Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
M A Y 2 0 2 6 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he unexpected star at the out- set of Penn State's spring foot- ball camp was Zion Tracy. The senior defensive back's talent wasn't a surprise; he's one of the fastest and most athletic players on the roster. The surprise was that the coaching staff singled him out as the linchpin of the de- fense to start camp. Multiplicity will be at the core of the Nittany Lions' defensive identity under head coach Matt Campbell and coordina- tor D'Anton Lynn. With that in mind, it's hardly revelatory that they would value Tracy's talent, but it is notable that he's at the center of their conversations. "I think Zion Tracy is one of the best football players that maybe I've coached, to be quite honest, in terms of talent and ability," Campbell said. "You talk about being great in the moment — two years ago, the play he made against Ohio State. I feel like every game, in big moments, that guy has showed up and been an elite football player." The play Campbell was referencing was a pick six that gave Penn State an early 10-0 lead in the Buckeyes' visit to Bea- ver Stadium in November 2024. Tracy stepped in front of a slant intended for Jeremiah Smith and was untouched on his 31-yard sprint to the end zone. Campbell can envision more of those types of moments in the season to come. "I think Zion can be one of the best cor- ners in the country," the first-year PSU coach said. "I think he can be one of the best safeties in the country. He can play nickel. He can do a lot. When you have a chess piece like Zion, it gives you the ability to start to [build] the rest of the defensive structure around him." Campbell's comments came after just one unpadded practice session, but he and his staff have also had a chance to review plenty of film of the players they inherited. Clearly, Tracy made a good first impression. Getting set for an ele- vated role this coming fall, the 5-foot-11, 186-pounder from Hempstead, N.Y., is grateful that his diligence is being noticed by his new head coach. "I would say [he saw] me just trusting my process and the things that I've been doing in the past with my routine," Tracy said. "Keeping up with that keeps me on the same constant focus every day. "On the field, I would say I've been more vocal with the team, just trying to raise everybody up. If they're having a bad day, I'll speak up and everybody can hear me get that energy up." Finding A Home When Tracy spoke to reporters back in February about his future, his positional role was ambiguous. Lynn has typically favored a traditional structure in the sec- ondary, with clear distinctions between safety and cornerback. He's not a natural proponent of a three-safety approach. Tracy's positional journey has been well documented. He played cornerback as a freshman, moved to nickel midway through his sophomore season, then switched to safety last year. It was only natural to wonder where he would line up in 2026. Truth be told, Tracy was unsure himself. "It'll probably be all three, to be hon- est," he said. "I'll just get moved around all the time." Shortly after Tracy talked to BWI about his future, one of the team's newcomers, junior safety Marcus Neal Jr., was asked about the role he expected to play after following Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State. During the 2025 campaign, Neal had enjoyed a breakout season as a pseudo-linebacker for the Cyclones and expressed interest in continuing to play a hybrid role in Lynn's defense this fall. "What I did last year, it really helped me a lot, being able to … gain more knowl- edge," Neal said. "You see [on film], that he could put me at a lot of different spots, and I would like to be in a lot of different spots, because I don't like to stand in one spot." At the time, the idea of two players fill- ing a "play everywhere" role didn't quite add up. However, the concept is much clearer now that spring practice has con- cluded. When discussing versatility in Lynn's defenses, the focus has typically been on the front. Switching between odd and even fronts has been foundational to his system. While there has been some posi- tional fluidity in the secondary, it's typi- cally been more out of necessity than by design. That's what makes this evolution no- table. If a defense truly adapts to its per- sonnel, it changes year to year. This year, the secondary is central to that evolution. Penn State can now adjust to offensive personnel without substituting. Against 12-personnel sets (one running back, two tight ends), Tracy can rotate to deep safety. If the offense shifts to 11 person- nel (one running back, one tight end) and spreads the field, he can slide down to nickel, increasing coverage flexibility. So what is Tracy? A cornerback? A safety? To hear safeties coach Deon In one of his career highlights, Tracy returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown against Ohio State in 2024. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS