STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The luxury of having a five-star talent is that Penn State can move Micah Parsons around and let his athleticism take over until they figure out where he best fits the defense.
For the time being, that best fit isn't at the middle linebacker spot, the place where Parsons first worked when spring practice opened last month. The coaching staff since moved Parsons from the Mike to the Will, in hopes that Parsons will be able to continue developing at the other box linebacker spot without having all the responsibilities that come with the middle position, especially in the base defense.
"Micah's doing really well," James Franklin said Wednesday night following Penn State's eighth practice of the spring. "Obviously the position is new to him. He can run, and he has really good instincts. Little things like stance and start, he hasn't found a stance he's comfortable in yet. It sounds crazy, but that's more challenging than you'd think."
Parsons was a defensive end last year as a high schooler and they can always put him back there if need be. But, Penn State's gaping holes at linebacker -- where they need a middle linebacker and will continue having all of their linebacker learn all three positions -- means the spot in the middle is likely down to Ellis Brooks with veterans Jake Cooper and Jan Johnson pushing for time.
Brooks was a late addition to the recruiting class two years ago as the Virginia prospect was a key addition to the class because of the looming depth issues that were expected to take place after Cabinda's departure. Add Manny Bowen's dismissal from the team in there and it created a less than ideal situation.
But, Brooks was praised for his leadership, even last season as he took a redshirt as a freshman but was vocal on the practice field and didn't shy away from asking questions in the meeting room. Teammates saw a lot of the same qualities in Brooks as they did in Cabinda and reading between the lines it looks like the coaching staff might be seeing the same things now too.
Still, Penn State probably won't operate out of their base defense a whole lot this season. They like their depth in the secondary and then the question becomes who is the linebacker they take off the field in those passing situations? Koa Farmer, who has worked at the Sam and the Will, is the ideal hybrid linebacker for the Sam. Cam Brown, who likely was the guy at the Will until Parsons moved there, still could be the Will linebacker or they could try Brown inside, should Brooks not work out there.
It's a good problem to have as they build depth and create flexibility at all three spots.
Parsons' ability to quickly change direction has been as good as advertised. As he inches closer to putting on LaVar Arrington's old No. 11 and running out of the tunnel for the Blue-White game on April 21 there's a chance Parsons could make the type of play that's both frustrated and excited the heck out of Franklin this spring.
"When he makes a decision, he can flat-out run and run by people," Franklin said of Parsons. "There are times where he'll backdoor the play and go two gaps back, and you really shouldn't do that. You're saying, 'No, no, no.' Then he makes a tackle for loss in the backfield, so it's like, 'No, no, no, yes, yes, yes.' "