Blue-White Countdown 2010: Defensive Line

Previous entries...
1: Special Teams
2: Defensive Backs
3: Linebackers Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford (81) emerged as the Lions' best pass rusher in 2009. Can he keep it up in 2010?

We continue our weekly countdown to the 2010 Blue-White Game. In today's edition, we'll go over the defensive line. Penn State's defensive line coach, Larry Johnson, Sr., has done a tremendous job every year, building one of the most consistently-great units in the nation. In the next four weeks, I'll go through all the major positions, trying to give the most reasoned explanation of who we could see come out big, and why.

Recent History

Michael Haynes, Jimmy Kennedy, Tamba Hali, Scott Paxson, Jay Alford, Maurice Evans, Aaron Maybin, and Jared Odrick.

Since 2002, Penn State has produced eight first-team All-Big Ten defensive linemen. The above list doesn't include the dozen or so other all-conference defensive line selections, including second-team and honorable mentions.

Under Johnson, the Nittany Lions never rebuild it's defensive front--they simply reload, season after season. Last season was no different, as Penn State finished the season as the Big Ten's best scoring defense (12.2 ppg) and red-zone defense (67%), second-best rush defense, third-best pass defense, and tied Wisconsin for the most sacks (37) in the conference. Since every defense is only as strong as its line, those record-setting stats can only be attributed to the strength of the Penn State defensive line, even after losing two first-team ends, Maybin and Evans.

The 2010 season should be no different, even with the loss of Odrick, probably one of the best defensive tackles Penn State has produced in the last decade. Young guns are ready to step in, while the few veteran starters are ready to provide leadership to a unit that thrives in tough situations.

Defensive Ends

Heading into the Blue-White Game, Penn State returns all but one starter (Jerome Hayes) from 2009. But even Hayes didn't start full-time, as he started six of the last seven games, part of seven starts for the season. There is no doubt that an enthusiastic leader like Hayes will be missed. But with such indisputable talent returning, the fifth-year senior's departure will be easier to bear.

No.	Name	Pos.	Elig	Ht/Wt	High School	Coach
32	Dakota Royer	LB	FR		Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central
44	Kevion Latham	DE	rJR	6-2/254	Greensboro, N.C./Page	Kevin Gillespie
51	Jonathan Stewart	DE	rJR	6-2/248	North Huntingdon, Pa/Norwin	Daniel Conwell
56	Eric Latimore	DE	rJR	6-6/270	Middletown, Del./Middletown	Mark Delpercio
59	Pete Massaro	DE	rSO	6-4/247	Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown	Ray Gionta
81	Jack Crawford	DE	JR	6-5/256	Longport, N.J./St. Augustine	Dennis Scunderi
84	Kyle Baublitz	DE	FR	6-5/255	York, Pa./Central York	Brad Livingston
89	Garry Gilliam	DL	rFR	6-6/245	Carlisle, Pa./Milton Hershey	Bob Gayer
90	Sean Stanley	DE	SO	6-1/232	Rockville, Md./Gaithersburg	Kreg Kephart

Jack Crawford and Eric Latimore combined for 18 starts last season, with Crawford missing only one (Michigan) official start. Latimore's starts were in place of Hayes, which would lead to the assumption that Latimore will get the full-time starting spot in 2010. That might not be a lock, however, since Penn State likes to rotate one end position, while leaving the stronger player--in this case, Crawford--in a constant full-time role. Crawford had 5.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in 2009, and will be the leading defensive end this spring and in the fall. Only a junior, Crawford is being talked about as the next great end at Penn State.

Behind Crawford and Latimore--sometimes more "in place" of Latimore--will be junior Kevion Latham and true-sophomore Sean Stanley. Both players saw significant time in 2009, as backups to the three starters. The two combined for 6.5 TFL and 3.5 sacks. Stanley's biggest game came against Illinois, forcing a fumble deep in Illini territory. The sophomore, who played in 11 games last season, is easily the most explosive underclassman defensive end, while Latham has much more experience as a junior, seeing action in 18 games over two seasons.

There are also two wild cards going into the spring session--freshman Dakota Royer and sophomore Pete Massaro.

You probably know Massaro as the player who tore his ACL in the 2009 Blue-White Game, an injury which many feared would really hurt the defensive ends' depth last fall. That turned out not to be the case, as it allowed other players like the ones I mentioned above to gain valuable playing time. But by all accounts Massaro is back this spring and ready to roll. The coaching staff really likes his attitude.

Royer graduated high school early to enroll in January. This allows him, along with six other early-enrollees, to participate in spring practice. Royer grabbed the attention of recruitniks everywhere when he jumped straight up out of a four-foot pool. He was recruited out of high school as a defensive end/linebacker hybrid, and I wouldn't doubt if Penn State signed him for that very role. Hayes played the hybrid position with great success the last three seasons (when he wasn't injured).

Defensive Tackles

Almost any other team in the FBS (I-A) would have never been able to sustain the kind of losses Penn State has had to at the defensive tackles position over the last three years. For on and off the field issues, THREE tackles with starting experience have left the team since the summer of 2008. Abe Koroma, Phil Taylor and Chris Baker have all been either excused from the team, or punished enough to force a transfer. These were hardly scrub teamers. All three started games at one point, and all were emerging as sure-fire all-stars when they were sent on their way elsewhere.

But none of that hurt Penn State. In fact, it only removed distractions from the team, and possibly improved the product on the field, particularly in terms of attitude and consistency. In 2009, Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu combined for 25 starts (Ogbu didn't start the Capital One Bowl), leading a defense that was as good as any in the nation.

This spring Penn State won't face such an uphill battle on the interior defensive line. Odrick is the only departure, while the other starter, Ogbu, returns.

No.	Name	Pos.	Elig	Ht/Wt	High School	Coach
41	J.R. Refice	DL	rFR	6-0/267	Jessup, Pa./Valley View	George Howanitz
47	Jordan Hill	DT	SO	6-1/305	Steelton, Pa./Steel	Rob Deibler
55	Tom McEowen	DT	rSR	6-4/288	Feasterville, Pa./Neshaminy	Mark Schmidt
71	Devon Still	DT	rJR	6-5/294	Wilmington, Del./Howard	Dan Ritter
72	James Terry	DT	rSO	6-3/303	New Castle, Del./Brandywine	Steve Dent
75	Evan Hailes	DT	FR	6-1/290	Chesapeake, Va./Oscar F. Smith	Richard Morgan
85	Ollie Ogbu	DT	rSR	6-1/285	Staten Island, N.Y./Milford Academy	William Chaplick
94	Mikel Berry	DL	rSO	6-2/259	Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington	Mike Golden
99	Brandon Ware	DT	rSO	6-3/341	Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg	George Chaump

There's little mystery with Ogbu, who perfectly complemented Odrick the last two seasons. But the only other defensive tackle to see significant playing time last season, or at least get noticed by the average viewer, was junior Devon Still. Still actually started the Capital One Bowl, while seeing action in all 12 regular season games. He had two sacks last year, in back-to-back games against Michigan and Northwester. Still's sack of Mike Kafka knocked the senior Wildcat quarterback out of the game, virtually ending any chance Northwestern had of pulling the upset. Still was one of the top defensive end prospects coming out of high school in 2007, but his impact on Penn State was delayed by injuries in 2007 and 2008. But now, he's fully healthy and ready to go. I completely expect Still to start the season aside Ogbu.

Behind Still and Ogbu, there are about three more defensive linemen who could vie for regular playing time in 2010. Penn State loves to work with a five-man, sometimes even a six-man tackle rotation. This ensures the players are kept fresh through the entire game. Of course, Still and Ogbu will get the majority of snaps this fall.

Sophomores Mikel Berry and Brandon Ware both top 300 pounds, possess great talent, but haven't impressed the coaching staff enough to break the two-deep since arriving on campus. Neither traveled with the team to Orlando this January, while earlier in the season, it was speculated that Joe Paterno had issues with Ware not trimming the required weight. But that's all in the past now, and reports have said how these two players have really turned things on this winter. With a good spring, they have the chance to be Penn State's solid second-team tackle set going into the Blue-White Game.

The only other senior this season beside Ogbu is Tom McEowen. McEowen has battled injury most of his career, and it was speculated that he might not return for his final season of eligibility. But he's back this year. McEowen has been a very hard worker for the Nittany Lions, an attribute that's always rewarded by Joe Paterno and Larry Johnson, Sr. Don't be surprised to see him get a good chunk of playing time this fall, especially if we see him in the two-deep for the Blue-White Game.

Two younger tackles could make a splash this spring, as true sophomore Jordan Hill and true freshman Evan Hailes are definitely factors to consider. Hill played in the final eight games in 2009, finishing with 12 tackles and a TFL. Hailes could be this season's impact freshman up front. True freshmen rarely see action, particularly when you have such a deep crop of linemen as Penn State does this spring. But Hailes is enrolled for this semester, and has a big opportunity to impress the coaching staff over the next five weeks of spring practice. I'm not convinced he will redshirt this fall.

Next week: Offensive Line

Follow LBU on Facebook and Twitter. You can also Subscribe to Linebacker-U.com by Email