Defensive line, pass rush needs significant improvement for Lions
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What position needs to be addressed most by 2027?
To clarify my stance on this question, there probably isn't one position group where Matt Campbell and Co. can say with certainty that they are going to be OK moving forward into next season.
I was in between three position groups, in particular -- defensive line, linebackers and offensive line.
The offensive line has been better since the bye week, and all five starters can return if they choose, so that choice was eliminated.
Linebacker depth has been a serious problem this season, and it got to the point where the staff took safety Marcus Neal and put him as a Will linebacker. Part of that was his lack of pass coverage.
With a look at his draft projections, it would be a shock if Tony Rojas comes back for his final season of eligibility.
But if so, that would be welcomed,. He can join Alex Tatsch, who should be returning from injury next season, and there is also some young talent at the position.
That leaves me with the defensive line.
And there are probably very few who will disagree that the unit has been a weak spot.
Both interior defensive linemen starters in Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams are redshirt seniors and will move on. As for the edge rushers, Ikenna Ezeogu and Caleb Bacon will both be gone, while Yvan Kemajou and Alex McPherson can return.
Between all the defensive linemen, the position has a total of four sacks for the season -- 2.5 from Kemajou, one from Bacon and half a sack from defensive tackle Ty Blanding.
Two of those sacks came in non-conference play.
For reference, Rojas has more sacks (five) than the entire defensive line combined. Rojas' numbers are good for a linebacker, but that position isn't supposed to be racking up more sacks than an edge rusher in a standard base defense.
Plain and simple: There hasn't been enough done by the pass rush, especially since the beginning of Big Ten play.
Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn elaborated on that subject in the weekly press conference this past Tuesday. He acknowledged that it's a unit that needs to step up.
"It starts with being able to win our one-on-one matchups, executing our pass rush games and being able to affect the quarterback with four (defensive linemen)," Lynn said. "Right now, I feel like we need to lean on our pressures a little too much."
It was a point of emphasis coming into the season for Campbell to beef up the interior defensive tackles. Five of those defensive tackles are 300 pounds or more. That was a huge shift from the James Franklin days, who preferred faster, more athletic defensive linemen.
Those defensive tackles aren't paid, literally and figuratively, to rack up a bunch of numbers. They are in the game to stop the run. But when the Lions have a game against Northwestern where they gave up 413 yards on the ground, something isn't working.
A lot of problems could have been solved with a better defensive line this season. It's hard to see it becoming any better without some immediate help out of the transfer portal.
Andy Stine has covered Penn State football since 2023 for the Mirror. He can be reached at astine@altoonamirror.com.