One of Penn State football’s position groups that saw the most overhaul following 2025 was the safeties group.

Zakee Wheatley headed to the Carolina Panthers, Antoine Belgrave-Shorter transferred to Arizona State, King Mack transferred to NC State, and Dejuan Lane joined Jim Knowles at Tennessee.

No returning starters.

Yet, that didn’t prove to be too much of a hurdle for Matt Campbell, Deon Broomfield, and Terry Smith. They received a healthy dose of transfer commitments from Iowa State and rebuilt the room with experience at the forefront.

On Saturday against Marshall, Marcus Neal Jr. and Jamison Patton got the start at safety. Expected.

However, true freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas got some run against the Thundering Herd, too. He was the first Penn State freshman to start on defense since 2015. He even registered two tackles-for-loss in his college debut.

“I think he did a good job. I feel like, as a freshman going into that stadium, it could be nerve-wracking, and you really didn’t see too much alter as far as his preparation and his energy in the game,” Patton said after practice Wednesday. “He obviously has some things to grow, which all of us do, but as long as he does that, I think he’s going to be great.”

It came as a surprise to many that Zayas got the start for the Nittany Lions in game one. But with Jeremiah Cooper still inching back to full game speed after an injury, it provided a perfect opportunity for the freshman to pounce on within the secondary. Zion Tracy was also seen wearing a splint on his left hand on Saturday.

Zayas not only started but also played the most snaps at cornerback, with 34. Daryus Dixson and Audavion Collins followed suit with 32 each, both big parts of Penn State’s group a season ago.

“He did a great job in spring, but with young players, a lot of the time it’s the mental aspect. And I would say about halfway through camp, we just saw him thinking less, playing quicker, talking a lot more out there,” D’Anton Lynn said Tuesday.

“The biggest thing is moving on from bad plays, not letting the play before affect the next play, and then he just got better and better every day in camp, and we felt like he earned the right to play.”

The juxtaposition between Zayas, Neal, and Patton couldn’t be more different. Neal is a junior, and Patton is a senior, and both brought extensive starting experience from Iowa State. Zayas had to fight for his spot at a school he didn’t even originally commit to.

“[Josiah], he’s a great player, a great playmaker for sure. Gonna go out there, very productive player, very smart player,” Neal said Wednesday. “He’s young, but he’s a dog. We got to put him out on the field.”

Neal has gotten a lot of buzz through camp since he first committed. He was easily seen as Campbell’s biggest acquisition to State College on the defensive side of the ball, and he remains focused on leading the secondary and just playing ball.

Neal knows a thing or two about the growth Zayas is already showing to really become a top dog on defense. It’s what got him his “Shark” nickname, after all.

“I had a rough time learning how to practice when I first got to college,” Neal said. “I was just running around out there trying to hit everything and stuff, so that nickname kind of just happened.”

Patton and Neal are roommates and have shared the secondary for years. Patton probably knows him as well as anyone on the team. He’s seen him learn to play guitar and listens to him a lot. He also knows that Neal has an extra tooth. Very shark-like.

“Sharks never sleep, and I feel like he’s just always on go, always doing something. I think it’s a credit to who he is and how he plays on the field,” Patton said.

Neal said he’s learned through the years that aggression is necessary, but it needs to be paired with intelligence in practice. He’s taught the younger players like Zayas that balancing those two keeps the team healthy, which is the most important thing.

Neal credited Zayas with playing beyond his years on Saturday, a common theme from players and coaches alike. He said you wouldn’t even know he was a freshman if it wasn’t listed on the roster, and that all comes back to Broomfield’s behind-the-scenes preparation.

“He wants everybody in the room to be held to the same standard. Everybody needs to be a leader when they’re out on the field; we all should know the same stuff,” Neal said. “That’s the way we get coached. I wouldn’t say there’s no specific guy. Of course we got the vets, the older guys in the room, but other than that … You should be able to play anyway.”

Penn State pitched a shutout against the Thundering Herd, and while the front seven got its flowers, it’s also largely thanks to the boys hanging around up top. They are new faces, but already trusted hands in the minds of Penn State fans.