Departures: Lance Dixon (transferred to West Virginia), Micah Parsons.
Additions: Jamari Buddin, Dominic DeLuca, Kobe King.
The Starters: Brandon Smith, Curtis Jacobs, and Jesse Luketa.
The Backups: Ellis Brooks, Charlie Katshir.
Overall Outlook:
This group is solid with four players who have started games at linebacker for the Nittany Lions. Talent-wise, the clear leader is Smith, who appears to be the heir apparent to Micah Parsons in both ability and on-field aggressiveness. The sophomore started all nine games and had 37 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and eight tackles for loss to lead the team.