His teammates say the transition has been smooth, but Tony Davis admits his preseason switch from cornerback to safety has been followed by unexpected challenges.
"Basically I would have to say reading the offense a lot more. I really didn't think there was that much involvement at safety," Davis said.
Davis, probably most known for scooping up a fumble and scampering 88 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in last season's Outback Bowl, started every game last year at left corner.
Then a junior, it was Davis' first season as a starter at any position, and he led the Nittany Lions in pass breakups while many teams chose to throw to his side instead of toward Justin King, a more-experienced starter.
But at the start of spring practice this year, Davis was moved to safety to replace the graduated Donnie Johnson. Lydell Sargeant replaced Davis as starting cornerback opposite King.
It's been a difficult move for Davis, complicated by a nagging left shoulder injury, a stinger suffered during the Lions' third game against Buffalo.
In every game since then, Davis has split parts of games with converted wideout Mark Rubin. Davis is still the starter, but he's been forced to exit games early or miss consecutive series because of the shoulder injury.
"It's pretty hard. It's tough. But I'm getting through it. I should be back to 100 percent pretty quickly," Davis said. "I'm actually very frustrated with it. But like the doctors said, I gotta take my time and be patient with it. Pretty soon things will be back to normal."
Davis has been wearing reinforced shoulder pads with a higher collar since Penn State's game at Illinois. They provide extra support but also restrict certain neck movements.
"I really don't know when they're going to give me back my regular shoulder pads. To tell you the truth, I'm really not sure what it is at all," Davis said.
The injury certainly hasn't helped Davis feel more comfortable at his new position. More than halfway into the season, Davis says he's just now getting a handle on his on-field responsibilities, which include recognizing certain opposing personnel packages, something that Davis didn't anticipate being a problem.
"It's not an easy move from corner to safety," linebacker Sean Lee said. "He's been banged up a bit."
Lee, though, added Davis has been playing well when he's out there, a statement that you would expect to hear from any teammate. Last week tri-captain Terrell Golden said of Davis' position switch, "I think he's handling it great."
But ask Davis and he knows it's been rough so far.
