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Better or Worse? Setting expectations for Penn State's safeties this year

Blue White Illustrated's Nate Bauer, Dave Eckert and Greg Pickel are taking stock of the Nittany Lions as the start of the 2021 season quickly approaches.

What are their expectations for each of Penn State's position groups, particularly set against the performances that marked the Nittany Lions' 4-5 campaign in 2020?

No overthinking permitted here: This is an up or down vote across the board, beginning at safety today.

So, will the Nittany Lions be better or worse at this position this year from last? Find out their thoughts, below:

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David Eckert: Better

Taking the optimistic approach to Penn State’s safeties outlook relative to last year can be somewhat difficult to justify simply considering the experience heading out the door. Lamont Wade was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions, playing mostly in the strong safety role, first alongside Garrett Taylor, then Jaquan Brisker. He was a reliable, if unspectacular, option for Penn State during his career.

So, with 50 percent of the safety reps now up for grabs, projecting an improvement among the safeties might seem like a bit of a reach, but that’s what I’m doing. The Nittany Lions can count on one of the best safeties in the Big Ten last season in Brisker, who will have another offseason of improvement under his belt.

More to the point, though, I think Penn State’s options to fill the void alongside Brisker are exciting. Jonathan Sutherland has been contributing reliably in the background for the Nittany Lions for the last three years and, while he has never started regularly, still provides the kind of experience that can help him transition into that role easily. Competing with Sutherland for that starting job is Ji’Ayir Brown, who created plenty of buzz this spring and seems like an exciting option from by accounts.

If this group can create a handful of turnovers — Brisker and Wade each had one interception last season — then they’re already in great shape to better last season’s output. With Brisker and whoever wins the job alongside him, I see plenty of reason for optimism within this unit.

Greg Pickel: Better

I waffled back and forth on this one, and the debate comes down to this: Will Ji’Ayir Brown, Jonathan Sutherland, Tyler Rudolph, Enzo Jennings, or Keaton Ellis do more or less than Lamont Wade did in a starting role?

Wade made 37 tackles last year in addition to recording an interception and recovering two fumbles. He was at times reliable and at other times not, which was sometimes a product of other's missing assignments. At different moments, No. 38 was his own worst enemy, but for the most part, the Lions knew what they were getting.

That isn’t the case this year opposite preseason All-American candidate Jaquan Brisker, as the group listed above, outside of Ellis and Sutherland, is short on game experience, period, let alone meaningful safety snaps.

I was tempted to go worse here, simply because the questions outnumber the answers. But, at the same time, Brisker is poised to be one of the nation’s best at his position, and it’s not like the Lions are dealing with a bunch of under-recruited players who hope to either join the first-team or play key snaps as a reserve.

Ellis making the position switch is very interesting to consider, and so, too, is Brown making the same year two jump that Brisker did following time at Lackawanna College. Sutherland has played plenty, and Rudolph/Jennings were both four-stars.

So, with all that said, I side with better and assume that whoever wins the snaps opposite Brisker will make a bigger impact than they have so far in blue and white during the 2021 season.

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Nate Bauer: Better

I'd like to think I could bring some complexity to this conversation, but my vote here wasn't a difficult conclusion to make.

Sure, I could shake up the narrative by arguing that Jaquan Brisker's 82.8 PFF grade for the 2020 season will be more difficult to duplicate than first glance would indicate. But I don't really believe that, especially considering his personal disappointment at how he felt he performed for the first half of the season. Given a third and final season in the program, too many signs point to his confidence, maturity, and leadership as being a primer for a truly excellent 2021 campaign for Brisker.

I could also try to make the argument that Lamont Wade's absence, despite his shortcomings, will be more difficult to make up than people anticipate. But I don't really believe that, either, especially considering the options Penn State has at its disposal to fill out the rest of the position group. Sutherland's off-campus activities could prove to be a bump in the road at the start of his season, but my expectation is that the Nittany Lions will be just fine in figuring out a combination that works between Brisker, spring breakout Ji'Ayir Brown, Tyler Rudolph, and newcomer to the position, Keaton Ellis.

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry is typically pretty optimistic by nature, but his comments this summer suggest strongly that Penn State has the elements that are always sought after at the position in experience, versatility, and depth. Throw in the potential for breakouts who have shown it in practice but need to translate it to the field, and the Nittany Lions have a recipe for success within the group this year that didn't always show up a season ago.

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