Penn State’s defensive units were elite in 2023, offering up a little bit of everything at all three levels. While no defense is without its weaknesses, few managed to slow down opponents as well, and as often, as the Nittany Lions did. This could be said for Penn State’s coverage units as well. Although not quite as good as advertised, the Nittany Lions still managed to showcase talent, speed and ball skills all year long. They’ll hope to do the same in 2024 with plenty of new faces stepping up into larger roles.
Last Year: Penn State went into 2023 with high hopes that its coverage units would be among the best in the nation. While that was largely the case on a defense that was truly elite, there were some moments the Nittany Lions might have liked to have back. That might be true for most teams though.
Nevertheless, corner Kalen King entered the year as one of the top corner prospects in the upcoming draft, only to see his stock fall all the way to a seventh round draft choice. It wasn’t that King had a bad year, but that sort of slump was a bit emblematic of the good-but-not-quite-elite season in coverage for Penn State at-large. After finishing the 2022 campaign ranked No. 1 overall in passes defended, Penn State landed at 100th nationally in the same department a year later. Johnny Dixon and Daequan Hardy rounded out this group with State College native and safety Keaton Ellis, and all had their moments to shine.
New Faces, Returners, Losses: The departure of King, Dixon, Hardy and Ellis opens the door for a lot of change in Penn State’s secondary. The good news for the Nittany LIons is that safeties Jaylen Reed and Kevin Winston Jr. both have the opportunity to turn into even bigger playmakers for Penn State in 2024 while Cam Miller ought to hold down a cornerback slot. A pair of corner transfers — AJ Harris from Georgia and Jalen Kimber from Florida — will both add depth to the room. Meanwhile the perpetual near breakout star in safety Zakee Wheatley should give Reed and Winston some backup as well.
The Storyline: Penn State has quietly been able to put a run together of talented coverage units that — even in spite of some nitpicking about 2023 — have been top tier to elite. While this group is going to have its hands full filling some talented shoes, there’s no reason to think it will be unable to do so. There could be some bumps in the road but a season opener against WVU should be a good first test against a veteran quarterback.
Overall: Until Penn State has a bad coverage unit, you should assume it won’t. Nevertheless, this group will need to prove its worth after losing so many previously established players from the fold.
