Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 10 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Four-star New Jersey cornerback Jah- mir Joseph took his first visit to Penn State in April 2022. By the time he re- turned a year later for the Blue-White Game, he had a scholarship offer in hand and was intrigued by the opportunity to play for Nittany Lions. The team's spring scrimmage only served to intensify his interest. "I really liked the atmosphere. It was different for a spring game," Joseph re- called. "Everyone welcomed me with open arms. It was a great experience." Earlier this summer, he ended his re- cruitment, announcing on June 17 that he planned to join the Lions' 2025 re- cruiting class. Listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds, Joseph is a consensus four-star prospect who is rated by On3 as the No. 253 overall pros- pect and No. 24 cornerback nationally, as well as the No. 6 player in New Jersey. He's more highly regarded in the On3 Industry Ranking, checking in at No. 167 nationally and No. 4 in his home state. Joseph's commit- ment to Penn State was no surprise. He totaled four trips to PSU since first visiting State College more than two years ago. Joseph followed his visit for the 2023 spring game with a trip to see the Lions' home opener against West Virginia last September. During his junior season at St. Jo- seph Regional, Joseph totaled 43 tackles and 3 interceptions. He also had 8 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles and 2 blocked punts. As a sophomore with the Green Knights, he had 43 tackles, 15 pass break- ups, 3 interceptions and a forced fumble. During the course of his recruitment, Joseph earned more than 30 scholarship offers. He took unofficial visits to Georgia and South Carolina earlier this year, fol- lowed by official visits to Stanford and Notre Dame before checking out Penn State. South Carolina also planned to host him for an official visit in late June, but that trip was canceled. — Ryan Snyder Penn State picked up a rare commit- ment from a California prospect when three-star cornerback Daryus Dixson joined the Nittany Lions' 2025 class on June 10. A 6-foot-1, 180-pounder from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Dixson earned his offer from the Lions in June 2023 and had been in frequent contact with cornerbacks coach Terry Smith in the months leading up to his pledge. Smith paid a visit to Mater Dei during the spring contact period and convinced Dixson to take an official visit to Penn State with his family in June. That cross-country trip took place the week- end of June 7-9, and Dixson committed shortly afterward. "My visit to Penn State was amazing," he told On3. "I would say a takeaway for me would be the way they made me and my family feel like it was home, and just how the culture is all together. Also, it's crazy how big the sta- dium was." Head coach James Fra n k l i n 's p re se n ce throughout the visit also impressed Dixson and his parents. " M e a n d C o a c h Franklin talked a lot," Dixson said. "He's a good coach, and I like how active he is with his players. He's a coach that was with me through my whole official visit, and that showed me a lot." During his recruitment, Dixson to- taled more than 30 scholarship offers. He took an official visit to Washington prior to his trip to State College, and he had planned to check out Tennessee later in June but ended up canceling that visit. Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Okla- homa and USC all hosted him multiple times in recent years. Dixson holds a three-star rating from On3's scouts but is considered a four- star prospect by the other three major recruiting sites, accounting for his four- star grade in the On3 Industry Ranking. He's the No. 159 overall prospect na- tionally, No. 19 cornerback and No. 14 player in California for the 2025 class, per the Industry Ranking. Dixson played in 14 games last season and totaled 56 tackles, including 5 for loss, to go along with 6 interceptions and a forced fumble. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE JAHMIR JOSEPH COMMITMENT PROFILE DARYUS DIXSON New Jersey Cornerback Set To Boost Lions' Secondary Connection With Staff Entices California Cornerback The first things that stand out about Jahmir Joseph are his ball skills and coverage instincts. Just from watching him on his junior film, you see him do a good job of reading receivers off the line of scrimmage. He redirects quickly while staying in phase. We don't know a ton about his athletic ability; there aren't a lot of combine or track and field numbers for him. One of the biggest questions I have is how that will translate. His size is probably average for a cornerback, but I think you're getting a pol- ished, instinctive player who is fairly advanced at his position. — Charles Power, On3 director of scouting and rankings P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Daryus Dixson has played almost every posi- tion in the secondary: slot cornerback, out- side cornerback and safety. Mater Dei also trusts him to play in the box as a run defender. His size, length and movement skills allow him to succeed in most situations. Despite his varied responsibilities, there are no notice- able coverage busts on the full-game tapes from last season. When you put that profile together with his physical versatility, Penn State is getting a high-floor player with low bust potential. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N