James Franklin identifies returning defenders he expects to elevate their game in 2023

The Penn State Nittany Lions had an impressive season last year, culminating in a victory over Utah in the Rose Bowl. And a lot of the talent on that 11-2 team still remains on the roster. That is why there are some lofty expectations thrust on Penn State for the upcoming 2023 season.

But which players does Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin expect to elevate their game on the defensive side of the ball? On a recent appearance on On3’s The Hard Count with J.D PicKell, the Penn State head man had a list ready of the defensive players he’s looking at to step up big in 2023.

“Well, the other guy that everybody’s talking about is Chop Robinson as a defensive end for us who played really well last year,” said Franklin. “His name is buzzing around nationally. But there’s really a ton of guys. It’s one of those things I’ve got to be careful, and I don’t list them all guys are going to be pissed at us.

“Curtis, our outside linebacker, has played here for three years, played extremely well. I think he’s going to have a huge year for us. Adisa Isaac, another defensive end that we have, I think is going to have a big year. A guy who played for us like Abdul (Carter) last year, Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive end, I think is going to have a chance to have a really big year for us. One of the things that was big is across from Kalen King, Johnny Dixon had a great spring.”

Penn State still does have a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball despite losing a few individuals, like defensive back Joey Porter Jr., to the 2023 NFL Draft.

Robinson was a huge pickup for the Nittany Lions last offseason, out of the transfer portal, recording 26 total tackles, 19 solo, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in his first year in the program.

As Franklin pointed out, Penn State’s star defensive end is getting a ton of national attention, and it is expected to have a healed year in 2023

“So I can go on and on, to be honest with you. I walked down to the defensive staff room the other day and I was kind of looking at the depth chart on the board and I just don’t remember us having the depth and talent that we have this year on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve had some really talented defenses, but I just don’t know if we’ve had the combination of depth and talent that we do this year.”

This season, Penn State is expected to compete with the likes of Ohio State and Michigan for the Big Ten crown. The gap in talent between the three schools is razor thin, with some individuals believing that the Nittany Lions hold an edge over one, if not both, of their conference rivals.

The reason why much is expected out of Penn State is due to the talented individuals Franklin listed above. And if those players live up to that expectation, fans can go ahead and pencil in the Nittany Lions as one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff to end the year.