Tom Allen wasn’t always confident in Penn State’s cornerback room. Two starters had departed for the NFL, leaving a young and inexperienced group to fill their void against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. It didn’t go well, and Allen was left wondering from the sideline whether the unit would be talented enough to carry the weight in his first season as defensive coordinator.
“I knew we had some talented young players. I just didn’t know how they were going to develop,” Allen said on Saturday. “That became a major focus.”
Seven months and two transfers later, Allen’s worries have settled. His faith in the cornerback room is strong, and James Franklin feels the same way.
Kalen King, Johnny Dixon and Daequan Hardy are gone. But in their place is a pleasant combination of veteran and blossoming talent, diverse play styles and varying perspectives.
Cam Miller is now the position’s figurehead, having already served on the team’s leadership council as a sophomore last season. Behind him is a five-man competition for a starting spot, between SEC transfers A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber, as well as youthful returnees Zion Tracy, Elliot Washington II and Audavion Collins.
“You would say, typically, when you have a year where you essentially lost two corners to the NFL that you would feel like that was a big question mark going into the season and feel like that was an area where maybe you had some concerns,” Franklin said. “But we actually feel like that position from top to bottom could be better this year athletically.”
But, Franklin digressed, key production has been lost. That’s understood. Games can be the only viable dictator that this fresh group of cornerbacks are up for the task of a Big Ten schedule and the potential College Football Playoff appearance that could follow it.
The depth is clear. There are six or even seven cornerbacks Franklin and Allen feel comfortable playing significantly this fall. Who will play the most is unclear, particularly because no one has quite separated themselves from the pack. And if no one does, Franklin said he has no problem “rotating a lot of high-quality players.”
The goal for each of the competing cornerbacks is to ultimately conclude preseason camp at least a step ahead of the teammate next to them. There’s a reason Allen’s confidence has grown, and it’s almost directly correlated to how hard each cornerback wants to succeed and again serve as a backbone of Penn State’s defense.
“There’s no drop off. Coach (Allen) just wanted to see what he had. Guys have just been working hard, just being themselves, being competitive, putting it all out on the grass when we get the opportunity,” Miller said. “Everyone’s gotta be on their Ps and Qs everyday because everyone’s competing for a spot.”
There was the clear prospect for healthy battle in the secondary even before spring ball began. Harris got word and left a national-title contender in Georgia to be a part of it all. He was one of the Bulldogs’ two freshmen defensive backs who burned their redshirt last season, and appeared in seven games.
Harris is a favorite to earn a starting spot this fall, but trusts Franklin, Allen and cornerbacks Terry Smith will ultimately make the right decision, whether he wins the competition or not. He’ll control what he can control until then, and earn his stripes. That is, after all, why he chose to join the Nittany Lions.
“I don’t second guess anything. I know exactly what I got myself into when I made the decision,” Harris said.
Every cornerback, Harris included, has made their own strides. Kimber has grown in the weight room; Miller, Tracy and Washington have responded after they were “thrown in the fire” at the Peach Bowl; and Collins is “maybe most improved guy” on the team, Franklin said.
The worries that once surrounded Penn State’s cornerbacks have seemingly disappeared from within the building and, despite replacing three starters, no one has more confidence than the players themselves.
They believe they’re up for the task.
“The room is bought into competition, so we’ll be ready once it’s time for us to compete with pressure,” Harris said.
