Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
A P R I L 2 0 2 6 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M satile inside/outside defender. His high school profile suggests that his final land- ing spot might be at nickel cornerback. BOUNDARY Audavion Collins R-Sr. 5-11 180 Jahmir Joseph R-Fr. 6-0 190 Tyrell Chatman Fr. 6-2 198 SCOUTING REPORT Audavion Collins: Penn State has few athletes as explosive and fast as Col- lins. His biggest issue has been his work in contested-catch situations. Over the past two seasons, he has allowed an 82.3 percent completion percentage on jump balls. Being at the catch point and con- testing passes frequently is a good sign, but when 14 of 17 go against you, the problem is hard to ignore. Jahmir Joseph: Joseph saw action in four games last season, playing both nickel and outside cornerback. His size, physicality and movement skills translate equally well to the field and boundary. Jo- seph is the team's top reserve cornerback heading into 2026. Tyrell Chatman: In a zone-heavy system, the emphasis is on downfield closing speed, length to disrupt passing lanes, and football IQ over pure man cov- erage ability. It will be interesting to see how Chatman fits into Penn State's cor- nerback culture under Smith. The ceil- ing is intriguing, but there are plenty of unknowns. Nickel Cornerback Zion Tracy Sr. 5-11 186 Hunter Sowell R-Fr. 5-10 177 or Josiah Zayas Fr. 6-2 211 SCOUTING REPORT Zion Tracy: Tracy is returning to the nickel role he played in 2024 and will be spending more time in the slot than in deep coverage. Under coordinator Tom Allen two years ago, he played only 11 per- cent of his snaps off the ball and 65 per- cent in press or man coverage. Expect his usage pattern to look similar this fall, even if the scheme is different. Hunter Sowell: Sowell's film as a high school senior shows an instinctive player with strong ball production, solid posi- tional awareness, and toughness in run support. His movement skills are unex- ceptional, but Campbell brought him to Penn State, so he clearly has upside. Josiah Zayas: Zayas was such a pro- ductive wide receiver in high school that his positional home was genuinely un- clear until PSU's latest roster update. He's a graceful athlete with explosive speed, and he plays with a physical edge. Safety BOUNDARY Marcus Neal Jr. Jr. 6-1 218 Jamison Patton Sr. 6-2 208 Vaboue Toure R-So. 6-1 209 Bryson Williams Fr. 6-4 184 SCOUTING REPORT Marcus Neal Jr.: Neal's role will likely need to evolve now that he's part of a more traditional two-safety defense. At Iowa State, he was a middle safety who functioned more like a linebacker. He will probably start at boundary safety but can be deployed as a quasi-linebacker in ei- ther flat to accentuate his skill set. Jamison Patton: At Iowa State last season, Patton started out on the bound- ary before shifting to the field side to compensate for injuries. Like Neal, he has a good closing burst and is a qual- ity defender when attacking underneath in coverage. He clearly fits the boundary safety profile but can provide starter-level reps at either position. Vaboue Toure: Penn State was able to retain Toure this offseason despite add- ing three veterans who would presum- ably slot ahead of him on the depth chart. He's a useful run defender who could find a role or a package at some point if he proves himself as a coverage defender. Bryson Williams: Williams is an ag- gressive hitter with a nose for the football. He's a playmaker who can find the ball in the air and has the instincts to track down ball-carriers and clean up mistakes. FIELD Jeremiah Cooper R-Sr. 6-0 184 Omarion Davis So. 5-11 197 Ibn McDaniels R-So. 6-3 209 Christian Askew Fr. 6-4 193 SCOUTING REPORT Jeremiah Cooper: A former nickel defender, Cooper is moving to field safety, a position he hasn't played before, but one that will require some of the same skills he displayed during his junior season at Iowa State. His nickel background also opens the door to moving him back inside if the Lions ever need Tracy on the outside or want a bigger body in the slot. Omarion Davis: One of Penn State's more surprising portal pickups, Davis saw extensive action as a field safety at Boston College last season. He's a fearless run de- fender and a capable coverage player who simply needs more experience. Ibn McDaniels: Syracuse attempted to use McDaniels as a do-it-all fixer last year, deploying him at safety, nickel cor- nerback, and as a QB spy/rover on third down. Thus, he didn't have a chance to work on the fundamentals of the position. Now, he can catch up in that area while contributing as a gunner on special teams. Christian Askew: There isn't a lot of high school film of Askew, so this was a difficult evaluation. What is clear is that he has a massive 6-4 frame and good speed. With a listed weight of 193 pounds, he'll need time to develop physically. ■ Audavion Collins is back for his redshirt senior season after starting all 13 games at cornerback for the Nittany Lions last fall. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL