocks to free up pass rushers and to allow linebackers to fill in open gaps. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 309 pounds and has proven he has the strength to be that type of defensive tackle. The loss of Adisa Isaac to injury gives the line one less player who can win in 1-on-1 situations, making it even more imperative that sack opportunities are schemed up.
One way to do that would be to have Hansard eat up blocks and give his teammates more openings. He’ll need to provide more than just space-eating, but if he can do that he’ll have a chance to carve out a nice role this season.
Senior DE/LB Jesse Luketa
Jesse Luketa has something to prove for a different reason than the previous four players. The senior is learning a new position this season and he’ll have to prove he can become adept at defensive end while maintaining the same level of play he showed in his time as a linebacker.
His transition to being a part-time defensive end is even more important with Isaac expected to miss the season. Luketa now steps into what could be a large role at defensive end. He has the length and athleticism to make an impact off the edge as a pass rusher for Penn State, it’s just a matter of refining his technique and making plays with consistency.
If he plays well enough on the line, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if his snaps at linebacker became limited. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll need to show he can balance playing both positions at a high enough level to make up for any depth concerns at either spot. For Luketa, 2021 will be about proving his versatility.
