With the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl being the last Penn State game for Jason Cabinda and Brandon Smith there are serious questions who will take over the starting "Mike" MLB position for the upcoming 2018 season.
Cabinda's impact on the Penn State program the past three years has been immense. He's had 35 starts, and will most likely pass the 350 tackle mark in his final Penn State start at MLB on Saturday in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.
Those numbers by themselves are more than impressive, but for me Cabinda's biggest impact on the Penn State football program the past three years has been his leadership. He was Penn State's QB on defense over that 3-year period. Now, with the the graduation of Smith and the fact Manny Bowen was dismissed from the team and won't be back for the 2018 season, everyone including Penn State's defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, is wondering who will step forward and replace Cabinda at the MLB position for the 2018 season.
At last count there might be as many as six or seven candidates when spring practice opens in mid-March to fill the two box linebacker positions that were manned by both Cabinda and Smith throughout most of the 2017 season. Pry admits it won't be easy, but he appears to be ready to take on the challenge .
'It's a challenge to replace someone like Jason [and Smith]," Pry told the media at a Wednesday interview session. "But we have recruited at a high level, and I'm excited about the candidates and pool we have to draw from.
"We'll probably role a couple of guys through there. "[Jesse] Luketa will get an opportunity, [Nick] Tarburton will get an opportunity, Ellis Brooks is going to have an opportunity, Cam Brown's going to have an opportunity; I even told Koa [Farmer], 'don't be surprised buddy' and his eyes got kind of big. Koa could roll through that spot. I don't think he sees himself as a MIKE linebacker (laughs), but he's smart enough and he's big enough."
Walk-on Jan Johnson should be in the mix, too, but of the six early enrollees from the class of 2018 that will begin their Penn State careers on Jan. 8 the eyes of Penn State football fans will be fixated squarely on Micah Parsons [6-2 1/2, 245]. That does not mean Pry and Penn State's defensive coaches will also overlook the early enrollment of Luketa [6-2, 240] and Tarburton [6-4, 250] on Jan. 8 at a real position of need.
"That's an important part of it, and that doesn't happen by accident," Pry said about Parsons, Luketa and Tarburton at his Wednesday [Dec. 27] press conference. "Tarburton, Luketa, and Micah have the size, have the physicality, [and] have the ability to play as a freshman, and to have a chance to spend a spring with them, obviously that's a real positive."
However, among those three Pry has definitely been impressed by Parsons commitment to the best he can be and his love for the Penn State football program.
"He loves the game of football," Pry said to the Harrisburg Patriot-News Wednesday morning. "Absolutely loves it. Loves to compete. He'd come to our camps, and he'd compete at wide receiver, at DB, at linebacker, at defensive end; he loves the game. He's got a real thirst for it, and I've been very impressed with his eagerness to be good, to be great. I think he'll bring an incredible drive to accomplish his goals as a football player and for our team.
"He's going to be an asset for us."
Does that mean Parsons has the inside track for winning the starting MLB position for the 2018 season? Nothing could be farther from the truth. The transition that Parsons will face when spring practice begins in mid-March will be much steeper than most Penn State football fans realize. He's never played the position before in high school and it takes game day experience at the college level to learn how to become the QB of the defense at the MLB position.
But I truly believe that Parsons will have to make the 2-deep depth chart at the MLB position and have the type of impact needed for Penn State's defense to come close to replacing Cabinda in a manner that mirror-images the impact he's had on the Penn State football program the last three years.
Personally, the players that I believe have the inside track to replacing Cabinda at MLB and Smith at the other box linebacker position are: Rs.Fr. MLB Ellis Brooks [6-1, 235] and Jr. Cameron Brown [6-5, 227]. Cabinda, Grant Haley and Marcus Allen at Wednesday morning's press conference with the media seem to feel the same way.
Cabinda is really high on Brown filling Smith's shoes at the other box linebacker position. At 6-5, 227 Brown doesn't have the typical physical dimensions to play and excel at a box linebacker position. I agree with Cabinda's assessment of Brown. If Brown can add 10 pounds to his 6-foot-5, 227 pound frame and check in at around 6-5, 237 in August, I don't see his 6-5 height being any problem at all. Cabinda said it best telling the Centre Dailey Times.
"You look at Brian Urlacher, and he's 6-4. I think Cam Brown is really going to take another step next year. No doubt about it [not one bit]"
At MLB Cabinda, Haley and Allen picked Brooks as the leading candidate to replace Cabinda at starting MLB. It was Brooks' leadership presence that caught all three seniors attention.
'They [Cabinda and Brooks] have their own presence when they come into the room," Haley told the Centre Dailey Times. "Ever since he came in, we knew who Jason was just by the way he talked and carried himself. I see similar things in Ellis, as well. I'm excited for him, and I think he is going to be a great leader. That's the most important thing off and on the field"
When Penn State opens spring practice in mid-March there will be 10 scholarship LBers on Penn State's spring roster, six or seven of them [Brooks, Brown, Farmer, Johnson and incoming freshmen Parsons, Luketa and Tarburton] will be competing to win the starting job at the two box LB positions. It should be the most intense competition on defense throughout the entire spring practice session.
One I wish I could witness each day of spring practice. Coach Pry knows the challenge that faces him at "Linebacker U". Penn State fans want to know if there is another Shane Conlan, Sean Lee, LaVar Arrington or Jason Cabinda on campus for the upcoming 2018 season.
Cabinda's impact on the Penn State program the past three years has been immense. He's had 35 starts, and will most likely pass the 350 tackle mark in his final Penn State start at MLB on Saturday in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.
Those numbers by themselves are more than impressive, but for me Cabinda's biggest impact on the Penn State football program the past three years has been his leadership. He was Penn State's QB on defense over that 3-year period. Now, with the the graduation of Smith and the fact Manny Bowen was dismissed from the team and won't be back for the 2018 season, everyone including Penn State's defensive coordinator, Brent Pry, is wondering who will step forward and replace Cabinda at the MLB position for the 2018 season.
At last count there might be as many as six or seven candidates when spring practice opens in mid-March to fill the two box linebacker positions that were manned by both Cabinda and Smith throughout most of the 2017 season. Pry admits it won't be easy, but he appears to be ready to take on the challenge .
'It's a challenge to replace someone like Jason [and Smith]," Pry told the media at a Wednesday interview session. "But we have recruited at a high level, and I'm excited about the candidates and pool we have to draw from.
"We'll probably role a couple of guys through there. "[Jesse] Luketa will get an opportunity, [Nick] Tarburton will get an opportunity, Ellis Brooks is going to have an opportunity, Cam Brown's going to have an opportunity; I even told Koa [Farmer], 'don't be surprised buddy' and his eyes got kind of big. Koa could roll through that spot. I don't think he sees himself as a MIKE linebacker (laughs), but he's smart enough and he's big enough."
Walk-on Jan Johnson should be in the mix, too, but of the six early enrollees from the class of 2018 that will begin their Penn State careers on Jan. 8 the eyes of Penn State football fans will be fixated squarely on Micah Parsons [6-2 1/2, 245]. That does not mean Pry and Penn State's defensive coaches will also overlook the early enrollment of Luketa [6-2, 240] and Tarburton [6-4, 250] on Jan. 8 at a real position of need.
"That's an important part of it, and that doesn't happen by accident," Pry said about Parsons, Luketa and Tarburton at his Wednesday [Dec. 27] press conference. "Tarburton, Luketa, and Micah have the size, have the physicality, [and] have the ability to play as a freshman, and to have a chance to spend a spring with them, obviously that's a real positive."
However, among those three Pry has definitely been impressed by Parsons commitment to the best he can be and his love for the Penn State football program.
"He loves the game of football," Pry said to the Harrisburg Patriot-News Wednesday morning. "Absolutely loves it. Loves to compete. He'd come to our camps, and he'd compete at wide receiver, at DB, at linebacker, at defensive end; he loves the game. He's got a real thirst for it, and I've been very impressed with his eagerness to be good, to be great. I think he'll bring an incredible drive to accomplish his goals as a football player and for our team.
"He's going to be an asset for us."
Does that mean Parsons has the inside track for winning the starting MLB position for the 2018 season? Nothing could be farther from the truth. The transition that Parsons will face when spring practice begins in mid-March will be much steeper than most Penn State football fans realize. He's never played the position before in high school and it takes game day experience at the college level to learn how to become the QB of the defense at the MLB position.
But I truly believe that Parsons will have to make the 2-deep depth chart at the MLB position and have the type of impact needed for Penn State's defense to come close to replacing Cabinda in a manner that mirror-images the impact he's had on the Penn State football program the last three years.
Personally, the players that I believe have the inside track to replacing Cabinda at MLB and Smith at the other box linebacker position are: Rs.Fr. MLB Ellis Brooks [6-1, 235] and Jr. Cameron Brown [6-5, 227]. Cabinda, Grant Haley and Marcus Allen at Wednesday morning's press conference with the media seem to feel the same way.
Cabinda is really high on Brown filling Smith's shoes at the other box linebacker position. At 6-5, 227 Brown doesn't have the typical physical dimensions to play and excel at a box linebacker position. I agree with Cabinda's assessment of Brown. If Brown can add 10 pounds to his 6-foot-5, 227 pound frame and check in at around 6-5, 237 in August, I don't see his 6-5 height being any problem at all. Cabinda said it best telling the Centre Dailey Times.
"You look at Brian Urlacher, and he's 6-4. I think Cam Brown is really going to take another step next year. No doubt about it [not one bit]"
At MLB Cabinda, Haley and Allen picked Brooks as the leading candidate to replace Cabinda at starting MLB. It was Brooks' leadership presence that caught all three seniors attention.
'They [Cabinda and Brooks] have their own presence when they come into the room," Haley told the Centre Dailey Times. "Ever since he came in, we knew who Jason was just by the way he talked and carried himself. I see similar things in Ellis, as well. I'm excited for him, and I think he is going to be a great leader. That's the most important thing off and on the field"
When Penn State opens spring practice in mid-March there will be 10 scholarship LBers on Penn State's spring roster, six or seven of them [Brooks, Brown, Farmer, Johnson and incoming freshmen Parsons, Luketa and Tarburton] will be competing to win the starting job at the two box LB positions. It should be the most intense competition on defense throughout the entire spring practice session.
One I wish I could witness each day of spring practice. Coach Pry knows the challenge that faces him at "Linebacker U". Penn State fans want to know if there is another Shane Conlan, Sean Lee, LaVar Arrington or Jason Cabinda on campus for the upcoming 2018 season.
