Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
7 4 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M DEFENSIVE BACKS PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★ Penn State returns two All-America candidates to its starting secondary. Super senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown and redshirt junior cornerback Joey Porter Jr. both passed up the opportunity to leave school early for the NFL Draft. That was huge news for first-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who walks into a great situation with the last line of his new defense. Porter is among the nation's top pro corner prospects, while Brown figures to work his way up the safeties list just as future second-round draftee Jaquan Brisker did last season. Two new starters are needed, but one of them will be sophomore sensation Kalen King at cornerback. In addition, redshirt junior Dae- quan Hardy is back in the slot after earning Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten honors last fall. As for the open position at safety, it'll go to either junior Keaton Ellis, sophomore Jaylen Reed or redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley. Reed hasn't seen much action yet, and Wheatley hasn't seen any, but they enter this season with immense potential. EXPERIENCE ★★ Brown, Porter, Hardy and Ellis have played a lot of college football, but once you get beyond that foursome, this is not a veteran secondary. Starting with the last line of the defense, Wheatley moved from cornerback to safety dur- ing the 2022 offseason. By all accounts, it has been a smooth transition for the Maryland na- tive, but he's played in only four games to date. Reed played in eight games as a true freshman but will be asked to assume a much bigger role this fall. After that group, there are no other scholarship options at safety. At cornerback, King is further along than most second-year players, but aside from junior Johnny Dixon, there isn't another cornerback who has played many meaningful snaps at the college level. It's a top-heavy group. DEPTH ★★ This is an area of concern. Once you get be- yond the two-deep in the safeties room, you are left with either first-year players or walk-ons to fill out a three-deep. There are three safeties in Penn State's 2022 recruiting class — Mehki Flow- ers, Tyrece Mills and KJ Winston — but will any of them be ready if called upon due to injury? None enrolled early, so that could prove prob- lematic. It's a similar conversation with the cornerbacks. Dixon, the former South Carolina transfer, should be expected to take a step forward this year. Oth- erwise, Terry Smith's room is filled with players still learning the ropes. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ While we have to ding this group for lacking experience and proven depth, there's an abun- dance of potential. Safeties coach Anthony Poin- dexter and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith have recruited as well as any staffers in the program. It means that the cupboard is very full, and with any luck, PSU won't need to rush players onto the field. Daequan Hardy received an honorable mention All-Big Ten nod from Pro Football Focus following a redshirt sophomore season in which he inter- cepted two passes. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL BY THE NUMBERS 6 Interceptions by senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown in his first year as a Nittany Lion starter. Brown finished in a tie with Oregon's Verone McKinley III and Baylor's JT Woods for the FBS lead. It was the most interceptions by a Penn State player in a single season since safety Anthony Scirrotto had 6 in 2006. 7 Pass breakups by redshirt junior cor- nerback Daequan Hardy last year. Even though he made only one start all season — the Indiana game, in which Penn State opened with five defensive backs — Hardy led the team. 11 Touchdown passes allowed by Penn State last year. Only three teams in the country — Washington (6), Wisconsin (9) and Georgia (10) — surrendered fewer.