Accentuating strengths, Zakee Wheatley settles in at safety

By the time Zakee Wheatley was crowned as Penn State’s “takeaway king” this spring, the buzz was already in full effect. A second-year safety making the move from corner, where he’d debuted as a true freshman, Wheatley had garnered the attention of teammates and coaches throughout workouts and practices.

Understanding his first year in the program to be a “big developmental” season, Wheatley had used the opportunity to learn how to watch film, learn how to practice, and absorb anything he could from the likes of Tariq Castro-Fields, Jaquan Brisker, Joey Porter, and Ji’Ayir Brown. 

As the attention this spring grew around him, head coach James Franklin pointed out that the ball “likes” Wheatley and he’d been “standing out,” he also understood not to buy into it.

“I’m naturally humble. But I’m also confident. So when I was seeing all that, to me it was just like, I’m just playing my game. I’m just playing my game. Nothing special,” Wheatley said. “I’m just catching picks. That’s my game. That’s all it was, for real. 

“I don’t think it was too much buzz, and I don’t even look at it like I’m that. I have so much more I got to do. My potential is crazy. And that’s what I’m trying to tap into.”

On the front end, that means accentuating the ball skills that have been honed for years in the game. Recalling his time playing both baseball and basketball in addition to football at Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Md., Wheatley said he cultivated an appreciation for having the ball in his possession.

So, for as much as the ball might love Wheatley, the feeling is mutual. 

“I love the ball,” Wheatley said. “I played outfield in baseball, shortstop. Played basketball, played receiver in football, corner, safety. In football, you want the ball in your hands. So when the ball’s in the air, I go get it.”

Differentiating between talk and action, Wheatley narrowed down what has helped him excel in that particular aspect of his game.

“It is instincts and ball skills,” Wheatley said. “I feel the less you’re thinking, the more you can just go out there and read the quarterback, read the receivers. 

“And once the ball’s in the air, he’s not a receiver and I’m not a safety. It’s one-on-one and I’m the receiver. That’s how I just think about it. That kind of helped me just high point the ball and get the ball like it’s mine.”

Next steps

Penn State will be counting on Wheatley to continue that proficiency this season. He’ll compete to make himself a steady part of a rotation that also will include Brown, Keaton Ellis, and Jaylen Reed.

But, following up on an improved year with 14 team interceptions, good for third in the Big Ten and 26th nationally, in a system that values creating turnovers under new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, Wheatley is getting more comfortable.

He also knows what the results have been, though, between Brent Pry and Diaz.

“I love both of them. I think Manny, they got different schemes. And, of course, his scheme helped me get a lot of my picks this year,” Wheatley said. “So I enjoy both of them and they’re both good coaches. I think Manny’s got a lot of good stuff this year.”

Still working to get down the nuances of the position while playing to his instincts, the early results have been to his satisfaction while leaving room for continued growth. 

“Taking all those skills and moving to safety with my ball skills and my aggression, it just kind of worked out,” Wheatley said. “There is still definitely a whole lot of stuff I’m working on this summer because I’m nowhere near the player that I want to be at right now.

“I’m hard on myself and I’m a competitor with myself. I feel like I gotta work on my ball skills, strength, speed, work on quickness, film, everything. I’m just trying to become a complete player. And I’m not perfect, so I’m just working on everything this summer.”