STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — As the conversations between Penn State’s coaching staff and Micah Parsons shifted from hopeful for an opt-in to the reality of Parsons officially remaining an opt-out, Brent Pry reshuffled his depth chart.
Pry doesn’t need to figure out how the once much-anticipated Mike linebacker competition between Ellis Brooks and Jesse Luketa will shake out in camp. Essentially, both challengers are now in line to win starting jobs.
As Penn State begins practicing with pads, its plan without Parsons is becoming increasingly clear. Brooks will stay at Mike, Brandon Smith remains a new starter at Sam and Luketa, who can play Mike and Will, is now mostly at Will. Therefore, Luketa is the one likely tasked with the unenviable duty of replacing Parsons, his friend, former roommate and likely early NFL Draft pick.
“He was someone the fans, the team depended on in crunch time. That was our guy,” Luketa said. “How…
