Nittany Lions hoping Brandon Smith can minimize loss of Micah Parsons

The meeting between two freshmen in their first college football games was brief and harsh.

Kiahn Martinez, a 5-foot-7 running back for Idaho, hauled in a pass in the flat, turned up field and, well, that’s when he met the future of Penn State’s linebacking corps.

Brandon Smith was a five-star recruit then whose path to regular playing time was blocked by a legend-in-the-making, sophomore Micah Parsons. Smith sprinted toward the sideline, lowered his shoulder and ran through the unsuspecting Martinez. The crack of Smith’s shoulder pads thundered through the stadium. And for the rest of the season, fans were treated to video replays of that hit and the reaction of the nearest Nittany Lions player on the sideline, guard CJ Thorpe, who fell to his knees and acted as if he had fainted.

“People were commenting, what did you like better, the hit or the reaction? I said, ‘What reaction?’ ” Smith laughed. “When we have our pregame hype videos or whatever, I see other people’s reactions with their mouths wide open. But I had never really seen him fall to his knees like that until I caught it a week later.”

It’s not likely Martinez knew what hit him. The college football world will probably know better this fall.

With Parsons opting out of the season to focus on training for the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith’s path to the starting role at Parsons’ old strongside linebacker position cleared.

The Nittany Lions won’t be able to rely on Parsons’ freakish athleticism anymore, but it doesn’t mean they won’t have a blue-chipper to replace him. That, coach James Franklin maintains, is why he’s not worried about the state of a linebacking corps that lost all three starters.

“We think we’re in a good place,” Franklin said. “You never want to lose players, but we feel like that’s a position of strength.”

Penn State will likely surround Smith with veteran Jesse Luketa on the weak side and productive Ellis Brooks in the middle. But the Nittany Lions also have two other five-star recruits, redshirt freshman Lance Dixon and incoming prospect Curtis Jacobs, ready to go. Not to mention, highly regarded youngsters Zuriah Fisher, Charlie Katshir and Tyler Elsdon.

But with a 6-foot-3, 244-pounder in Smith, Penn State hopes it can at least minimize the effect of losing Parsons.

“The sky’s the limit with him,” Brooks said. “It’s just a matter of focusing on the details. Once he accomplishes that, his game is just going to keep going to another level.”