Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
7 2 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 4 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ity clocks, players like Kimber and Har- ris have to manage their priorities when picking a new school. "It turns into a recruiting process," said Andy Frank, Penn State's general manager of personnel and recruitment. "How do you convince both of these guys, in two very different situations in their career, that they've got a great opportunity here at Penn State? Terry Smith does a great job with that. [Recruiting coordinator] Alan Zemaitis did a great job with those two guys as well. "A college transfer is looking at different things in the recruiting process than a high school prospect. You've got to show them the depth chart. You've got to show them how their skill set fits within your system. … We were able to do that with both of those guys. Knock on wood, I think we were right, and I think they were right." The recruitment of each was just the start. The Nittany Lions will have one of the deeper cornerback groups in the Big Ten, and that's a battle that will rage through preseason camp. Junior Cam Miller will factor in heavily, along with sophomore returnees Audavion Col- lins, Zion Tracy and Elliot Washington II. Smith also added three freshmen to the group in the 2024 class. "It might be the deepest we've been," Smith said of his cornerbacks room. "Es- pecially when I really don't even know who's going to be the starter. "It's about maintaining consistency. Don't be a roller-coaster guy. Those roller-coaster guys, when they hit the top, we all love them. But that guy that's at the bottom scares us so much that we don't even want to play him. Once you find consistency, we know how to utilize you." The Nittany Lions, playing a new de- fense under first-year coordinator Tom Allen, should have plenty of opportunities to get their cornerbacks on the field. Penn State plans to hash it out in August before taking the field in Morgantown against West Virginia. It should be one of the top battles on the roster in preseason camp. "Our room is really strong, so there's going to be tremendous competition," Smith. "I'm just looking forward to those guys battling it out." ■ Kimber spent time at Georgia and Florida earlier in his career. He originally intended to play his final college season at Louisville before landing at Penn State instead. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL