Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 3 9 RETURNING STARTER Audavion Collins | CB | R-Sr. Collins started all 13 games in his third season with the Nittany Lions. With 47 stops as a redshirt junior, including 2.5 for loss, he's the top returning tackler on the defense. OTHER RETURNEES Daryus Dixson | CB | So. Dixson was an impact freshman, play- ing in all 13 games and totaling 24 tack- les. He made his first career start against Michigan State in November and also got the nod in the Pinstripe Bowl. Joshua Johnson | CB | R-Fr. Johnson played in Penn State's final three games last season and retained his freshman eligibility for the 2026 cam- paign. Jahmir Joseph | CB |R-Fr. Joseph played in four regular-season games as well as the Pinstripe Bowl. The former four-star prospect finished his first college season with 7 tackles. Xxavier Thomas | CB | R-Fr. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic grad got on the field for one game last year, seeing action against Villanova and re- taining his freshman eligibility in 2026. Vaboue Toure | S | R-So. The only scholarship safety to stick with Penn State through its coaching transi- tion, Toure played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman, finishing with 13 tackles. Zion Tracy | CB | Sr. Tracy started nine games at the nickel position as a junior, totaling 32 tackles and breaking up 2 passes. NEWCOMERS Christian Askew | S | Fr. Askew joined Penn State's 2026 class in January after being released from his letter of intent with James Madison. He is unranked by Rivals. Tyrell Chatman | CB | Fr. A three-star prospect from Lincoln, Neb., Chatman joined Penn State's 2026 recruiting class in January after receiving his release from Iowa State. Jeremiah Cooper | S | R-Sr. Cooper made 30 starts at Iowa State and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore. He's working his way back from an injury that ended his 2025 season after just four games. Omarion Davis | S | So. Davis saw action on 153 snaps at strong safety as a true freshman at Boston Col- lege, finishing with 13 tackles. Amarion Jackson | S | Fr. A former Iowa State commit, Jack- son topped 3,300 receiving yards in high school but will likely play safety at PSU. Ibn McDaniels | CB | R-So. McDaniels played in 11 games during his redshirt freshman season at Syracuse and finished with 2 tackles. Marcus Neal Jr. | S | Jr. Neal tied for the team lead with 77 tack- les at Iowa State last fall, adding 2 inter- ceptions and 3 pass breakups. Jamison Patton | S | Sr. Patton had 48 tackles and 2 intercep- tions while starting nine games at Iowa State last year. He suffered a season-end- ing injury in November. Hunter Sowell | S | R-Fr. Sowell is the younger brother of re- ceiver Chase Sowell, another Iowa State- to-Penn State transfer. He played in one game as a true freshman with the Cy- clones. Bryson Williams | S | Fr. A three-star prospect from Omaha, Neb., Williams totaled 73 tackles and 6 interceptions as a senior at Westside High. Josiah Zayas | CB | Fr. A three-star athlete from Piscataway (N.J.) Township High, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Zayas could play receiver at PSU but is listed by Rivals as a cornerback. 2026 LOOK AHEAD DEFENSIVE BACK 2026 Outlook Penn State lost five defensive backs who started three or more games in 2025, so there's a lot to sort out in the secondary in the coming months. The philosophical approach will shape much of the plan here. We'll assume that Penn State wants to maintain man coverage in its arsenal, which dictates a few things. The first is that Penn State is short on outside cornerbacks with playing experience. It's truly the top three of Audavion Collins, Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph — and Joseph will be a redshirt freshman with only five games under his belt. Another concern is the logjam at safety. Jeremiah Cooper makes the most sense for the field position. Jamison Patton is a natural boundary safety, as is Marcus Neal Jr. Neal's "star" position in the Iowa State defense doesn't exist in the system that coordinator D'Anton Lynn has previ- ously deployed. It will be interesting to see how PSU sorts out those positions while making room for Zion Tracy, a nine- game starter at nickel last year. Almost by definition, some of these safeties have to move over to nickel to provide depth. Cooper might fit there as a hybrid roster fix. However, Omarion Da- vis makes sense given his size (5-11, 185 pounds) and speed. Also, he's a willing tackler and hitter, which makes it easier to play him in the slot, provided he adds strength this offseason. — Thomas Frank Carr Cornerback Audavion Collins started all 13 games for the Nittany Lions last season and finished fifth on the team with 47 tackles. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Nittany Lions Rebuild Their Last Line Of Defense