Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
1 1 0 A U G U S T 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 Player Pos. Career Starts Hakeem Beamon DT 18 Since redshirting his first year on campus, Beamon has been a regular contributor for Penn State. He was a 12-game starter as a redshirt junior in 2022 and made six starts last fall. Beamon has played in 37 games, totaling 37 tackles, including 9 for loss and 1 sack. The Midlothian, Va., native opted to use his bonus season of eligibility and is expected to be a key player in the defensive tackle rotation this fall. Jaquan Brisker S 21 Brisker is arguably the best junior college player to ever suit up for Penn State. The Pittsburgh native spent two seasons at Lackawanna College before making an instant impact for the Nittany Lions in 2019, playing in all 13 games that season. By the time he wrapped up his college career in 2021, he had earned All-America honors from a host of pub- lications. Brisker finished with 153 tackles, including 9.5 for loss, 5 interceptions and 14 pass breakups. He's been an excellent pro, totaling 209 tackles in his first two seasons with the Chicago Bears. Noah Cain RB 8 Cain's freshman season had fans excited about the future. The Baton Rouge, La., native totaled 443 yards and 8 touchdowns that year, including 92 yards and 2 scores in the Cotton Bowl. However, a season-ending injury in 2020 derailed everything. Cain did start six games in 2021 but never quite hit the same level of production he enjoyed before the injury. He transferred to LSU for his last two college seasons and recently signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Joesph Appiah Darkwa DL 0 Penn State took a chance on Darkwa, who played just a few years of club football in Dusseldorf, Germany. He spent three seasons with the Nittany Lions but never saw the field before transferring to Temple following the 2021 campaign. Lance Dixon LB 1 Dixon arrived at Penn State with high expecta- tions. The Oak Park, Mich., native received a five- star rating from one of the major recruiting services, but his career didn't play out the way PSU had hoped. After a redshirt year, Dixon played in nine games in 2020, totaling 10 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. He transferred to West Virginia in 2021 and spent three seasons with the Mountaineers, making 72 tackles in 19 games. Dixon re-entered the trans- fer portal last December and is set to play for Toledo in his final year of eligibility. John Dunmore WR 0 Dunmore had plenty of hype coming out of Chaminade-Madonna in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but he's been a journeyman at the college level. He spent just one season at Penn State before transfer- ring to Oregon State, where he had 9 receptions for 95 yards in 2022. Dunmore transferred again prior to the 2023 season, landing at Towson. He played in only two games last fall and is still on the Tigers' roster heading into the 2024 campaign. Dvon J-Thomas DT 10 A native of Burtonsville, Md., J-Thomas (formerly Ellies) has been a steady presence in Penn State's interior defensive line, playing in all 13 games each of the past three seasons. Overall, he's played in 43 games during his career and is set to be a key contributor again in 2024. He's totaled 59 tackles, including 9.5 for loss and 2 sacks. Keaton Ellis S 20 Ellis made an immediate impact as a freshman, playing in 13 games with one start. The State Col- lege native had his best season in 2022 when he totaled 24 tackles and 7 pass breakups. In five sea- sons, Ellis finished with 89 tackles in 56 games, add- ing 14 pass breakups, 4 forced fumbles, 2 intercep- tions and 3 tackles for loss. He signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans in April. Devyn Ford RB 6 Coming out of North Stafford (Va.) High, Ford was the No. 63 overall prospect in the 2019 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He played in 12 games his freshman season, totaling 274 yards and 3 touch- downs but was never able to build on that perfor- mance. In three seasons at Penn State, he rushed for 629 yards and 6 touchdowns while adding an- other 71 yards receiving. Ford played in four games in 2022 before opting to sit out the rest of the year to preserve his eligibility. He transferred to Notre Dame ahead of the 2023 season, and he's still on the Irish's roster. He briefly switched to safety in the spring but is back at running back for this season. Daequan Hardy CB 5 Hardy was a last-minute addition to Penn State's 2019 class, and it ended up being a great move by the staff. He played in 48 games, mostly serving as the team's nickel cornerback. Hardy finished with 60 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks, while adding 5 interceptions and a forced fumble. In his final season, he also averaged 14.6 yards on punt returns, taking 2 back for touchdowns. Adisa Isaac DE 26 A first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2023, Isaac had a very good career for the Nittany Lions. Despite missing the 2021 season with an Achilles injury, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native played in 46 games, totaling 92 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Isaac was chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Michael Johnson Jr. QB 0 Johnson spent just one season at Penn State be- fore transferring ahead of the 2020 campaign. He ended up at Florida Atlantic, where his father was the offensive coordinator at the time. It wasn't until last season that Johnson saw the field for the Owls. He totaled 140 yards and 7 touchdowns on 23 car- ries in a backup quarterback role. TJ Jones WR 0 Penn State took a chance on Jones, adding the Lake City, Fla., native to its class on National Signing Day. After redshirting in 2019, he appeared in seven games the following year but never recorded any statistics. Jones ended up transferring to Alabama Birmingham in 2021. In his first three seasons at UAB, he totaled 50 receptions for 502 yards and 3 touchdowns. He'll be a redshirt senior this fall. Joey Porter Jr. CB 31 Penn State knew it was getting a player with a strong football background when it added Porter to the class. It didn't take long for him to show his po- Tight end Brenton Strange was a three-year starter and third-team All-Big Ten pick for the Nittany Lions in 2022. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL CLASS OF 2019 SUMMARY Players in class: 23 | On3 Team Ranking: No. 10