Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
7 4 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★★ The Nittany Lions have some vacancies to fill, but this unit should be a strength in 2023. A year ago, opponents were reluctant to test All-American Joey Porter Jr., so they threw at Kalen King instead. King responded by ranking third in the FBS with 21 passes defended (3 inter- ceptions, 18 breakups). Now a junior, he'll be the one that opponents will look to avoid this fall, but they might not have much luck against senior Johnny Dixon, either. Dixon was a six-game starter and an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice a year ago. The safety spots boast a veteran in fifth-year se- nior Keaton Ellis, who has played in 43 games and was the defense's "takeaway king" in spring prac- tice. Either junior Jaylen Reed or redshirt sopho- more Zakee Wheatley will man the opposite spot following Ji'Ayir Brown's graduation. EXPERIENCE ★★★ If Reed earns the starting nod at safety, the Lions will have two juniors and two fifth-year se- niors in their starting foursome. In addition, nickel cornerback Daequan Hardy is a fifth-year senior who has seen action in 37 games to date. There's a lot less experience below the top line of the depth chart, however. Seven of the Lions' 16 scholarship defensive backs will hold freshman eligibility this fall. DEPTH ★★★ This is where you start to worry a little bit. The Nittany Lions thought they had addressed their depth concerns at cornerback with the addition of North Carolina transfer Storm Duck. But Duck had been hoping to claim a starting position, and when that didn't happen in the spring, he trans- ferred again, this time to Louisville. The Lions dipped back into the portal and found redshirt freshman Audavion Collins, formerly of Mississippi State. It was a nice pull, but Duck was the No. 14 cornerback on the market this year, per the On3 Transfer Portal Player Rankings, while Collins was No. 144. Even if Collins ends up being a solid addition in the years to come, PSU could have used a veteran cornerback with an All-ACC pedigree this fall. There's more depth at safety, where seven of the eight scholarship players on the 2023 roster received four-star grades in the On3 Industry Ranking. OVERALL GRADE ★★★★ Athlon has Penn State's secondary ranked first in the Big Ten, while Phil Steele rates it the best in all of college football. Considering that the Lions lost a pair of starters, both of whom were selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, those are some daunting expectations to uphold. Still, if it stays healthy, PSU does appear to have the talent it will need to meet the moment. And it doesn't hurt that one of the team's other strengths is a defensive end corps that figures to give opposing quarterbacks very little time to dis- sect the secondary. PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Terry Smith (cornerbacks): One of three Penn State lettermen on Penn State's staff, Smith is the team's longest-tenured assistant coach and the only one remaining from James Franklin's initial staff in 2014. The former receiver had a standout high school coaching career at Gateway High near Pittsburgh. He then started coaching in the college ranks at Temple before returning to his alma mater in 2014. Five of Smith's PSU players have been drafted, the most recent being Joey Porter Jr., who was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the first pick of the second round this past April. Current junior Kalen King is being hailed as a likely first- rounder next spring. Anthony Poindexter (safeties): A College Football Hall of Famer who played at Virginia, Poindexter joined Penn State's staff following the 2020 season. He has been coaching since 2003 when he returned to Charlottesville as a graduate assistant. Besides spending time with the Cavaliers, he's also coached at Connecticut and Purdue. Poindexter has sent two of his Penn State players into the NFL in the past two drafts. Jaquan Brisker was a second-team All-American as a senior and was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft by the Chicago Bears. A year later, Ji'Ayir Brown earned third-team All-Big Ten honors and was chosen in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS Cornerback DAEQUAN HARDY R-Sr. | 5-9 | 181 • Played in all 13 games last year as Penn State's nickel cornerback, finishing with 13 tackles, 4 pass breakups and an interception. • Finished the 2021 season with 16 tackles, 7 pass breakups and 2 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown against Michigan State. • Played in all nine games during the 2020 season, making 10 tackles and adding 3 pass breakups. JOHNNY DIXON Sr. | 6-0 | 191 • Earned an honorable mention All-Big Ten nod from the media last year after totaling 23 tackles, 10 pass breakups and 2 interceptions in 13 games, six of which he started. • Led all Big Ten cornerbacks with 3 sacks. Cornerback Kalen King was a big part of a Penn State defense that surrendered only 5.8 yards per passing attempt last season, the fifth-lowest figure in the FBS. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE BY THE NUMBERS 1st Penn State's spot on Phil Steele's list of the nation's best secondaries heading into the 2023 season. Steele has PSU ranked just ahead of Georgia, Clemson and Alabama. 2nd The Lions' national rank last sea- son in team pass-efficiency defense. Penn State's rating of 103.24 was surpassed by only one FBS team — Big Ten rival Illinois, with a 92.64 rating. 15th Kalen King's place in the 2024 mock draft that Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus assembled in May. "Even on a team with Joey Porter Jr. [last year], King was the true star in Penn State's secondary," Chadwick wrote.