Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534903
3 2 M A Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he cornerback position is often described as an island — a solitary defender alone with his adversary, defeating the offensive threat through skill, speed and aggression. Yet, at Penn State, it's hard not to think about the position in threes. The best PSU secondaries of the James Franklin era have had a trio of players splitting reps between the two outside cornerback spots. From 2016-18, the Nittany Lions had three cornerbacks play at least 300 snaps. The most successful iteration of this plan was the 2022 secondary featuring Joey Porter Jr., Kalen King and Johnny Dixon. That trio broke up 34 passes and allowed opposing quarterbacks to com- plete only 45.5 percent of their attempts while compiling a 58.5 passer rating. Since that season, Penn State has tried to cultivate the next triplet of corner- backs to man the outside positions. In 2023, Cam Miller took the third role be- hind Dixon and King. However, that unit did not have a true three-man weave. Last season, the delta was too wide, with transfers A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber taking the lead roles outside. Unlike the previous years, no corner- back matched those two in total snaps despite four corners having more than 200. Miller started the year on the pe- rimeter before moving to the slot when safety Kevin Winston Jr. suffered a season-ending injury in September. The third-cornerback battle began to pick up late in the season. Then- sophomore Elliot Washington II flashed potential early and late in the year, while redshirt sophomore Audavion Collins showed great promise in several games. There are several parallels between this year's cornerback group and the one from 2022. For instance, Wash- ington was a highly recruited defensive back who came in with early promise. While he never garnered the kind of praise that King received his first spring on campus, he was a player we all watched in his first year. Now, Washington has hit another gear. He won every competitor-of-the- day award during winter conditioning, something no player had ever done prior to this year. "I've never seen that before," Franklin said. "In my 12 years here and three years at Vanderbilt, I never had a guy win every single one. There's a lot of excitement in the building, and he's earned it. I'm proud of him and his hard work and at- titude. It's paid dividends for him, and I think it's going to show up in the fall." With Kimber headed to the NFL, there's a starting spot up for grabs. Washington seems determined to take it. If he's the one who reminds Penn State fans of King, the next player in the group would be a somewhat un- heralded transfer who spent the first several seasons working to get into shape and learning the program. Much like Dixon from South Carolina, Collins has worked his way up from a surprise acquisition in the transfer portal out of Mississippi State to a player the coach- ing staff really seems to like. "AC has done a great job since he got here," Franklin said. "He's gotten better every single semester and every single year. He's an extremely competitive guy in practice who has showed up in games as well. We expect him to take another step this year and factor in, whether it's as a starter or in the rotation." Collins is an athletic, sticky, man- coverage player with great feet. He can mirror receivers and meet the ball at the catch point. The competition between Washing- ton and Collins is critical. As Franklin noted, both players need to continue working to improve, and the battle for snaps can provide the impetus. The final piece of the puzzle is a lockdown star. Penn State had just that three years ago in Porter. The future Pittsburgh Steeler forced 8 incomple- tions with 6 pass breakups in the first week against Purdue. After that, teams stopped throwing his way. If cornerbacks coach Terry Smith is correct, Harris should have a similar presence for PSU as a junior this fall. "He's done a tremendous job of cre- ating leadership in the room," Smith said. "He's at another level right now. … This guy will be an All-America candi- date." In 2022, the Nittany Lions had some uncertainty up front as they transi- tioned from former defensive coordi- nator Brent Pry to Manny Diaz. While transfer defensive end Chop Robinson would turn out to be a revelation by the end of his first game, the team wasn't sure how good its pass rush would be going into the year. Penn State is in a much better posi- tion this fall, with senior edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and senior defen- sive tackle Zane Durant back to lead the team. However, the Lions do have ques- tions at the other two defensive line spots. A trio of shut-down cornerbacks patrolling the back end can give the linemen more time to hunt. Penn State fans can only hope that it yields similar results. ■ O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR T F R A N K .C A R R @ O N 3 .C O M Cornerback Trio Rekindles Memories Of Recent Greats Junior A.J. Harris earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in his first season at Penn State after transferring from Georgia. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS UPON FURTHER REVIEW