Here are 5 Penn State football underclassmen who can step up in 2021

Penn State football’s roster has youth at several positions. The Nittany Lions have several players who can contribute this season despite their relative lack of playing time at the collegiate level.

Let’s take a look at five young players in particular who could contribute at a high level this season for Penn State.

Redshirt freshman DE Zuriah Fisher

Fisher may not have been a legitimate option here if Adisa Isaac wasn’t likely to miss the season because of injury. But Isaac is out and Fisher is in position to capitalize. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound redshirt freshman began his career as a linebacker but quickly added the weight and strength to play defensive end.

He’s a good athlete who showed that off in high school but will need that athleticism to translate to the defensive front. Fisher has the length to go with that athleticism, and that alone gives him upside as a pass-rusher. He’ll need to put that together with pass-rush moves to allow him to flourish. He’ll be competing with veterans like redshirt junior Nick Tarburton and senior Jesse Luketa, but Fisher will have a chance to contribute this season.

Sophomore RB Caziah Holmes

Penn State once again boasts one of the best running back rooms in the country, and sophomore Holmes could prove to be an important piece. Holmes is arguably the team’s most dynamic runner and best receiving back.

The sophomore could see plenty of work in passing situations because of his ability as a receiver and in the open field. While he may not yet be the between-the-tackles runner that Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee are, Holmes operates extremely well in space and that could be particularly useful with Mike Yurcich calling plays. Yurcich likes to get his playmakers into space and let them go to work.

Sophomore LB Curtis Jacobs

Jacobs already showed he can play in the Big Ten last season as a freshman. This is less about his ability to contribute and more about the leap he could take in his second year. Jacobs was an average linebacker last year — high praise considering he was playing without a real preseason camp — and could take the next step this season.

The team lacks depth at linebacker, and he has more than enough talent to take advantage. There might not be a linebacker on the roster who can operate in coverage like Jacobs, who played safety in high school and added the requisite strength to play the run well. That’s quite the combination for a sophomore.

Freshman CB Kalen King

Penn State could go five deep at cornerback this season with confidence the level of play wouldn’t take a steep decline. That makes it even more impressive that one of those five should be a freshman. King wasted little time making an impression when he arrived on campus in January, immediately drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates.

He followed that by putting his talent on display in the team’s two open spring practices. He showed in those practices that he can hang with any wide receiver. That includes senior receiver Jahan Dotson — one of the best in the country. King should see most of his time on the outside and would start for plenty of teams, but the incumbents at corner — Tariq Castro-Fields and Joey Porter Jr. — form one of the best corner duos in the Big Ten. Still, King should be able to make an impact, even if he doesn’t start a single game.

Sophomore WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith

The top two wide receivers are locked in. Dotson and sophomore Parker Washington are the undisputed starters after combining for 1,373 yards and 14 touchdowns on 88 receptions last season. Beyond those two, things get murkier.

That’s where sophomore Lambert-Smith should be able to step in and earn an even bigger role in his second season on campus. Lambert-Smith started five of the team’s nine games in 2020 but was relatively quiet statistically. He finished the year with 15 catches for 138 yards and didn’t do much to separate himself from the pack at receiver. After a full offseason in the strength and conditioning program, the sophomore should take a big step. He remains one of the quickest players on the team and should prove he can step up with teams focusing on Dotson and Washington.