1 week Ago
STATE COLLEGE – Penn State has consistently produced difference-makers at every level of its defense in recent years. Linebacker? The program is known as Linebacker U, for starters. Both Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter began their Penn State careers at the position.
Defensive line? Carter, who moved to the edge position at PSU last season, recently went No. 3 overall to the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL draft. And did you see what current end Dani Dennis-Sutton did to the Notre Dame offensive line in last season’s college playoff semifinal? How about safety? With Anthony Poindexter running the show, the Lions have churned out Jaquan Brisker, Ji’Ayir Brown, Kevin Winston and Jaylen Reed.
The next NFL safety from Penn State will be Zakee Wheatley, who could go early in the 2026 draft. That brings us to the corner spot, where coverage skills, length and athleticism are coveted by James Franklin and position coach Terry Smith. Joey Porter Jr.
was a shutdown defender and PSU has a pair of veteran corners, A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington, who will be lock-down types in the fall.
But Saturday’s Blue-White game provided a glimpse of a young Penn State corner who could be as good, or better, than all of the above. True freshman Daryus Dixson, the January enrollee from California, looked like the best player on the field. It wasn’t your typical Blue-White game.
There was no TV coverage and no stats were kept. You had to be there to see what the 6-0, 193-pound Dixson did, and how he did it. He was physical in run support, bringing down fellow true freshman Tikey Hayes in the open field.
Dixson laid a crushing hit on wide receiver and classmate Josiah Brown, who somehow managed to hold on to the pass. The collision pried Brown’s helmet off his head. The young corner played tight coverage all game and forced a couple of pass breakups, one against veteran wideout Devonte Ross and one against Brown.
“He’s amazing, he’s a playmaker,” Penn State redshirt corner Kenny Woseley Jr. said afterward when asked about Dixson’s impact this offseason. “That’s what coach (Terry Smith) likes, physical dogs, guys who are going to make plays and you can see that in Daryus.
He’s been flourishing throughout the spring.” Penn State entered spring with one of the best corner rooms in the Big Ten, a room led by Harris, Washington and fellow veterans Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy. By now, those four know they are going to have to make room for Dixson, who has only been with the team for a few months.
And they will have to do it sooner, rather than later..
