Penn State Football 2021: 5 reasons for optimism, 4 reasons to worry

Reason for Optimism #2 – A Great Secondary

In the modern game, where the great teams are so effective at moving the ball downfield through the air, having a great secondary is crucial to beat teams with a high powered passing attack. Luckily for Penn State football fans, their Nittany Lions have exactly that.

This secondary is led by preseason All-American safety, Jaquan Brisker. He is joined by two veterans in Jonathan Sutherland and Ji’Ayir Brown. Keaton Ellis will also transition to safety after two seasons at cornerback, so he will be great is pass coverage scenarios.

Tariq Castro-Fields will lead the cornerbacks, and he is a talented veteran with a ton of experience. His fellow starter will be Joey Porter Jr, who is a long and rangy guy who gained a lot of experience last season as a starter.

South Carolina transfer Johnny Dixon will also provide depth to the cornerback room. He has a lot of experience playing cornerback in arguably the best conference in college football. Kalen King also joins this talented group of cornerbacks. King is a true freshman who has “All-Big Ten and All-American potential” according to the Big Ten Network’s Howard Griffith.

In past years, the secondary seemed to be one of the few position groups holding Penn State football back from reaching that next level. Don’t expect that to be the case this season, as this Nittany Lions secondary that is loaded with talent and experience. It should be very difficult for opposing offenses to move the ball against this team through the air.