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Penn State cornerback commit Daryus Dixson starts senior season with impressive performance

Mug-Shot 4x4by:Ryan Snyder•08/23/24•

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Future Penn State cornerback Daryus Dixson. (Credit: On3)

Future Penn State cornerback Daryus Dixson began his senior season Thursday night in one of the nation’s marquee matchups to kick off the high school football season. Playing for a stacked Mater Dei squad that comes into the season ranked No. 1 in the country according to Massey Rankings, Dixson and the Monarchs picked up a 42-25 win over another Southern California powerhouse, Centennial.

Dixson, who’s ranked No. 161 nationally in On3’s Industry Rankings, set the tone right from the start, recording his first interception of the season just two minutes into the game. That eventually led to a touchdown for Mater Dei a few plays later, giving the Monarchs all the momentum to start the game.

But it wasn’t just Dixson’s interception that impressed. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back also showed off his physicality on multiple plays, which is one of the traits that Penn State likes most about his game. Dixson finished with four tackles, including one for a loss of yards midway through the third quarter.

Last season, Dixson totaled 56 tackles for Mater Dei, adding five tackles for loss, three interceptions and 14 pass breakups. He’s now totaled 113 tackles over his high school career. The Industry Rankings currently have Dixson as the No. 1 ranked player in Penn State’s class. He’s one of three cornerbacks that assistant coach Terry Smith has earned commitments from in the Class of 2025, joining New Jersey native Jahmir Joseph and Pennsylvania native Xxavier Thomas.

On3’s Charles Power breaks down Penn State CB Daryus Dixson

Charles Power: The first thing that sticks out about Daryus Dixson is just his instincts in coverage and his ball skills. You see him make some impressive plays, jumping passes and coming down with interceptions as a junior. He’s a guy we’ve known about for quite some time, being at a high-profile program like Mater Dei. He has solid size at right around 6-foot-1, 180. He has plus length, too, with a 6-foot-5 wingspan.

He’s a guy who probably projects as an outside corner. He’s fluid with his movements, can change direction well, and just shows a level of polish and overall wherewithal. Coming from a program like Mater Dei, where he’s been coached up extensively and has played a lot of high-level high school football, I think he’ll come in with a high floor relative to his experience.

I think the transition for him probably won’t be as extreme as some other corners who might be playing other positions or elsewhere. Just coming in with the level of polish he has is encouraging. When it comes to areas for improvement, I think the biggest thing is going to be his top-end speed. He’s a mid-4.6 guy right now, so that’s something I think he can improve upon over the next year.

Obviously, Penn State has one of the top strength and conditioning programs in the country. They’ve really gotten the most out of their athletes over the years, so I think it’s a good fit for Daryus Dixson. I think he’s going to a program that I believe can really help him in that area. But that’s probably the biggest area that he has for improvement when you’re looking at him as a cornerback prospect.

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