FOOTBALL

Penn State true sophomore standing out to James Franklin during spring ball

The Nittany Lions have a rising star in the middle of their defensive line.

Published

6 months ago

April 10, 2023

Nov 12, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Zane Durant (28) reacts following a sack on Maryland Terrapins quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa (3) (not pictured) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The Nittany Lions’ defense performed incredibly well a season ago under first-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Now, heading into the 2023 Penn State football season, the Lions’ defense is looking loaded once again, with returning stars such as Kalen King (CB), Abdul Carter (LB), Chop Robinson (EDGE), and more. Still, Penn State has some question marks towards the interior of the defensive line; however, head coach James Franklin claims that rising sophomore defensive tackle Zane Durant is standing out during spring ball.

Penn State facing unknowns at D-Line

A year ago, Penn State football fans were excited about the return of PJ Mustipher to the lineup after he was out for most of 2021 with an injury. Now, for the first time since that 2021 season, Penn State must find a way to replace his presence in the middle of the defensive line. In a conference like the Big Ten, clogging up rushing lanes in the middle of the field is essential; in fact, the Nittany Lions got a bit of a lesson on why it’s so important to stop the run when Michigan crushed Penn State in Ann Arbor and gave up over 400 yards on the ground.

With a few guys still out due to injury right now, James Franklin is still piecing together who will start on the inside of Penn State’s defensive line, but Zane Durant stands out from the crowd.

Rising sophomore defensive tackle Zane Durant stepping up during spring ball

During last week’s media availability, James Franklin had a chance to address some of the program’s instability at defensive tackle when asked about his defensive line issues.

“Well, we’ve got some guys out, so that is factoring into it as well,” head coach James Franklin said on Tuesday. “I think Zane Durant is on a really good trajectory — I think you’ll see a big jump from his true freshman year. Kinda getting some reps to now and being a guy with a significant role, and he is putting really good weight on.

You look at him and he doesn’t necessarily look a lot heavier, but he’s put on really good weight, and he’s still lean and explosive and athletic. So [Zane] kind of fits what we are looking for so he is probably a guy that has stood out as much as anybody — we’re really looking forward to getting [the other defensive tackles] back … and we’ve got one D-tackle that hasn’t arrived yet.”

Who is Zane Durant?

Zane Durant is a rising sophomore defensive tackle in the Blue and White and could find himself a solid role on the Penn State defense this fall. According to Penn State’s website, Durant has a 6-foot-1, 275-pound frame and appeared in all 13 of the Nittany Lions’ games during last year’s 11-2 campaign. Out of high school, 247 Sports ranked Durant as a four-star defensive tackle and pinned him as the No. 42 D-Tackle in the class and the No. 37 player in the state of Florida.

Heading into his second year of college football with James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions, look for Durant to make the jump and fill a much-needed depth role at defensive tackle.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation; we are proud to be a student and alumni-owned and operated media outlet covering all things Penn State athletics! Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State teams. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

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Penn State football is making great progress during spring ball

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FOOTBALL

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

The Penn State football defense sent a statement to everyone in the country last night with their performance.

Published

2 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, Adisa Isaac, defensive unit, Manny Diaz

Penn State's Adisa Isaac celebrates after recovering a fumble during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football defense has been elite early on this season. Against Illinois, they forced five turnovers including four interceptions. Then, last night on the national stage the defensive unit shut out Iowa 31-0. They also caused another four turnovers last night, all came from forced fumbles. So, that’s 9 turnovers caused in the past two games, Manny Diaz has this group dialed in. After the game, we caught up with Adisa Isaac and others who shared their thoughts on this statement performance.

Penn State football defenders respond to statement performance

Defensively, Penn State allowed 76 total yards of offense, total domination from start to finish. Iowa finished the night averaging 1.2 yards per rushing attempt. This unit understood the assignment on Saturday night and they took care of business. We asked Adisa Isaac about his thoughts on this statement performance.

Isaac said, “We have a dominant defense. That shouldn’t be no secret but I feel like we just showed in a shutout against a ranked opponent that we have some stuff that’s flowing and it’s only going to get better.”

He wasn’t the only one. After the game star linebacker, Abdul Carter tweeted “BEST DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY!!!! #WEARE.”

It shows the energy and the confidence that this unit is starting to play with. It’s at the perfect point in the season for Manny Diaz to have this defensive unit firing on all cylinders. As for Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, he will have to pick up the pace on his lofty goal of scoring 25 points per game. After the Penn State loss, Iowa is only averaging 21.25 points per game.

The pass rush got home

One of the questions James Franklin was asked earlier this week surrounded the topic of lack of stats from star defenders. One of those players was potential 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson who picked up his first sack of the season. This was also a strip sack where Robinson caused a turnover. Amin Vanover and Adisa Isaac also collected sacks against Iowa last night.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

FB RECRUITING

BREAKING: Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Penn State lands top 100 nationally ranked linebacker DJ McClary after the whiteout weekend.

Published

4 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State football, DJ McClary, 2025 recruiting

Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin shakes the hands of invited recruits upon the team’s arrival prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The whiteout is one of the biggest weekends for the Penn State football team. Not only because of the game that was played. But arguably more importantly, it allows Penn State to showcase its greatness to recruits. The atmosphere, the fans, the community, all of these elements factor into a player’s decision to commit to Penn State. James Franklin made sure that he thanked each player and parent after the game as well for making it to State College. Now, DJ McClary has made his decision to join the 2025 recruiting class for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State football lands 4-star LB, top 100 player nationally

Earlier this week, a crystal ball was placed by 247sports Brian Dohn for DJ McClary to land at Penn State. Now, McClary has made his decision to play his college football at Linebacker U. McClary is a four-star recruit and he is a top-100 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class according to 247sports composite rankings. He is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and chose Penn State over Ohio State, USC, Tennesee, Michigan, and several other schools.

DJ McClary is currently the 3rd highest-rated player in New Jersey and is a massive addition to the 2025 recruiting class at Penn State. James Franklin is hopeful that this is one of many commitments that will result from the 31-0 victory over Iowa. After watching the defense last night, how would you not want to play linebacker at Penn State?

Re-racking the 2025 recruiting class

After recently losing Jaelyne Matthews to a de-commitment this is how the 2025 recruiting class is shaping up for Penn State. Four-star RB KiAndrea Barker, three-star S Omari Gaines, and now DJ McClary.

The Nittany Lions are optimistic that they can land four-star running back Tiqwai Hayes who will make his decision tomorrow.

FOOTBALL

JUST IN: Penn State football moves up in the latest AP Poll

The Penn State football team has received its next set of rankings in the latest AP Poll.

Published

5 hours ago

September 24, 2023

Morgan Chapman

Penn State foootball, AP Poll, James Franklin,

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar prepares to throw a 3-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.

The Penn State football team is coming off one of its more dominating performances in recent history. Defeating the No.24 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0. Not only did Penn State shut out Iowa, but they also controlled the entire game in all three phases. James Franklin and his coaching staff had this team prepared to go to battle last night and they did just that. Now, that the game is past us, it’s time for the next set of rankings in the AP Poll to be released.

Penn State football moves up in the latest AP Poll

Penn State entered the matchup against Iowa as the No. 7 team in the AP Poll. Obviously, the Nittany Lions took care of business and have shown that they can be one of the best teams in the country. But around the country, many teams held their own.

Ohio State went into South Bend as the No. 6 ranked team. The Buckeyes defeated No. 9 Notre Dame 17-14 on a last-second rushing touchdown. This has boosted their ranking as the Buckeyes are now the No. 4 ranked team. Penn State will get their chance to defeat the Buckeyes on October 21st when they travel to Columbus, Ohio.

This week, Penn State received the No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll. It’s challenging to move up the AP Poll when no chaos occurs ahead of your team. That’s the position that Penn State has found themselves up to this point. But now, with Ohio State and Penn State taking care of business they were able to move up. The Washington Huskies are closely trailing Penn State and they’re certainly another team that we need to keep an eye on moving forward.

Nittany Lions next challenge

Penn State hits the road again next weekend. They will face a hungry Northwestern team. This will be another 11 a.m. central time kickoff for the Penn State football team. James Franklin will need to get his team motivated to play in this next conference challenge. The Wildcats are coming off of an overtime upset victory over Minnesota. The matchup will appear on Big Ten Network (BTN) next Saturday.