Tag: 2021 Penn State preview

2021 Penn State depth chart projection: Tight end

Penn State has two high-quality options at tight end in 2021 to replace Pat Freiermuth. Projecting the depth chart at TE

Penn State has had a pretty good run of tight ends over the years. With Pat Freirmuth off to the NFL this season, there is a starting job left to be won in Penn State’s fall camp heading into the 2021 season.

Penn State’s depth at the tight end position may not be the deepest, but the position looks to be in pretty stable condition with Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson at the top of the depth chart. Both got playing time last season as freshmen, especially after Freiermuth was sidelined in the back half of the season due to injury.

Here’s what Penn State’s depth chart at the tight end position appears to look like for the upcoming 2021 season.

2021 Penn State depth chart projection: Safety

The status of the safety position at Penn State is pretty good. Projecting the depth chart in 2021…

The safety position together with the defensive backs assembled in Happy Valley is giving Penn State great confidence in the stability and performance of its defensive secondary. Like the defensive backs, Penn State received terrific offseason news with Jaquan Brisker announcing his decision to return for one more season in the blue and white, giving the Nittany Lions one of the best at his position, not just on the team but in the entire Big Ten and, arguably, the nation.

Brisker’s return was a significant one for the Nittany Lions. Having the luxury of having a talent with early NFL draft round projections gives Penn State a valuable asset in the defense. And like the defensive backs bringing back Tariq Castro-Fields, this allows Penn State to work the roster a little bit to address some other possible areas of concern with regard to depth and playmakers.

Penn State will be led with senior players at the safety position no matter who gets paired with Brisker, and the future of the position is already looking to be in solid shape.

So, with all of that in mind, here’s a look at how the safety position may pan out for the Nittany Lions this fall.

2021 Penn State depth chart projection: Defensive backs

Tariq Castro-Fields gives Penn State an experienced defensive back as a starter, but how does the rest of the DB depth look in 2021?

One strength Penn State should be able to rely on in the 2021 season will be in the defensive secondary. With key returning players in the backfield and a wealth of talent and potential in younger players on the roster, the stability of the secondary is one of Penn State’s best things going for it in the 2021 college football season.

The Big Ten is ripe with wide receiver talent with players like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson at Ohio State and Ty Fryfogle of Indiana and Ronnie Bell at Michigan. Penn State will face all of them in Big Ten East play.

Penn State may have one of the best safeties in the Big Ten in Jaquan Brisker, but the defensive backs are also in terrific shape with the return of Tariq Castro-Fields, the continued growth of players like Joey Porter Jr., and the arrival of freshman Kalen King. But how exactly will Penn State line up the defensive backs against an assortment of incredibly talented wide receivers in the Big Ten this season?

Here’s how the depth chart at defensive back may look for the Nittany Lions this fall.

2021 Penn State depth chart projection: Wide receiver

After Jahan Dotson, what does Penn State have to offer at the wide receiver position in 2021? Projecting the depth chart…

It won’t take long to predict who the starting wide receivers will be in 2021 for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State’s top three wide receivers from a year ago are back and figure to lock down the starting roles at the various receiver positions once again in 2021.

Among those leading receivers returning is Jahan Dotson. Dotson was the Big Ten’s leading receiver in 2020 with 884 receiving yards in nine games. Dotson also tied for the Big Ten lead in touchdown receptions (eight) with Purdue’s David Bell. Dotson is still sitting behind a handful of very talented wide receivers around the Big Ten on the national radar, perhaps because he benefitted from his Big Ten-leading stats by playing in more games than most other receivers around the conference. But Dotson is no player you want to overlook.

The 2020 season also saw the rise of Parker Washington as the team’s second-leading receiver. Washington is expected to be the second receiving option once again this fall, with KeAndre Lambert-Smith the most likely candidate to be the third starting receiver on the field for the Nittany Lions.

Finding playmakers has been a goal for the Penn State staff this offseason. Marquis Wilson has been given the opportunity to make some plays on offense, a luxury Penn State has the option of playing with considering the depth in the defensive secondary.

Here’s what the depth chart at wide receiver may look like for the Penn State offense this fall.

What Big Ten coaches anonymously said about Penn State in 2021

Find out what Big Ten coaches had to anonymously say about Penn State football in 2021

With Big Ten media days in the rearview mirror and fall camps opening up around the conference, all sights are now set on the start of the 2021 college football season. The Big Ten will officially get things started at the end of the month with Nebraska and Illinois kicking off their seasons against each other. Penn State will start the following week on the road against Wisconsin, and the Nittany Lions are hoping to return to what they believe their form is after a down 2020 season.

Expectations may be high in Happy Valley, and for some legitimately good reasons, but sometimes it is good to gauge the viewpoints of your program from outside the inner circle. Athlon Sports asked Big Ten coaches to speak anonymously about their fellow Big Ten programs recently.

So what did they have to say about the Nittany Lions?

2021 Penn State depth chart projection: Quarterbacks

Is it Sean Clifford or bust for the Penn State offense at QB in 2021? Projecting the QB depth this fall.

When it comes to projecting the depth chart at my position on Penn State’s roster in 2021, the quarterback position is pretty darn easy to do. Sean Clifford is locked in as the starting quarterback as he enters his third year in the role after succeeding Trace McSorley. The issue Penn State faces is a lack of experience behind him.

One of the biggest questions during the spring was what Penn State would be able to do to address the lack of experience behind their starting quarterback. If Clifford is injured or seems off track as he was at the start of the 2020 season, Penn State head coach James Franklin doesn’t exactly have a quarterback he should feel too comfortable in throwing out on the field in the heat of the action.

Or does he?

The possibility of adding a transfer quarterback that fits what Penn State is trying to do offensively with new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich was atop the offseason to-do list for Franklin and the Nittany Lions. Franklin stressed Penn State would be reluctant to add a transfer quarterback just to add one and instead insisted it was important to find someone who was the right fit. As camp nears its opening, no transfer quarterback has made his way through the transfer portal to Happy Valley, suggesting Penn State either never found their ideal fit on the market or they missed out on the best option.

Is it Sean Clifford or bust for the Penn State offense, or has Franklin gained more confidence in what the Nittany Lions have behind him on the depth chart?

Here’s a look at the projected quarterback depth chart for the 2021 season.