Since 2020, Penn State football has had seven defensive backs drafted into the NFL. This past year, Kalen King and Daequan Hardy were drafted and Johnny Dixon is currently an undrafted free agent, leaving Penn State without its three starting corners.

Since then, the Nittany Lions have picked up two cornerbacks through the transfer portal: Georgia transfer A.J. Harris and Florida transfer Jalen Kimber.

Along with the transfers, the development of Cam Miller, Elliot Washington II, Zion Tracy, and Audavion Collins has turned what was once a weak spot for the Nittany Lions into a strength.

“Typically, when you have a year where you essentially lost two corners to the NFL 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. But we actually feel like that position from top to bottom could be better this year athletically,” James Franklin said at the team’s media day on Saturday. “They still have to do it on game day, and obviously when you have lost the amount of production that we lost at that position, we understand that.”

Franklin said Harris, Kimber, Miller, Collins, Tracy, and Washington are the six corners he feels best about, so much so that he and defensive coordinator Tom Allen have considered rotating in all six corners this upcoming season.

In previous years, starters like King, Dixon, and Hardy played most of the snaps every game. This year, Franklin said if no one separates themselves from the rest before the start of the season, then he is considering using the corners in more flexible ways.

“I feel like we have a group of players that we feel really good about,” Franklin said. “Now somebody has got to separate themselves and be the guy, or we are going to be rotating a lot of high-quality players that we feel good about.”

Allen said because of the current state of college football, he wants to bring a more balanced, yet versatile look to the Nittany Lions defense. And having depth at the corner position is a key part of that.

“You think about the way the game is played now and the way we want to be able to play guys that can cover and do multiple things, not just in man but also in a lot of different zone principles we want to be able to implement as well,” Allen said. “So that depth at that position is critical.”

With KJ Winston and Jaylen Reed returning at safety from last season and Zakee Wheatley receiving high praise for his development this offseason, it isn’t just the cornerbacks with lots of talent and depth. Allen said Winston, Reed, and Wheatley are some of the most talented safeties in the country and that he plans to use them similarly to the corners.

“It’s fun just being able to do different jobs on the field based on coverage,” Wheatley said. “Sometimes you’ll be in the box, sometimes you’ll get a half, sometimes you’ll be in man. It just depends on the play call and where you’re at in the play and the set.”

With USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington joining the Big Ten, and the conference evolving as a whole, Allen talked about the importance of having athletic and versatile safeties that can match up with any style of offense the Big Ten presents.

“We’re going to have guys that are athletic, that can play in space, and make tackles in space,” Allen said. “I think those three guys all fit the bill.”