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Where will Koa Farmer help Penn State this season?

By Audrey Snyder/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 8 years ago

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Koa Farmer spent last year practicing at the field linebacker spot where he was available to add depth, but took a redshirt while learning the ropes at linebacker.


Linebacker Koa Farmer redshirted last season and is expected to contribute this year after changing positions again. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

A high school running back who also played safety and returned punts and kicks, Farmer’s stint at linebacker is on hold for the time being. Penn State moved the 6-foot-1, 222-pound versatile athlete back to safety this camp, Franklin announced Wednesday.

“You’re talking about a guy who played tailback in high school and asking him to do those things, just wasn’t able to compete for the No. 2 job last year,” Franklin said Wednesday. “Right now at safety, we have four safeties we feel pretty good about and we need a fifth guy and is the fifth guy [freshman] Ayron Monroe and burn his redshirt and make him green an play him for Week 1 or is it Koa Farmer?”

Farmer could end up back at that field linebacker spot in a year or two and linebacker’s coach Brent Pry said at the team’s media day in August that Farmer has the skillset they want at that position. In the spring defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said that the hybrid outside linebacker, strong safety spot is one that is “tailor made” for Farmer.

Right now it’s the Sam position Brandon Bell holds down while walk-on turned scholarship player Von Walker is likely Bell’s backup, Franklin said. Behind them now and without Farmer possibly it’s freshman Manny Bowen. We’ll see when the team releases a depth chart which will likely come next Monday or Tuesday.

It’s the spot where the skillsets of the players are different than those at the Mike and the Will, using the Sam as a player who can play well in space and who has the speed and athleticism to keep up with opposing offenses. As Farmer continues evolving as a player and continues working closely with Shoop –who in addition to being the defensive coordinator also coaches the safeties – only time will tell if he moves back to that field linebacker spot.

“Koa’s different because his skillset is off the charts,” Pry said at media day on Aug. 6. “He’s fast, he’s explosive, really talented kid that probably coming out of high school was more of an offensive player than he was defensive and then to transition to linebacker there’s elements of it that come easy to him but when you get closer to the ball in there that’s very foreign to him.”

Farmer is a candidate at kick returner, a place where his speed could make an impact right away. Figuring out how he’ll help the defense is a good problem for Penn State to have because he has those unique abilities that give Shoop options. Shoop praised Farmer’s knack for the ball, particularly getting his hands on balls during limited work in the spring.

At safety ahead of Farmer there’s Marcus Allen on one side and Jordan Lucas on the other. Backing up Allen and Lucas likely are redshirt freshman Troy Apke and redshirt junior Malik Golden. That fifth safety for now would be Farmer, Franklin said, as opposed to burning Monroe’s redshirt. 

“He’s going to help us somewhere,” Pry said prior to Farmer’s switch this camp. “He will.”

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4.