On3 Roundtable: Once a no-man’s land, Penn State secondary is brimming with talent

Even with some experience leaving Happy Valley, there is a buzz around this year’s Penn State teams. Head coach James Franklin has been on the brink for years now and some think this could be a breakout year. If the Nittany Lions are going to win the important games, their secondary will be a big reason why.

Sean Fitz of BlueWhite Illustrated joined J.D. PicKell on the On3 Roundtable show, talking about how much talent Penn State truly has in the secondary. Even with Joey Porter Jr. leaving in favor of the NFL, there will be plenty of impressive players to pick from — not something the Nittany Lions are exactly used to.

“Penn State used to be no man’s land for secondary,” Fitz said. “They’ve never had a first-round pick, they still don’t even though Joey Porter went No. 32 overall in the draft this year. They’ve done a great job retooling that secondary. Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter have done a phenomenal job turning that around. Kalen King is one of the best corners in the country. Johnny Dixon is opposite of him, I think he’s going to start and then he’s going to play well.”

As Porter transitions to the NFL, King has the opportunity to really take over at cornerback for Penn State. He started in nine games last season, grabbing three interceptions and recording 21 passes defended. Quite the stats for somebody considered a team’s second cornerback — King now gets to go up against No. 1 wide receivers.

Dixon has some starting experience as well, making six during 2022. He was not as active as King is pass coverage but that’s nothing to be ashamed about. Ten pass breakups and two interceptions are something to be proud of.

A true dynamic duo for the Nittany Lions at cornerback.

Penn State to have solid depth at safety heading into 2023

Safety is another place Fitz likes the talent available for Penn State. Keaton Ellis and Jaylen Reed are expected to be the starters but there could be a couple of young guys who eventually work their way into bigger roles.

“And then they got safeties that are coming back and experienced but the two kids behind them, Zakee Wheatley and KJ Winston, can be really good,” Fitz said. “I’m interested to see if they can push and eventually be starters for this team.”

Being able to go four deep at safety is not something every team in the country has the luxury of doing on a weekly basis. Thanks to great recruiting efforts by Penn State, they have a real chance of owning one of the best secondaries out there.