Of the returning defensive starters for Penn State football, four are four-star recruits, one is a five-star, one is a three-star and one is a no-star, in-state walk-on that’s now the epitome of “Linebacker U”, in Governor Mifflin High School grad Jan Johnson.
The fifth-year senior didn’t join the Nittany Lions as a highly rated, sought-after recruit, but he’s become a key cog on this defense. Johnson took the middle linebacker starting job last year and started all 13 games. The veteran linebacker produced at a high level going stride-for-stride with Micah Parsons for much of the season in terms of the team-leader in tackles.