This is the second part in a continuing series here at quebecpenspinning, where we’ll take a look at some of the position battles heading into the 2009 football season.  Last time we met, we took a look at the Tight Ends.  Today, we’ll examine the cornerback position, which is up for grabs after the departures of Tony Davis and Lydell Sargeant.

The Players:

A.J. Wallace has, more or less, had the starting job handed to him for 2009.  He enters the 2009 season as a senior, and will have just one more chance to live up to his incredible talent and ability.  He came to Penn State as a highly touted recruit, rated as the number one cornerback in the country by Rivals.  Like Justin King before him, Wallace was used in a variety of fashions, not just for depth at cornerback, but as a kick returner and gadget player on offense during his freshman season.  It was at kick returner where Wallace made his biggest impact, setting a new Penn State record in 2007 for kick return yardage.  However, he was removed from that position midway through last year, returning just 6 kicks in the season, so that he could concentrate on playing corner.  In the past two seasons, Wallace has played exclusively on defense, and, again like King before him, saw a pretty massive regression between his sophomore and junior campaigns.  As a sophomore, Wallace recorded 33 tackles, snagged an interception, and added 5 pass break-ups.  Last year, he failed to record a single interception and made just 20 tackles while recording just 2 passes defensed. Lately, Wallace has been struggling with a hamstring injury, and his status for the Blue-White game is up in the air.

D’Anton Lynn had his redshirt burned following the dismissal from the team of Willie Harriott, who was busted for a DUI.  Despite this, Lynn didn’t see significant time on the field, recording just 3 tackles and 1 pass defensed in mop-up duty.  Lynn, who played safety in high school, has been shifted to cornerback, and was listed on the first team depth chart when spring practice began.  Lynn was described as a physical corner during his recruitment, even as an undersized linebacker.  I’d be lying if I said I knew a lot about Lynn, but that’s pretty indicative of the position Penn State finds itself in.  After Wallace, the second corner spot is just completely up for grabs.

Knowledge Timmons is Lynn’s main competition for the other corner spot, and he’s almost a completely different player.  While Lynn is a physical corner, Timmons is a speedster, who’s had more success as a track and field athlete than football player since his arrival at Penn State.  Lynn is a true sophomore, and Timmons is entering 2009 as a redshirt senior.  Last year, he had a pretty solid season in limited duty, collecting 15 tackles and 1 interception.  Where Timmons has excelled is as a special teams gunner, using his speed to be the first man downfield.  5 of his tackles were in punt or kick coverage last season, to lead the team.

Others of note: Penn State brought in a recruiting class full of defensive backs last season.  Darrell Givens might be the headliner not just of the group, but of the entire recruiting class, and though Joe Paterno doesn’t start too many true freshmen, if it’ll be anyone, it’ll be Givens.  Stephon Morris, of Derrick Williams’ Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and Derrick Thomas, who might play wideout for Penn State, are the other candidates among incoming freshmen.  Of current players on the roster, Devin Fentress worked out with the second team defense during spring practices.  A cornerback-turned-wideout-turned-cornerback, Fentress is just depth.

The Verdict: Too close to call.  Lynn, by all accounts, should be starting, but we all know how the team has shown loyalty to seniors, especially 5th year ones.  This is one position that definitely should be watched during the Blue-White game.  A solid performance by either party will likely wrap up a starting spot.  That said, A.J. Wallace immediately becomes the most experienced corner on the roster, and his performance will dictate how the team performs in the defensive secondary.

However, there’s more to the battle than just that.  Knowledge Timmons has experience at safety, and, if relegated to the bench by Lynn, could provide depth at both positions, and that is needed at safety even more than it is at corner (if that’s even possible).  I’d bet that Tom Bradley is really hoping for Lynn to distinguish himself on Saturday.

Next up on Position Profiles: Safety, as we’ll take a look at just who will be starting opposite Drew Astorino.