Here are five Penn State football underclassmen who can step up in the 2021 season
Penn State football’s roster is littered with youth at several positions. The Nittany Lions have several players who can contribute this season despite their relative lack of playing time at the collegiate level.
Let’s take a look at five young players in particular who could contribute at a high level this season for Penn State.
Redshirt freshman DE Zuriah Fisher
Zuriah Fisher may not have been a legitimate option here if Adisa Isaac wasn’t likely to miss the season due to injury. Alas, Isaac is out and Fisher is now in position to potentially capitalize. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound redshirt freshman began his career as a linebacker, but quickly added the weight and strength to play defensive end.
He’s a good athlete who showed that off in high school, but will need that athleticism to translate to the defensive front. Fisher has the length to go with that athleticism, and that alone gives him upside as a pass rusher. He’ll need to put that together with pass rush moves to allow him to flourish. He’ll be competing with veterans like redshirt junior Nick Tarburton and senior Jesse Luketa, but Fisher will have a chance to contribute this season.
Sophomore RB Caziah Holmes
Penn State once again boasts one of the best running back rooms in the country and sophomore Caziah Holmes could prove to be an important piece of that room. Holmes is arguably the team’s most dynamic runner and best receiving back, giving him the opportunity to succeed in specific situations when called upon.
The sophomore could see plenty of work in passing situations because of his ability as a receiver and in the open field. While he may not yet be the between-the-tackles runner that Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee are, Holmes operates extremely well in space and that could be particularly useful with Mike Yurcich calling plays. Yurcich likes to get his playmakers into space and let them go to work, and Holmes could be one of those playmakers this season.
Sophomore LB Curtis Jacobs
Curtis Jacobs already showed he can play in the Big Ten last season as a true freshman. This is less about his ability to contribute and more about the leap he could take in his second year. Jacobs was an average linebacker last year — high praise considering he was a true freshman playing without a real preseason camp — and could take the next step this season.
The opportunity will be there for the freshman because the team lacks depth at linebacker and he has more than enough talent to take advantage. You’d be hard pressed to find a linebacker on the Penn State roster who can operate in coverage like Jacobs, who played safety in high school and who added the requisite strength to play the run well. That’s quite the combination for a true sophomore.
Freshman CB Kalen King
Penn State could go five deep at cornerback this season and could do so with confidence that the level of play wouldn’t take a steep decline without the starters on the field. That makes it even more impressive that one of those five should be a true freshman. Kalen King wasted little time making an impression when he arrived on campus in January, immediately drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates alike.
He followed that up by putting his talent on display in the team’s two open spring practices. He showed in those practices that he can hang with any wide receiver across from him. That includes senior receiver Jahan Dotson — one of the best wide outs in the country. King should see most of his time on the outside and would start for plenty of teams, but the two incumbents at corner — Tariq Castro-Fields and Joey Porter Jr. — are one of the best corner duos in the Big Ten. Still, King should be able to make an impact, even if he doesn’t start a single game this season.
Sophomore WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith
The top two wide receivers are locked in for the 2021 season for Penn State. Dotson and sophomore Parker Washington are the undisputed starters after the duo combined for 1,373 yards and 14 touchdowns on 88 receptions in the shortened 2020 season. Beyond those two, things get murkier.
That’s where sophomore KeAndre Lambert-Smith should be able to step in and earn an even bigger role in his second season on campus. Lambert-Smith started five of the team’s nine games in 2020 but was relatively quiet statistically. He finished the year with 15 catches for 138 yards and didn’t do much to separate himself from the pack at receiver. This year — after a full offseason in the strength and conditioning program — the sophomore should take a big step. He remains one of the quickest players on the team and should prove he can step up with teams focusing on Dotson and Washington this season.
