How cornerback Johnny Dixon is breaking out for the Penn State secondary during fall camp
Penn State’s transfer portal recruiting prior to the 2021 season included multiple key additions to its roster. The Nittany Lions and head coach James Franklin added Arnold Ebiketie — who would lead the team in sacks and go in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft — and Derrick Tangelo along the defensive line as starters. They added Eric Wilson, who picked up plenty of snaps at guard on offense, and John Lovett, who had a role in the run game. Not to mention A.J. Lytton, who was a key contributor on special teams.
All five of those players came in as part of a six-man transfer class and all five are no longer with the program. The first four either entered the draft or exhausted their eligibility, while Lytton transferred out of Penn State.
The sixth member of the class is the lone player still with the Nittany Lions and has become one of the most frequently mentioned names out of fall camp as a breakout player — Johnny Dixon.
Dixon joined the team after transferring out of South Carolina and made minimal impact, recording 10 tackles and two passes defended.
Heading into his second year with the program, a flip has switched for Dixon, starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr said.
“He’s a different dude from when he came in to now,” Porter Jr. said. “I feel like he really changed his attitude and his approach to the game. He’s just been making plays all camp. It’s a high ceiling for Johnny and it’s gonna be a good year for him.”
The junior cornerback is in position to take advantage of the departure of Tariq Castro-Fields for the NFL and could be one of the defense’s key contributors in the secondary. While he could still play behind Porter Jr. and sophomore Kalen King, Dixon is still making his mark on the position group.
Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said the junior’s impact has been noticeable in fall camp.
“He’s one of our leaders in interceptions for camp,” Smith said. “So he’s having a really, really good fall camp. We just continue to look for consistency from the entire group and he’s one of our core guys that’s showing up every day.”
There are plenty of factors that could contribute — along with the one Porter Jr. mentioned — to Dixon’s growth. He had to adjust to a new program last season after spending two years at South Carolina and may not have been prepared for what was to come in 2021.
While the adjustment period could be partially at reason for why Dixon was unable to crack the highest portion of the depth chart last season, there’s also a more obvious schematic reason. New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has placed an emphasis on being aggressive and forcing turnovers. Clearly Dixon has taken to that philosophy — based on Smith’s assertion about his interceptions in camp — and run with it in year two at Penn State.
“When guys come to the program there’s always an adjustment period,” Smith said. “For him, this offseason was huge for him. He got more acclimated to the system, how we function, how we do things. And he’s taken well to Coach Diaz’s defense. He’s doing super well. He’s gonna play a lot of football for us. He’ll be one of the guys, if you’ve followed us over the years we rotate a lot of defensive backs, and he’s gonna be a guy that’s gonna play a ton of football for us.”
It’s not just the coaches and other cornerbacks who have noticed Dixon’s improvement. Senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown — one of the team’s captains and leaders of the defense — has paid attention to what he has done.
Dixon’s play has caught the safety’s eye and has shown the advanced comfort level necessary to play at the highest level.
“Johnny has taken an extra 10 steps this fall,” Brown said. “Coming in he was trying to get his feet wet a little bit, trying to learn the schemes. When you practice enough and you do enough reps and you learn the scheme and you grow within the scheme, you turn into the player you actually are. And Johnny is a hell of a player. He’s been balling this camp. ... He’s playing physical, he’s confident, he’s not letting up anything right now. He’s definitely made a big step this fall camp.”
With less than two weeks until Penn State’s season opener on the road against Purdue, it seems Dixon will be the clear breakout player of camp.
When those days until the matchup with the Boilermakers elapse, he will have the chance to prove what it seems his teammates and coaches already know — that he’s the next cornerback to have a big year in the Penn State secondary.
