P.S. I know U., 2008 – Part 3, Defense

I’ll go over the two and three-deep this week for the Penn State offense, defense and special teams. Then on Monday, we’ll look at the coaching staff. This won’t be full of messy stats (even though I do love them, oh so much), but it also won’t be straight opinion. This is just to get everyone in the loop when it comes to the key figures for 2008. Hope you enjoy P.S. I know U., 2008.

As I did in Part 1 and Part 2 , I’ll describe each player in one of three ways - Great, Good, Decent. ‘Great’ indicates that player is a sure starter, and should get all-conference or All-America. ‘Good’ means that player is a solid starter, someone the team can rely on to do the job. ‘Decent’ goes to many of the backups who will see time in the rotations. I figure there isn’t a player on the two or three deep that is below decent, or PSU is in real trouble.

Part 4, Defense - Front Seven

:: Linemen :: [Ends] Maurice Evans, Aaron Maybin, Josh Gaines, Jerome Hayes, Eric Latimore, [Tackles] Jared Odrick, Ollie Ogbu, Tom McEowen, Abe Koroma, Chima Okoli

[Ends]
No. 48. Maurice Evans. [DE, Jr., 6-2/264] – Great. Consensus All-America in ’07, Evans is on his way to PSU history. He’s one of the players I won’t go into with too much detail, as he’s one of the most recognizable players in the nation going into this season. Barring any problems, he should continue his freakish dominance of opposing quarterbacks. 2007: 54 tkl, 21.5 tfl, 12.5 sks, 5 ff, 1 fr.

No. 47. Josh Gaines. [DE, RS Sr.., 6-1/275] – Good. Who doesn’t like Josh Gaines? His humble demeanor off the field is far from his play-making ability on the field. He and Evans frequently flipped positions, constantly keeping opposing offenses guessing. He’s a very productive member of one of the best defensive fronts in all college football. Gaines should be a candidate for post-season honors on the conference level. 2007: 40 tkl, 5 tfl, 2.5 sks, 1 qbh, 1 ff.

No. 5. Jerome Hayes. [DE, RS Jr., 6-2/246] – Great. If it wasn’t for the injuries, Hayes might have become one of the best pass-rushers in the Big Ten. On of the smartest moves this coaching staff has done in a long time is move him from LB to DE, as his speed and strength is just unblockable. In a weird twist of fate for me, when I was in Mt. Sinai hospital last summer, one of the orderlies working with me was Jerome’s father-in-law. Nice guy. 2007: 17 tkl, 3 tfl, 2.5 sks.

No. 59. Aaron Maybin. [DE, JR Soph., 6-4/236] – Good. Maybin burst onto the scene last year when he plowed into Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. He went on to sub behind Evans and Gaines, eventually earning more playing time when Hayes went down. Maybin was named to several All-Freshman teams, and adds a great deal of depth to the end spot. When he wasn’t at end, Maybin played special teams. He should take a more involved role this fall. 2007: 12 tkl, 4.5 tfl, 4 sks, 1 ff.

No. 56. Eric Latimore. [DE, RS Fr., 6-6/262] – Decent. The coaching staff raved about Latimore all spring, saying his towering stature could help him knock down any pass thrown his way. He starred in both football and basketball in HS, which shows in his good agility to get through blocking schemes. He’ll be a great backup this season. 2007: No Stats Accumulated

[Tackles]
No. 85. Ollie Ogbu. [DT, RS Soph., 6-1/292] – Good. Ogbu was a major factor in coach Larry Johnson’s DL rotation last season. He was also named to several All-Freshman teams following the year, and could very well contend for All-Big Ten honors in ‘08. He’s not the biggest tackle you’ll see, but he is extremely quick and elusive. Ogbu gave teams like Wisconsin, Ohio State and Texas A&M fits when trying to block him. He was a real pleasant surprise last year. 2007: 18 tkl, 10 tfl, 1 sk.

No. 91. Jared Odrick. [DT, Jr., 6-5/308] – Great. Odrick complements Ollie Ogbu in that Jared uses his brute strength and size to over-power the opposing linemen. It was really unfortunate last year when he dislocated his ankle against Indiana, as he was really emerging as one of the outstanding tackles in the Big Ten. He was an Army AA with Evans, A.J. Wallace and the departed Chris Bell. Even with the injuries, he’s played in 19 games the last two seasons, starting seven last year. Odrick should be an unquestionable candidate for All-Big Ten honors. 2007: 16 tkl, 4 tfl, 2 sks, 1 blk’d kick.

No. 97. Abe Koroma. [DT, RS Soph., 6-3/316] – Good. Abe is one of Joe Paterno’s favorite linemen, as he constantly praised his work last season and this spring. It’s almost a shame how well PSU has recruited the DL recently, as guys like Koroma could start for 100 other FBS schools. Luckily for PSU, he’s in Happy Valley, and could become a great member of this DL rotation. He won the Jim O’Hora award this spring, for his exceptional attitude and work eithic. 2007: 7 tkl, 0.5 tfl, 1 fr.

No. 55. Tom McEowen. [DT, RS Soph., 6-4/274] – Decent. McEowen has been bitten by the injury bug during his time at PSU. He first saw action in 2006, but left mid-season. Then, during winter ’07 workouts, he tore his ACL. Amazingly enough, he recovered in time to play last season. I look for Tom to become a key factor in this year’s rotation, as he played in five of the last six games in ‘07. 2007: No Stats Accumulated.

No. 92. Chima Okoli. [DE, RS Fr., 6-4/287] – Decent. You’ll see a lot more of Chima as 2008 progresses. He was redshirted last season, but made some noise coming out of spring practice this year. Okoli wasn’t a super-recruit like some of the others on this line, but he’s had a great work eithic so far, which should guarantee the coaches will find him some time on the field. He’s one of the great “depth” guys coach LJ has to work with. 2007: No Stats Accumulated.

:: Linebackers :: [1st Team] Tyrell Sales (Fritz), Bani Gbadyu (Sam), Josh Hull (Backer), [2nd Team] Navorro Bowman, Nate Stupar, Chris Colasanti, Mike Mauti

[1st Team] (Ed. Note-There are a lot of ‘decent’ grades in the LBs, but that’s only due to inexperience. The talent is definitely there.)
No. 46. Tyrell Sales [‘Fritz’ OLB, RS Sr., 6-2/233] – Good. Sales is one of those guys who works very hard, without much recognition for it. That’s not to say the coaches don’t appreciate him. It’s the fan base that has grown to love its All-American LBs year after year. Sales isn’t Posluszny, Connor or Lee. But he’ll be a major stabilizer on defense this year. He’s played in every game since his redshirt-frosh season (2005), and has 86 tkl, 7.5 tfl and 3 sks over three years. The lone returning starter, Sales’ experience should make a huge impact on an otherwise green linebacking corps. 2007: 50 tkl, 5.5 tfl, 3 sks.

No. 15. Bani Gbadyu [‘Sam’ OLB, RS Soph., 6-1/221] - Decent. Watching Gbadyu come on the last two games against Michigan State and Texas A&M really impressed me. He had some monster stops at East Lansing, even if the rest of the defense didn’t do so well. Reports from practice have him running faster than any other LB, which more than compensates for his lack of size. With so many teams on this year’s schedule running spread-style attacks, Bani’s speed will definitely come in handy. And like Sales, he’s a great student, earning Dean’s List recognition this past spring. 2007: Played 133 snaps; 6 tkl.

No. 43. Josh Hull [‘Backer’ ILB, RS Jr., 6-3/231] - Good. If you thought Gbaydu quietly made a big statement in ’07, take a look at Josh Hull. The coaching staff is falling all over themselves with this guy. He was instrumental in the bowl victory, notching 2 tkl and 0.5 tfl. Hull walked on at PSU, out of nearby Penns Valley HS. Due to the injuries to Bowman and Dontey Brown (no longer at PSU), Hull was officially inserted into the LB rotation prior to the win over Wisconsin, where he had 2 tkl and a pbu. I personally love his size, which will serve him well covering the middle of the field. Plus, he’s continuing the trend of great student-athletes at LB, earning Dean’s List all last school year. 2007: Played 292 snaps; 18 tkl, 1 tfl, 1 pbu.

[2nd Team]
No. 18. Navorro Bowman [OLB, RS Soph., 6-/228] - Decent. Bowman was in Joe Paterno’s dog house for a good long time this year, but could quickly work his way out. He had a great showing in ’07, but a mid-season injury slowed him considerably. The 2005 Maryland Player of the Year, Bowman was part of the excellent ’06 recruiting class. He’s very quick, and has a great nose for the ball, registering a sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, pbu, and blocked a kick last season. That sort of production is needed without Sean Lee out there. 2007: Played 307 snaps; 16 tkl, 2.5 tfl, 1 sk, 1 ff, 1 fr, 1 pbu, 1 blk’d kick.

No. 34. Nate Stupar [OLB, RS Fr., 6-1/220] - Decent. Nate’s father (PSU), three uncles (PSU) and grandfather (Tenn) all played college football. Stupar doesn’t have one things he’s particularly good at, but is one of the best all-around players at his position. I’m not sure if PSU is doing this purposely, but this guy is yet another fantastic student playing LB. He was named PA Defensive Player of the Year in ’06. I expect him to get a lot of playing time this season. 2007: No Stats Accumulated; recorded 6 tkl in both ’07 and ’08 B/W Games.

No. 53. Chris Colasanti [ILB, Soph., 6-2/232] - Decent. If there’s one guy who reminds me a lot of Posluszny, it’s Chris. He has fantastic size, and almost killed Derrick Williams this spring, leveling a hit so hard, D-Will didn’t get up for a few minutes. But the best part about the former super-recruit is that PSU grabbed him away from his home-state school, Michigan. He was one of only two true freshmen to play at all in ’07, which should indicate what the coaching staff thinks of his abilities. He should emerge as a co-starter in the middle by year’s end. Oh, and as if it wasn’t ridiculous enough, he’s yet another Dean’s List student playing LB at PSU this year, and could contend for Academic AA. 2007: Played 48 snaps; 3 tkl.

No. 42. Mike Mauti [ILB, RS Jr., 6-2/220] - Decent. I’m throwing Mauti in here because he did so well in the Army AA Game, and the coaches wanted to get him on the field so badly, they moved him to safety for the spring game. He may not see the field much this year, but redshirting a guy like this can only guarantee long-term success for PSU at this position. If he does play this year, expect a lot of special teams work. 2007: No Stats Accumulated.

Coming Tomorrow: Part 4, Secondary and Special Teams

P.S. I know U., 2008:
Part 1, Offense
Part 2, Offense (cont’d)