State College native Keaton Ellis is ready to compete in Penn State’s crowded CB room
Keaton Ellis’ sophomore season was shortened by injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic. The usual 12 games the team would play was chopped down to nine, and that number was lowered even further to six for Ellis, who missed time with hamstring issues.
Now with a second shot at his sophomore season — after the NCAA didn’t count the 2020 season toward athletes’ eligibility clock — Ellis returns to a crowded cornerback room with a clean bill of health ready to build upon what he’s already accomplished.
“I think we have one of the most competitive groups on the team,” Ellis said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve just been going at it. ... We’re all working hard and there’s a lot of talent in the room, so you’ve got to come out and compete every day.”
The State College native is a part of one of Penn State’s deepest positions. The Nittany Lions return all of their key contributors at cornerback from last season and will add multiple new faces. One of those new faces is a transfer — John Dixon — who enters the room with more experience than most newcomers.
Dixon played in three games as a freshman at South Carolina, then all 10 as a sophomore last season before leaving for Penn State.
Ellis said Dixon is already adding to the loaded position group.
“He came in, he’s a great talent, and he’s been playing well,” Ellis said. “It just pushes all of us in the room to be better and be at our best at all times. So he’s been a great addition to the room.”
Ellis will get plenty of push from the rest of the cornerbacks — like Dixon — in the room, including returning senior Tariq Castro-Fields. Castro-Fields is the undisputed leader of the group and is a mortal lock to start at one of the cornerback spots. The second spot, however, is up for grabs and Ellis should find himself in the thick of that competition.
He started five of Penn State’s nine games last year and has the requisite size at 5-foot-11, 189 pounds to excel at the position. The important part for Ellis will be putting everything else together. He took the first step in doing that during the shortened 2020 season.
“For me, I think just knowing the playbook in and out, that’s a big thing,” Ellis said. “I’m really comfortable with it. The mental side, I’ve really grown there, which is huge. ... If you’re not thinking, you’re playing faster. If you have a better understanding of your job, it’s easier to do, you’re not thinking about what you’ve got to do, you’re thinking about what the offense is doing. ... I’ve noticed I’ve been able to play more fluid and faster because of it.”
That knowledge of the playbook will be important to taking the next step. Now that he’s confident in his knowledge and confident in his ability, he’ll be able to play more freely on the field.
That should lead to more opportunities to make big plays for the Nittany Lions — including the area where he wants to take his next big stride.
“The next step for me is making more plays on the ball when I can,” Ellis said. “That’s been a big goal of mine, especially in spring ball, is finding the ball, (making) plays. That’s a step that I’ve gotta take. I think with my progress physically and mentally, I think it’s going to set me up for success there.”
In order to make those plays, the entire defense will need to be on the same page. The best opportunities for interceptions come when the quarterback is under pressure or makes a poor decision.
That means the Nittany Lion pass rush will need to get pressure on the cornerback and the rest of the defense will need to be in tight enough coverage to force those bad decisions.
According to sophomore linebacker Brandon Smith, having spring practice this year — which the team missed out on in 2020 due to the pandemic — has created opportunities for each position group to help each other and get to know each other better on the field.
“When one person makes a mistake, there’s defensive backs that are talking to the defensive linemen to see how they can change what they do to help each other out,” Smith said Tuesday morning. “Defensive linemen, they’re coming up to me and telling me things that I need to do to make it the best situation for them and also for me to do my job at an efficient level.
“Really, just seeing everybody talking to each other ... just coming together and making the correct changes has really just impressed me throughout this spring.”
Making plays on the ball could be a major part of Ellis’ future if he makes it to the next level. His high school coach at State High, Matt Lintal, told the Centre Daily Times in October that he thought Ellis was best suited for playing safety in the NFL.
However, that time is not quite here as the Nittany Lion continues honing his craft at cornerback, although he has the versatility to make an impact all over the field.
“We got a lot of different athletes,” Ellis said. “We’ve got people who can play. It’s hard because you’ve only got two starters, but you’ve got the star position, too. He’s working us at a lot of different positions.”
That versatility should come in handy for Ellis as the Nittany Lions shift between four defensive backs and five defensive backs on the field at a time. The ability to play throughout the secondary could make him a valuable piece for Penn State in the 2021 season.
For now, Ellis is just glad he’s at full strength and full health, and ready to compete with the rest of his teammates.
“I was able fight through (the injury) and able to play,” Ellis said. “I’m just happy about that and blessed to get the opportunity because injuries suck. But I was able to get through it.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
