Notebook: Castro-Fields excited for young cornerbacks this spring

For Tariq Castro-Fields, the injury that derailed his 2020 season just three games in and forced him to the sidelines through its completion, this spring isn’t about looking back.

Joining reporters Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the unspecified injury, the Nittany Lions’ fifth-year senior cornerback made that much clear. Back healthy and able to participate with the program through winter workouts and into this month’s spring practices, rather, Castro-Fields’ vision is centered solely on the potential that is now in front of him.

“Injuries are frustrating, but I think I'm just blessed with the opportunity to be able to come back and just be a leader and improve my game even more to what I've shown the last three games, which I thought I was playing pretty well,” Castro-Fields said. “I'm just blessed with opportunity. I feel like that's how I'm viewing it.”

In the absence of his own opportunity to finish out his Penn State career in the way he’d originally envisioned last season, though, Castro-Fields views himself as a leader of a position group poised for a bright future this fall.

He touched on that potential within the cornerbacks' room, the defensive backs as a whole, the newcomers into the program, and more, which we’ll detail in our notebook below:

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- Disappointed by his inability to continue playing past the Maryland game last season, the turn of events didn’t dissuade Castro-Fields from remaining engaged with his teammates.

As he indicated Tuesday, rather, the effect was the opposite, choosing instead to invest more thoroughly in his grasp of the defense and, in turn, lending that understanding to the other cornerbacks in the room.

“When I wasn't playing, I was doing a lot of coaching and just sitting back and reflecting and just helping all the young guys out as best as I could,” Castro-Fields said. “I kind of learned the defense even more while I was just watching, just because I wasn't doing it physically, but mentally, I was there 120 percent. I think my knowledge of the playbook grew a lot during the season. Film study grew a lot because I was watching more film than ever when I was hurt, just so I could help the young guys.

“I just didn't want Joey, Marquis, and Keaton to go out there and just not be prepared. I wanted the guys to do amazing while they were out there, just because if they're doing good, then that reflects on me just because I'm the leader of the cornerback room. Then our relationship grew even more because those guys got to trust me.

“A lot of guys when they get hurt, you can easily just mope around and just not be there, but I think I was 110 percent committed to helping them young guys grow, so they trust me a lot more.”

Castro-Fields and the Nittany Lions as a whole are determined to see that investment pay dividends this fall.

Recounting a conversation he’d had Monday with cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, Castro-Fields said the potential that exists for the likes of Joey Porter, Marquis Wilson, and Keaton Ellis, among others, is very much a byproduct of the opportunity that emerged thanks to his absence last season. With Daequan Hardy finishing as the top-graded cornerback by Pro Football Focus, followed closely by Porter, and the entire group finishing with at least 186 game reps on the season, the result is an energized and excited room as a whole.

“I’m super excited with where the group is right now and what we can accomplish in the near future,” Castro-Fields said. “Those guys got a lot of experience with me not being able to play last year, so it just gave them that little knowledge and then also having the experience to kind of play more free. They still can lean on me whenever they need to, with any questions or whatever it may be, but they're getting their way of things and developing their skills and things like that, so I'm super excited for the group we have right now.”

- Castro-Fields’ excitement with the group isn’t exclusive to the corners room.

Detailing his close relationship with returning starting safety Jaquan Brisker, a competitive environment continues to blossom throughout the spectrum of defensive backs in the program. Further, welcoming the addition of new safeties coach Anthony Poindexter following the departure of Tim Banks this offseason, Castro-Fields described an evolving aura reflective of the new influence to the group.

“I wasn't familiar with (Poindexter), but I knew we hired him. I Googled his name and got to see his track record and things like that and what he did as a player, I hit up (Brisker) once I saw it,” Castro-Fields said. “He's just like a funny guy, super relatable. He relates to all of us well, he brings a certain type of energy, a certain type of like funniness to the DB room that, I'm not going to say it wasn't there, but it's just new. He brings his way of thinking, his way of relating to us. Coach Dex is a great addition.”

- Penn State’s influx of new faces in the secondary wasn’t limited to Poindexter this offseason.

Asked about South Carolina transfer Johnny Dixon, Castro-Fields indicated the second-year corner is fitting into the locker room well already and is “a great addition.” Learning how to practice the “Penn State way,” Dixon just “has to keep growing in the system and keep asking lots of questions,” but also has the benefit of a high competitive spirit.

Meanwhile, Castro-Fields also picked out midsemester enrollee Kalen King as being particularly impressive from the onset of his Penn State career.

“I feel like he's gonna be really special. He's physical,” he said. “I think the main thing as a young guy, you have to be able to listen and come in and just humble yourself. You were great in high school, but college football is a whole different ballgame as far as speed, as far as knowledge. And if you just humble yourself, then you can get there even faster, so that's what he's doing. He asks me a ton of questions. He's always on the JUGS. He's always just working hard, so I think his future is bright.”

- A first-hand observer to the new offense currently being installed by coordinator Mike Yurcich, Castro-Fields also offered up an early assessment of the system and its progress.

“This offense is really innovative, as far as tempo, as far as just moving guys around, just trying to give the best players the ball,” he said. “It's different than last year's offense for sure, so it's great that we're getting all these different looks as far as formation, as far as tempo, and stuff like that. I feel like this offense is surely going to prepare us for the things we're going to see in the fall.”

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