Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
7 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M DEFENSIVE BACKS / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / thought you would play in that first year. Now you're sad and you feel like every- one is against you. "Here, everyone kept building me up no matter how things were going. It's good to find a new family, not just a new place where you think you'll play. "I just had to grow into my role, and then it ended up making me better. I had to learn what I was bad at and get good at it so I could compete and get on the field." 'I Think He's Ready' Dixon entered the 2022 season in a similar situation. He was once again the third guy behind Porter and King to open the year. While that role comes with reps, it required Dixon to diversify his skill set. One of his biggest contributions came, oddly enough, as a pass rusher. Dixon finished the season with 3 sacks, outpac- ing his 2 interceptions on the year. "People say that's my strength, but I don't even practice that," Dixon joked. "I guess you can say it's kind of natural, but honestly, I never practiced that until we got into the season and I had already got- ten a couple sacks. People would come up and say something about it. I would be like, yeah, that's cool, I would rather have 3 picks." He should have had 5 sacks, he admit- ted, but he still was tied for sixth on the team. It was also a higher total than all but two Penn State defensive linemen, something that Dixon is quick to remind his burly brethren. "They hate me for it," he said, laugh- ing. "I mess with [defensive tackles] Dvon Ellies and Hakeem Beamon the most about it. I'll walk by and yeah, they know who rushes the passer the best out of all of us." Dixon filled in for Porter when the future second- round NFL Draft pick sat out the latter portion of the year following an emergency appen- dectomy in November. He would go on to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in December. That set the stage for a breakout spring. Dixon held off All-ACC corner- back transfer Storm Duck in a battle that wasn't all that close, and Duck re-en- tered the portal after just a few months on campus. With King already a pre- season All-American on the other side, Dixon is likely to be targeted a lot this fall. "When you read the scouting report on us, you read about Kalen and you know Johnny is going to get a lot of ac- tion. I think he's ready," Smith said. "He's worked hard for this moment, and we'll introduce him to the world the night we play West Virginia." When Dixon does take the field this fall as a full-time starter for the first time, he'll continue to check in before and after every game with a familiar face. Miner will be watching from Florida as he works toward a career in the sports agency field. Perhaps he'll have a future client in his childhood friend. "I've always told John that he can take the game as far as he wants to take it," Miner said. "It's all up to him, and seeing him lock in over the next couple of years, the sky is the limit. "We had a conversation a couple months ago, somewhere around the draft or the combine, [about how] if he puts his head down for the next year, the rest of your life is going to change. "I know he's hungry. He's ready to prove to the world that he is who he says he is. I know he's excited to have a big year. I'm just excited to watch. I know all of Tampa is watching." ■ "I just had to grow into my role, and then it ended up making me better. I had to learn what I was bad at and get good at it so I could compete and get on the field." D I X O N Dixon earned six starts in his second season with the Nittany Lions and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice by the media. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT