INDIANAPOLIS — For so long, PJ Mustipher was a part of the fabric of Penn State’s defensive line.

Mustipher, a two-time captain and All-Big Ten honoree, signed with the Nittany Lions all the way back in 2018. He was recruited and coached by Sean Spencer, one of the original members of James Franklin’s first staff. Then, when Spencer left for the NFL, he was mentored by John Scott Jr. for three seasons.

Now, Mustipher is at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, pursuing his lifelong dream. For the first time in five years, he won’t be in Penn State’s defensive line room when spring camp opens in a couple weeks.

But Mustipher is still keeping tabs on the Nittany Lions — and he has an idea of who he’d like to see succeed Scott as Penn State’s next defensive line coach.

Mustipher was asked about Deion Barnes, the former Penn State defensive end who served as a graduate assistant the last three seasons. Penn State retained Barnes in an analyst role in January. But with Scott moving on, Barnes, 30, has emerged as an internal candidate to become Penn State’s next defensive line coach.

“I want Coach Franklin to hire him. I think he should,” Mustipher said Wednesday. “He’s put in a lot of work into our defensive line. Deion and Coach Scott, that tandem was phenomenal. I spent a lot of time in the offseason with Deion working on a lot of different stuff, you know, my footwork, my hands, my eyes, technique, all that. He was really hard on me. We spent a lot of hours watching film. He spent a lot of time correcting me, cussing me out or telling me how bad I played in the game. All that has helped me get to where I’m at.”

Mustipher isn’t alone in that support, either. Former Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney has been vocal on social media backing Barnes. Top recruits in Philadelphia have also raved about Barnes’ relatability as a Philly native and younger coach.

In addition to praising Barnes, Mustipher thanked Scott for his role in developing him into an eventual NFL draft choice.

Scott — who worked for the New York Jets in 2015 and 2016 and is set to join the Detroit Lions — had three players selected during his Penn State tenure: Odafe Oweh (first round, 2021), Arnold Ebiketie (second, 2022) and Toney (seventh, 2021).

Mustipher is poised to be Scott’s fourth draftee, and the two have stayed in contact as Mustipher pushes to make that a reality. Scott called Mustipher on Tuesday to chat while the 318-pound defensive tackle was warming up for a workout in Indianapolis.

“He expressed that he appreciated all the work I did for him,” Mustipher said. “Without players, coaches can’t move up the ladder. Definitely played a part in helping him get to the next level. But he helped me out a lot. Having that knowledge from the NFL, I definitely have a leg up because I understand what defensive line coaches are looking for. … He’s not only helped me in the past, but I’m going to continue to lean on him.”

Perhaps Scott and the Lions select Mustipher when April’s draft rolls around. Maybe he ends up in Chicago with his brother, Sam, an offensive lineman with the Bears.

Mustipher would welcome playing with his sibling. He also wouldn’t mind landing with the New England Patriots after working closely with Bill Belichick at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Mustipher said he “loved” being coached by Belichick in Las Vegas.

“He was real hands on. He was real technical. I really appreciate that because I learned so much from that,” Mustipher said. “And at the end of the day, he wasn’t out there just being nice. He was giving hard criticisms. That’s the stuff I appreciate. That’s the type of coach I want to be under.”

Whichever team takes Mustipher will be getting a powerful and cerebral player with a ton of experience and production. He played in 53 games at Penn State. He recorded 11 tackles for loss and played the role of run-stuffing, gap-clogging tackle to a tee.

Mustipher’s journey wasn’t without difficulties. He suffered a season-ending injury at Iowa in 2021, and it was a long road back to the field. Mustipher said it wasn’t a “one-man thing.” He trusted his teammates and relied on his coaches, especially Scott and Barnes, to continue to push him in the right direction.

And now that Mustipher is at the combine, on the precipice of reaching the NFL, he’s hoping Barnes gets rewarded for helping him get to this point.

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