Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney embraces leadership role

It’s roughly an 11-hour drive between Philadelphia and Bloomington, Ind.

Despite such a distance, it’s fair to assume Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney will have his most ardent supporters on hand when his school opens its season on the road against Indiana at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“My gang travels,” Toney said in a video conference with media Wednesday. “My herd, they’ll pile into one or two cars, and they’ll make the trip. If they’ve got to catch a flight, we all kind of pitch in. My whole family will pitch in to make sure everybody can make it. My family is everything to me. I’m a big family person. One of the biggest reasons that I came here was to be able to see my family and my family to be integrated and part of the team. That’s never going to be a problem.”

Toney figures to be a problem for opposing offenses. Last season, he appeared in 13 games and had 13 solo tackles, 28 assisted tackles, 6¹/₂ sacks and one fumble recovery.

He’ll be part of a group of defensive lineman that includes defensive end Jayson Oweh as well as defensive tackles PJ Mustipher and Antonio Shelton.

“We’re all unique,” Toney said. “We all bring something different to the table. Just a dish. A bunch of different flavors in front of you, but it’s still a great dish. Different layers. Everybody does something different, but we’re all unified. What’s so special about this group is our work ethic. The time we up in before, after practice, during practice. We’re just working.

“We’re working harder than ever before. We’re working on our technique a whole lot more. Avoiding running past the quarterback, learning when to do the specific moves, understanding the different beats that you’re going against when it comes to tackles, different sets. We’re all just trying to get better, and that’s the best thing about this group. Everybody is pushing everybody. There’s no hate, there’s no envy. Everybody just wants to be able to contribute and do whatever we can to help this team win. “

Toney was named a captain Oct. 17.

“I was surprised,” Toney said. “I was overwhelmed with just happiness. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback) Tom Brady is one of my idols I remember watching (a video) clip, despite all of his achievements … he said his biggest honor was being named captain his senior year at Michigan. I just knew I always wanted that, to truly be seen as a leader that everybody could always look to. I wanted the pressure of being a captain where you’ve got to show up every day. If you understand leadership, a big thing about it is consistency. I wanted that. I wanted that pressure to be put on me to make sure that I show up every day, give 150%, make sure I bring along my teammates, make sure I’m setting the culture and driving home what we’ve got to get done.

“I was speechless. The (defensive linemen), they went crazy. They were throwing their books and stuff in the air. I couldn’t believe it honestly. I didn’t know if I was going to get it. Hoping for it, but I was going to support whoever did get the job. I was fortunate enough to receive it. It’s just been an honor. I feel truly blessed. I’m a kid from West Philadelphia. I never thought that in my last year of school I would be a captain at a school as prestigious as this. I’m going to do my best and everything in my power to represent the blue and the white. Just do whatever I can to show that I’m deserving of this opportunity.”

Toney’s attributes on and off the field led to him receiving that designation.

“I take the time to know my teammates away from football. Every guy in the locker room, I introduce myself to. Because one day, he might need to be able to talk to me and he shouldn’t feel like, ‘Oh, because I never had a conversation with him before, I can’t go talk to him now.’ I just like to be a resource.

“Life outside of football happens consistently. When we’re athletes, a lot of that time, we’re told to put that stuff aside or you’ve got to focus on what you’ve got in front of you when it comes to ball. I focus on that stuff outside because that’s the stuff that lets you find out who that kid really is and what he’s going through. I know if I can be able to get him through that, when he looks at me on the football field and I say, ‘Yo, you’re not running hard enough,’ he’s going to say ‘Okay Shaka’ because I know him. If a guy isn’t talking, I’m going to make sure I go over there and speak to him and see what’s going on. Showing people that you’ve always got a brother in Shaka.

“There’s never a time you can’t call me. All my (defensive linemen) know, all the defensive guys know, all the offensive guys know. I sleep with my phone under my face just so I can wake up if something is going on, and you need to talk.”