Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
7 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 6 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★★ Penn State has an excellent cornerback tandem in redshirt senior Audavion Collins and sophomore Daryus Dixson. Dixson enjoyed a stellar debut season at Penn State, finishing as the unquestioned standout at cornerback among a disappoint- ing group of veterans. When some of those vets entered the portal, Dixson got a chance to shine in the Pinstripe Bowl. Collins has been a consistent player over the past two years. He has 87 total tackles in that span — accumulated in two differ- ent defensive systems — placing him just behind former teammate A.J. Harris for sev- enth among Big Ten cornerbacks. The safety spots should also be in good hands thanks to the arrival of Iowa State veterans Marcus Neal Jr., Jeremiah Cooper and Jamison Patton. Neal, a junior, is an ex- cellent football player when going forward and attacking the line of scrimmage. He tallied 21 run stops last year, which would have ranked third among Big Ten safeties. Patton and Cooper will both have senior eligibility. Cooper is moving back to safety after being forced by injuries to fill in at cornerback last year, while Patton has a skill set that is reminiscent of Neal's — so much so that he could end up being first off the bench rather than a part of the starting lineup. At the nickel spot, senior Zion Tracy returns after starting nine games for PSU last year. The staff will look to put him in a position that plays to his strengths — which likely means hiding him against the run. He'll probably play nickel against three-receiver sets and flip to free safety versus run-heavy offenses or when the defense wants to bring pressure. EXPERIENCE ★★★ Except for Dixson, Penn State has upper- classmen set to start everywhere in the sec- ondary. Collins was one of only three Penn State players to start all 13 games last year, joining defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and linebacker Amare Campbell, both of whom have moved on. Tracy brings a wealth of ex- perience to the nickel spot, and the Nittany Lions supplemented those vets by bringing in Neal, Patton and Cooper, who combined to make 59 starts at Iowa State over the past two seasons. There are some concerns regarding the lower rungs of the depth chart, but the top line boasts plenty of veteran talent. DEPTH ★★ Now, about those lower rungs … After the top two — Collins and Dixson — Penn State is short on outside cornerbacks with playing experience. Jahmir Joseph is clearly the third man in the rotation, but he doesn't have a whole lot of experience him- self, having seen action in five games as a true freshman last fall. Leaving aside Collins, Dixson and Tracy, all the scholarship cornerbacks on Penn State's roster will have freshman eligibility this fall. That's a precarious position to be in, especially if one of those top three were to get hurt. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ 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 addition to the shortage of experienced cornerbacks noted above, there's a logjam at safety. Neal's "star" position in the Iowa State defense does not exist in the system that new coordinator D'Anton Lynn deployed at his previous stops, but he's certain to be in the starting lineup. Where that leaves Patton and Cooper is still to be determined. It will be interesting to see how Penn State sorts out those positions while making room for Tracy. Despite the lingering questions, Penn State has plenty of talent in the secondary, between the cornerbacks who stuck with assistant coach Terry Smith and the safeties who followed Campbell and their Iowa State position coach, Deon Broomfield. If they stay healthy, the defensive backs should be a strength this year. BY THE NUMBERS 11 Tackles for loss by safety Marcus Neal Jr. as a sophomore at Iowa State last season. It was the most TFLs by any defensive back in the Big 12. 29.2 Forced-incompletion percentage compiled by cornerback Daryus Dixson as a true freshman. That was the third-best rate among Power Four cornerbacks with at least 20 targets. 85.1 Neal's run defense grade from Pro Football Focus last year, the high- est on Iowa State's defense. Zion Tracy started nine games as Penn State's nickel corner- back last year, posting 32 tackles and 2 pass breakups. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Terry Smith (cornerbacks): Smith steered the Nittany Lions through some choppy waters when he was tapped to serve as interim head coach following James Franklin's dismissal last October. The Nittany Lions went 4-3 under his leadership, and after wrapping up the campaign with a 22-10 victory over Clem- son in the Pinstripe Bowl, Smith agreed to join Matt Campbell's new staff as associate head coach. He will continue to oversee the cornerbacks, the position group he has led since returning to his alma mater in 2014 as part of Franklin's first staff. Deon Broomfield (safeties): Broomfield joined Penn State's staff after Anthony Poindexter left for Tennessee. He spent the past five seasons coaching Iowa State's safeties. A 34-year-old native of Palm Bay, Fla., Broomfield played defensive back for the Cyclones before a brief NFL stint. He began his coaching career at Carthage (Wis.) College in 2015 and later had stints at Western Illinois and Indiana State before spending the 2020 season as a defensive assistant with the Houston Texans. Broom- field joined Iowa State as safeties coach in 2021 and later added the title of defensive passing game coordinator. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS Cornerback AUDAVION COLLINS R-Sr. | 5-11 | 183 • Started all 13 games in 2025, his third