The safety position is one that a creative defensive coordinator can create countless roles for to keep the opposition guessing. Edge rusher, inside or outside linebacker, slot corner….a good one can handle all of those duties. The problem is it can be very hard to find one that is both big and fast enough who also possesses the quick reactions and high football IQ.
Marcus Allen, a four year starter, is the top defensive player on the #2 ranked Nittany Lions squad. He led the team with 110 tackles in 2016, the first time a safety has done that for “Linebacker U” since 2002. Allen has the physical presence and more importantly, the sure tackling wrap-up technique to factor in the box. He struggles in man coverage, however, as he gets too grabby and off balanced making it very tough to quickly turn and run with receivers up the seam. His angles in deep coverage need to improve, although his strength is downhill and in the intermediate route tree. Allen fills up the stat sheet from left to right week in, week out. The versatile skill set at a position that craves it appears to be a perfect match if he can find the right scheme.