Micah Parsons Opts Out: What It Means For Penn State

News broke on Wednesday that standout linebacker Micah Parsons would opt out of the 2020 season and instead focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. Parsons is arguably the best linebacker in all of college football and will be missed on the Penn State defense. We look at the impact his decision has on the Penn State football team and how the Nittany Lions will attempt to fill in for the superstar linebacker.

Losing The Leader Of The Defense

Parsons was the undisputed leader of the Penn State Defense. His ability to make an impact in various ways combined with his leadership made him the perfect linebacker for the Nittany Lions scheme. Parsons was the #1 ranked linebacker in our initial LB rankings, and one of the best players in the country regardless of position. He was expected to be the core of the defense, his incredible talents made it easier on his teammates and the coaching staff.

At 6’3″ 245 lbs, Micah Parsons is a rare athlete who moves with the fluidity, acceleration, and speed of a much smaller player. He has the ability to make plays all over the football field with excellent instincts, athleticism and a relentless motor. There is nothing a linebacker could be asked to do that Parsons cannot do, he excels against the run, sheds blocks with ease, shows great blitz ability, is an asset against the pass, and can hold the edge as a defensive end. A do-it-all star like Parsons is an incredible weapon to have and a rarity in college football.

Without Parsons, Penn State will be without their best defensive player who tallied 109 tackles, 14 TFL, 5 Sacks, 5 PBU and 4 FF in 2019. The numbers alone do not do the player justice, as Parsons made the defensive coordinator’s job easier with his presence alone. He could do so many things well that the offense could not game plan one way to attack him. Penn State could move him around on defense and help put other players in the best positions and matchups because Parsons could handle just about anything he was asked to do. The production is a challenge to replace, but the matchup problems he created for the offense will be missed as well.

Star Recruit Now Needed To Become A Star Player

Brandon Smith was a highly regarded recruit in Penn State’s 2019 recruiting class. He needed to add weight but still was able to get on the field as a true freshman. Smith was credited with 14 tackles and 2 TFL in a reserve role in 2019 and showed some promise. We previously chose Smith as our second year player to breakthrough for Penn State, and this only serves to increase our confidence in that pick. He has had time to learn the defense and get stronger so he will be counted on to be a key part of the mission to replace Parsons in 2020.

Smith’s role was already going to grow in 2020 as he was a likely starter on the defense, but now he will be asked to help replace a generational player. Whether it’s fair or not, when a star player leaves the program or is injured, the guys who were the top recruits are looked at to fill the void. Smith has all the physical ability to become a star linebacker in his own right, but he does not have much game experience. He has tools and showed glimpses of his ability in 2019 but will need to take his game to a new level to help the Penn State defense maintain it’s high level of play without Parsons.

Smith has the athletic ability and the length to be a disruptive linebacker in the Big Ten. Blockers struggle to engage Smith due to his length and quickness. He has added weight and strength and should be ready to take on the bigger more powerful blockers he will face in the Big Ten. Smith has been known as a big hitter and the added strength and bulk will only help in this area. He has a lot of the tools needed to be the impact player needed to replace Parsons, but will need to prove his up to the task in 2020.

The Position Battle That Isn’t Needed Now

Ellis Brooks and Jesse Luketa both saw a good amount of playing time in 2019 and were expected to battle for a starting spot in 2020. Now both players should see a lot of playing time this season. Brooks and Luketa were competing for the inside linebacker spot, but one of them will likely slide outside unless one of the younger linebackers proves he is ready to leapfrog one of them. In 2019, Brooks made 39 Tackles with 4 TFL and 2.5 Sacks on the season, Luketa meanwhile, finished the year with 24 Tackles, .5 TFL and 4 PBU. Both players will be counted on to perform in 2020 and help makeup for the loss of Parsons.

Brooks is an experienced player who has been with the program since 2017. Brooks has good size and some quickness to go with it. He is a sound tackler who gets good leverage when making the hit. He has good instincts and plays the run well, shooting through gaps to get to the football. Brooks is considered a good leader and should be a steadying force for the younger players in the linebacker room. Brooks will need to get the production his tools should yield to help the defense remain strong going forward.

Luketa arrived in 2018 in the same class as Parsons. He played sparingly as a true freshmen but saw his role increase in 2019. He also has good size at linebacker but he has the quickness and feet to be an asset in pass coverage. Luketa has good football instincts and can anticipate passing plays well to make the play on the football. Against the run he is a sideline to sideline type player who can sift through traffic and make the play. He is a modern linebacker who has the athleticism to stay on the field against spread offenses. Luketa will be a key contributor for the first time in his career and will need to make his mark in 2020.

Conclusion

Parsons departure has an obvious effect on the field but will also thin out the depth at the position. Players like Lance Dixon and Charlie Katshir will be counted on to provide key depth. Both players played sparingly in 2019 but will see their playing time increase significantly and will be called upon in case of injuries. Star recruit Curtis Jacobs may see more playing time than expected as well, but the summer enrollee will need to learn the scheme and get caught up before he can be a key contributor.

The bottom line is if it was easy to replace Micah Parsons, he wouldn’t be Micah Parsons. Penn State has recruited the linebacker position well in the past couple classes and now it is time to see if the recruits can perform. The defense was already replacing several starter from the 2019 unit but with Parsons back all of that seemed manageable. Now with Parsons gone it will be difficult for the defense to repeat it’s performance from last year (8th in the country in scoring defense). The Big Ten East is a tough division to win and Ohio State was probably the favorite all along but Parson’s departure makes it tougher for the Nittany Lions to beat out the Buckeyes in 2020.

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_DCS7256.jpg image taken by Hillel Steinberg is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.