Penn State set to welcome back three defensive players this week
Penn State will get a boost today against Illinois when the Nittany Lions welcome back three key pieces on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Daequan Hardy and defensive linemen Coziah Izzard and Amin Vanover are with the team at Memorial Stadium and expected to be back in action. All three missed the Nittany Lions’ first two contests.
Hardy’s return is a timely one, as Illinois receiver Isaiah Williams is the Fighting Illini’s top option out of the slot. Williams was a first-team preseason All-Big Ten selection by multiple outlets this summer. He’s caught 11 passes for 150 yards through two games this season. Hardy has been the Nittany Lions’ starting nickel back for two seasons and he is expected to move back into that role when available. He’s been a practice participant the last few weeks, lining up as a scout team receiver for the team last week.
The redshirt senior played in all 26 games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons with one start. He has three career interceptions and returned an interception for a touchdown in a game against Michigan State in 2021.
Izzard, Vanover return a boost for Penn State’s D-Line
Any depth addition on the defensive line is a welcomed one in the Big Ten, so adding Izzard and Vanover back to the rotation at tackle and end, respectively, is a big deal. Izzard was expected to compete for the starting job this year but he has battled injuries since the spring. Franklin recently acknowledged that the junior is getting close to being fully healthy and defensive line coach Deion Barnes believes that he can be a dynamic addition to the Nittany Lions’ front four.
“Speed, athleticism and TFLs. That’s what he’s going to create,” Barnes said of Izzard in August. “He creates another element of pass rush as well.”
Izzard, who also missed the first four games of the 2022 season, had 10 tackles and four tackles for loss as a junior. He started seven games for the Nittany Lions in 2021, recording 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks along the way.
Vanover, also a junior, was pegged as Penn State’s fourth defensive end heading into the season. He appeared in all 13 games last year and had 16 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He was praised in camp as a player who would be a solid part of the rotation, especially against run-heavy attacks.
“Amin is a guy who has always flashed tremendous potential and he’s doing it on a more consistent basis right now,” Franklin said of Vanover last month.
Penn State will travel to Illinois for a noon eastern kick (11 a.m. local) on Saturday. The game will air live on FOX in the station’s Big Noon Kickoff window.
