Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 7 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / D E F E N S I V E B A C K S / / / / / / / 2023 vs. 2024: Stock Up Or Down? Penn State fielded one of the country's best pass defenses last season, allowing only 172.1 yards per game through the air to rank seventh in the FBS. Both of the starting cornerbacks from that unit, Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, have since departed, as has veteran nickel cornerback Daequan Hardy. It might seem unlikely that Penn State would just carry on with no dip in its performance level, but the team did fare quite well in the transfer portal this offsea- son, landing sophomore A.J. Harris from Georgia and redshirt senior Jalen Kimber from Florida. With those two joining a stock- pile of returning talent, Penn State doesn't appear headed for a steep drop-off. At safety, senior Jalen Reed, junior Kevin Winston Jr. and redshirt junior Zakee Wheat- ley have combined to see action in 88 games between them, including 26 starting assign- ments. This trio figures to be one of Penn State's biggest assets this year as the de- fense transitions to more of a 4-2-5 scheme under first-year coordinator Tom Allen. In its season preview magazine, Athlon Sports ranked Penn State's secondary seventh-best in the nation. Even with the Lions having made some significant changes, we'd be hard-pressed to argue with that listing. The stock at this position group is holding steady. X-Factor How well does Penn State's personnel fit the scheme that Allen wants to run? The Lions will deploy an extra defensive back in many down-and- distance situations this fall, with the new player dubbed the "Lion." It sounds roughly analogous to the role that Hardy played the past three years, but Hardy's gone, so in addition to any adaptations that need to be made schematically, the Lions are changing personnel. Reed was the top player at the new position in spring practice. Freshman Outlook The Nittany Lions signed three cornerbacks in their 2024 class: Kenny Woseley Jr. of Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia and teammates Antoine Belgrave-Shorter and Jon Mitchell of Mandarin High in Jacksonville, Fla. Of that trio, the one who has garnered the most praise so far from pro- gram insiders is Belgrave-Shorter. Whether the 6-foot, 194-pounder will have a chance to see meaningful snaps as a true freshman is still an open question, but he appears to have put him- self in good position going into preseason camp. At safety, aside from the top three — Winston, Reed and Wheatley — all of the scholarship players hold freshman eligibility. Lamont Payne Jr. and DaKaari Nelson both redshirted last year and will see the field this fall, especially with their classmate King Mack having transferred to Alabama. After finishing with 24 tackles in 13 games as a redshirt sophomore, safety Zakee Wheatley is expected to play a bigger part in the team's defensive plans in 2024. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Scholarship Players (16) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. CORNERBACK 23 Antoine Belgrave-Shorter Fr. 6-0 194 29 Audavion Collins R-So. 5-11 178 4 A.J. Harris So. 6-1 191 3 Jalen Kimber R-Sr. 6-0 188 5 Cam Miller Jr. 6-0 182 12 Jon Mitchell Fr. 5-11 191 7 Zion Tracy So. 5-11 183 16 Elliot Washington II So. 5-11 194 17 Kenny Woseley Jr. Fr. 5-10 167 SAFETY 10 Dejuan Lane Fr. 6-2 203 8 DaKaari Nelson R-Fr. 6-3 217 27 Lamont Payne Jr. R-Fr. 6-0 196 1 Jaylen Reed Sr. 6-0 209 21 Vaboue Toure Fr. 6-1 212 6 Zakee Wheatley R-Jr. 6-2 200 2 Kevin Winston Jr. Jr. 6-2 205