FOOTBALL

Depth issues looming at Linebacker U.

Frank Bodani
fbodani@ydr.com

The Nittany Lions need linebackers.

James Franklin and his staff are making a late recruiting push to find the right linebacker replacement before National Signing Day. Penn State has struggled to build depth at its marquee position in recent years.

Not necessarily for 2017 but possibly in a big way after that, at least when considering traditional roster management at Linebacker U.

Linebacker is probably the most peculiar recruiting situation on the entire team, and it took yet another hit last weekend. Dylan Rivers, a prized four-star prospect, switched his verbal commitment from Penn State to home-state Virginia Tech with National Signing Day approaching Feb. 1.

Meanwhile, highly rated Maryland defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields, who seemed to be favoring Penn State, pushed back his scheduled Monday announcement to next week. He's also considering the Terrapins and Alabama, among others.

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But at least the Lions are stacked at cornerback and safety moving forward. As for linebacker, the only viable candidate to replace Rivers at this late stage appears to be four-star Virginia prospect Ellis Brooks. He has big-time scholarship offers from all over but has seemingly focused on Maryland and Northwestern, according to Ryan Snyder, who analyzes Penn State recruiting for Blue White Illustrated and Rival.com.

"I don't think the (linebacker recruiting situation) has anything to do with the coaching staff's fault," Snyder said. "It's kind of just one of those things this year."

Penn State's traditional recruiting territory was not especially strong for linebackers this cycle, said Scout.com national analyst Brian Dohn.

Nevertheless, Rivers's switch, apparently made in part for family reasons, "puts the Penn State staff behind the eight ball," said Adam Friedman, a Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst with Rivals.com. "They were counting on him to be that inside linebacker presence and step in early because he's physically ready to play. They were counting on him to be that guy."

With only two or three scholarships still available in the 2017 class, Brooks may be the only linebacker targeted. He's listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds and expects to receive an in-home recruiting visit this week from head coach James Franklin. The Lions may have a lot of ground to make up, seeing that they just offered him a scholarship.

"Penn State wasn't that high on him after his junior year, but he's put on good weight and had a very good (senior) season," Snyder said, adding that he was one of the most impressive players at the recent Under Armour All-America Game.

Linebacker Cam Brown (31) helps tackle USC quarterback Sam Darnold in the Rose Bowl. The promising sophomore must step up big this coming fall for a group with suspect depth.

Actually, the program's possible shortage at their most famed position began building several years ago.

The Lions were thinned everywhere by NCAA sanctions and scholarship reductions in 2012 but defections and injuries have taken a particular toll at linebacker. In the past 18 months, starter Troy Reeder left to play with his brother at Delaware, promising freshman linebacker Daiquan Kelly was dismissed from the team and top in-state recruit David Adams picked Notre Dame over the Lions.

Meanwhile, the linebacking spot was crushed by injuries this past fall, including season-enders for Jan Johnson and Jake Cooper.

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This coming season, the Lions should rely on seniors Jason Cabinda and Brandon Smith and juniors Manny Bowen and Koa Farmer. Beyond that is sketchy, though. Cam Brown struggled as a 6-foot-5 freshman and Cooper has yet to prove himself in a full-time role.

Jarvis Miller and Shaka Toney are significantly light for the position and haven't played any meaningful snaps yet. Brelin Faison-Walden and Brailyn Franklin are just rookies.

One factor that could help mitigate the situation is the Lions' continued reliance on playing extra defensive backs. Often, coordinator Brent Pry lined up with only two true linebackers on the field with the hope of installing more speed and flexibility against spread offenses.