Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519242
2 8 M A Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M NATE BAUER | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M T he buzz surrounding redshirt junior safety Zakee Wheatley started early this offseason. Wheatley was twice saluted during winter workouts by his position coach, Anthony Poindexter, and was praised by strength coach Chuck Losey as well as James Franklin before Penn State had even stepped on the field for its spring practice sessions. A player long recognized for his po- tential as a ball hawk in the secondary, Wheatley was blossoming. Marrying his playing potential with demonstrable steps forward in his overall approach to the game, he was capturing attention. "I would say that Zakee is playing his best football by far right now," Franklin said. "And it's not because of us. It's just his maturity. The light has gone on for him. He understands what he has to do consistently to be the type of player that he wants to be. It's pretty cool to see." By most metrics, Wheatley's redshirt sophomore campaign could not have been described in the same terms. He was the third safety in Penn State's ro- tation last fall, playing behind then-ju- nior Jaylen Reed and sophomore Kevin Winston Jr. Wheatley saw action in every game, but his numbers declined from the pre- vious year. His 257 total defensive snaps in 13 games were considerably fewer than the 373 he received as a redshirt freshman during the 2022 campaign. In addition, his 24 tackles were 3 fewer than he had amassed the year before. Maybe most important of all, Wheat- ley didn't display the same nose for the ball that the coaching staff had seen previously. After totaling 2 inter- ceptions, a forced fumble and a pass breakup during his debut season, he didn't have a hand in any turnovers last year. Looking back, Wheatley said he was frustrated by his diminished productiv- ity. But even amid the season's disap- pointments, the 6-foot-2, 196-pound defensive back never lost confidence in himself, maintaining a positive outlook about his potential moving forward. "I always expect the best out of me. And especially going into last year, I ex- pected that," he said. "But college foot- ball is full of ups and downs. It's full of different roads and routes. … I believe that at the end of the day, as long as you stay steady and stay the course, then everything is going to work out. That's how I handled it." A Strong Finish Wheatley finished the 2023 cam- paign on a high note. He saw action on 32 snaps against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, his highest total since receiving a season-high 50 at Illinois in September. Wheatley made 3 stops in Penn State's 38-25 loss to the Rebels, notching his highest tackling grade of the season from Pro Football Focus (84.6). In the months that followed, Wheat- ley sought to use the performance as a springboard into the 2024 season. He embraced the mundane details that can separate good from great and worked to implement everything he was learning. "Coming off that bowl game, I've just been focused on taking care of my body and doing the little things, day in and day out," Wheatley said. "Doing that every day has improved my game in a lot of ways. It has improved how I'm feeling, all types of things. "It's just [a matter of] learning from older guys who have been in the pro- gram for many years. Just learning how to take care of your body, and knowing when to come into the building, when to watch film, just knowing how to do those things." Wheatley's classmate Reed has had a front-row seat for the transforma- tion this offseason. In a crowded room with competitors all vying to make an impact, Wheatley's embrace of the pro- cess has paid dividends that have been undeniable on multiple levels. On the front end, Wheatley himself has made the type of jump that could lead to personal performances beyond any in his career to this point. That per- Putting a subpar 2023 season behind him, safety Zakee Wheatley has been on an upward trajectory this spring Course Correction Wheatley's statistics declined as a redshirt sophomore, but he's been one of the Nittany Lions' top defensive performers this offseason. "The light has gone on for him," coach James Franklin said. "He understands what he has to do consistently to be the type of player that he wants to be. It's pretty cool to see." PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL "College football is full of ups and downs. It's full of different roads and routes. … I believe that at the end of the day, as long as you stay steady and stay the course, then everything is going to work out." W H E A T L E Y