Depth along interior defensive line keeping Penn State fresh in the trenches

Penn State is not unique in prioritizing depth along its interior defensive line.

That’s standard practice for all programs that want to be best-equipped to handle the rigors of a long season.

While the No. 4 Nittany Lions feel confident in the ability of veterans Dvon J-Thomas and Zane Durant to anchor that group and eat a majority of snaps, they were glad to have emphasized depth behind them last weekend against Washington.

“We’ve got four D-tackles,” coach James Franklin told reporters in State College this week. “That’s really kind of the position you want to be in, to have four guys that you feel really good about, and then a battle for that fifth position with some young developmental guys that are hungry.”

After Hakeem Beamon was absent vs. the Huskies, Franklin, without offering specifics, confirmed Monday the sixth-year tackle is no longer with the program.

Penn State also found itself missing senior Coziah Izzard last week because of injury.

Helping plug the gaps was redshirt senior Alonzo Ford, who has seen his participation ramp up as the season’s progressed.

Ford, who played three years at Old Dominion, transferred to Penn State for the 2023 campaign but missed it as a result of an injury, redshirting instead.

Now, he’s worked his way into a regular rotation on the defensive line.

Against Washington, he posted a pair of tackles, including one for loss.

“Honestly, I think it was a good choice for my coaches to kind of work me into the process and give me more snaps coming in later weeks,” Ford said. “I definitely had to adjust to the game a little bit coming off that injury, so I just trusted in the process my coaches had, the plan we had set forth together over the course of the season.”

Franklin said he expects Izzard to be available Saturday when Penn State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) faces Purdue (1-8, 0-6) on the road.

He has nine tackles, including 1 1/2 for loss.

Durant leads the pack of defensive tackles with 25 tackles (six for loss), as well as 2 1/2 sacks, and J-Thomas has posted 14 tackles through nine games.

Redshirt senior Smith Vilbert, who’s contributed nine tackles (2 1/2 for loss) and 1 1/2 sacks, is the fourth go-to guy Franklin cited.

While those four are capable of shouldering a heavy load, being able to substitute in capable players has obvious benefits.

“I think the rotation keeps guys fresh in the game and also longer in the season,” Ford said. “Being able to have five, six, seven different guys that have had in-game experience and real playing time, that’s going to help us later on down the road when we need our depth to step up and help out.”

Redshirt sophomore Kaleb Artis has emerged as a viable depth option, seeing snaps in all nine games.

Franklin also is looking to get freshmen T.A. Cunningham and Xavier Gilliam more involved.

Cunningham has yet to see the field, and Gilliam played vs. Kent State.

“He’s a guy that we’ve got a lot of excitement about in the program,” Franklin said of Gilliam.

Both players have flexibility with additional potential playing time while preserving their redshirt eligibility.

“Coming out of high school, there’s a lot of adjustments to the speed and the mental aspect of the game,” Ford said. “I think (Cunningham has) really excelled in studying film and things like that that have really helped him in the long run.”

Between dividing the labor in the trenches and younger players gaining valuable experience, robust depth on the defensive line appears positive for all involved.

“(It’s) really cool to see those guys be able to get in there and get some work,” Franklin said, “guys that have worked really hard.”