Penn State coaches will seek big plays, leadership from Clairton's Lamont Wade

Whether Lamont Wade was at Clairton or Penn State, one or two doses of a good thing wasn’t enough.

While leading Clairton to the WPIAL Class 1A championship in 2016, he returned interceptions for touchdowns in three consecutive playoff games. The last of the picks turned into an 83-yard score late in the third quarter of a tight title game and led Clairton to a 26-6 victory against Jeannette.

Last season at Ohio State, Wade tied a Big Ten record by forcing three fumbles and recovering another — only the second FBS player since 2000 to do that in a game. His performance kept Penn State within striking distance before the Nittany Lions eventually fell 28-17.

In three seasons at Penn State, Wade has earned Big Ten honors twice:

• He was named honorable mention All-Freshman in 2017 without making a start.

• He was voted honorable mention all-conference last season by coaches and media at strong safety.

This season, Wade could be in line for a third all-conference honor, but Penn State co-defensive coordinator/safeties Tim Banks has another job for him that probably can’t be measured by most voters for postseason honors.

“This will be a big year for him from a leadership perspective,” Banks said. “He was a guy who on Saturday brought all the energy, and the guys could feed off of him. All the guys respect him because of his knowledge, because of his work ethic.

“This year, I expect him to take another step, in terms of really helping the kids prepare throughout the week, some of the younger guys who haven’t had a chance to have significant roles, getting those guys on the same page during the week so they’re ready to play.”

It’s a big job for the 5-foot-9 Wade, one of the best players spawned by a WPIAL school in recent years. But he seldom falls short of expectations.

A month before the Ohio State game, he knocked a ball loose from the grasp of Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell, who was standing in the end zone in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The pass fell incomplete, and Penn State remained undefeated with a 28-21 victory.

Buoyed by those experiences, Wade will be one of the several players expected to help Penn State improve its pass defense. The Nittany Lions allowed an average of 251.5 yards per game and finishing 100th of 130 Division I teams last season. For some perspective, Pitt recorded its most yards through the air (372) against Penn State.

That quest will add to Wade’s responsibilities.

“Lamont is super-smart,” Banks said. “He’s very motivated. He definitely wants to be the best version of himself he can possibly be.

“It’s been great to see how well he has adapted to learning the position, the total position, not necessarily just his position, (but also) boundary safety, nickel back.

“He understands what our standards and our expectations are in our room, and I understand the energy and what makes him tick. It’s been a pretty good marriage so far.”

For the moment, Banks and Wade are singularly focused on the upcoming season, hoping it kicks off in its familiar form and is not affected by the covid-19 shutdown.

But when football emerges, either in 2020 or ‘21, Wade figures to be in the middle of somebody’s secondary.

“I think he has a tremendous upside,” Banks said. “He played on the hash, but he also showed the ability to play in the slot, which I think is big.

“If you look at the next level, the NFL looks very similar to a lot of college programs with three-receiver sets where you have tight ends and you’re flexing them out. You need to have guys in the game who can cover and also have enough stout about them to be able to make tackles. I think Lamont can do that.

“I think the ability for him to blitz and come off the edges sets him apart from some other guys. Those are traits that will be very attractive to some guys at the next level. Someone will be very fortunate to have him.”