For Penn State safeties, depth development a top priority

At the earliest stage of a safety’s career at Penn State, Anthony Poindexter delivers a message. The assistant coach for the Nittany Lions and College Football Hall of Famer stands alongside the player and instructs him to look back.

From that vantage point, one thing immediately becomes clear.

“All you see are goalposts and stands,” Poindexter said. “Now you understand where you’re playing.”

In Ji’Ayir Brown, a starter with two full seasons of returning experience at Penn State, Poindexter has the message covered. With “the most time on task” with solid performances throughout, reliability is assured at one of the two safety spots. 

As Penn State enters its second week of preseason practice, the same can’t quite be said of the other. But, with the opportunity to create one of the stronger units on the team at hand, Poindexter is determined to make it so through the next few weeks.

Penn State safety battle

His options include Keaton Ellis, a heady fourth-year who switched from corner to safety last season, plus a pair of dynamic second-years in Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley. Ellis “got some good experience,” but wasn’t the starter, the bulk of Reed’s safety reps came in the bowl game, and Wheatley saw time in four games, but also moved from corner to safety this offseason. Include Sebastian Constantini, plus two two freshman in K.J. Winston and Mehki Flowers, and Poindexter’s aims are clear.

“We got to build some depth,” Poindexter said. “Last year, one thing our defense didn’t have to do is look to the back end and say, Where’s the call coming from? We had two veteran guys who’ve been doing it. So my thing that we’re emphasizing in this training camp, is ‘Hey, y’all got to communicate. A lot of you are not used to being the communicator. You’re gonna have to communicate. We can’t put it all on Tig to run everything.’ 

“All of them are talented in their way. All of them are special talents that we can use in this league. They got to drive the defense. You’re the quarterback of the defense. So if we can build that coming out, I think they all got enough talent.”

Among the benefits of having Brown is the flexibility he provides. Having played both right and left side last season, Brown demonstrated the versatility that can expand opportunities for his less-experienced counterparts. Saying that one of the younger players might need to play a certain side and stay on it, Brown’s football smarts serve as an asset to that end. 

Next steps

But with a second starting position to fill, and an acclimation needed throughout the room to match Brown’s acumen, Poindexter is working to establish a balance between playing confidently and avoiding backbreaking mistakes. 

“It doesn’t mean they’re gonna be perfect. That doesn’t mean they aren’t gonna get beat, either,” Poindexter said. “You can know what you’re doing and the other team is on scholarship, too. But I’m a coach that I let them play and be themselves. But you got to know what you’re doing. You got to get the defense lined up.

“Not that I want you to play scared, but I want you to understand the severity of the position you’re playing. I learned this a long time ago, you win games up front, but you lose them deep. So when you put it in that aspect, I want them to use all their God-given ability to make plays. But at the end of the day, they gotta run this defense and they gotta know what he’s doing. And everybody in the organization gotta trust that they are going to run it the right way.”

Though still at the earliest stages of camp, just four practices in the books at the time of Poindexter’s Penn State Media Day interview on Saturday, his initial impressions were positive.

Working to have a complete command of the defense within the unit, it’s a path the Nittany Lions will continue to travel.

“All three are doing a good job right now,” Poindexter said. “We gotta keep going in that area. We can’t rely on Tig to say, ‘If I’m in with him, I’m good because he’s gonna know.

“When we’re in Beaver Stadium, it’s 107k yelling. Can’t nobody hear you whispering. You got to be demonstrative, you gotta use your hand signals, you gotta do a lot of stuff.”

Over the next few weeks, Poindexter will work to make sure they can.