Penn State football’s new-look secondary has been highlighted by Iowa State transfers Marcus Neal Jr., Jamison Patton, and Jeremiah Cooper. Freshman Josiah Zayas also turned heads in the Nittany Lions’ season-opening win against Marshall, but Matt Campbell and D’Anton Lynn haven’t forgotten about Penn State’s returners.

One of Penn State’s biggest retentions was cornerback Daryus Dixson. He played in all 13 games in 2025 as a true freshman and made a name for himself in the back half of the year.

Dixson totaled 24 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. The Perris, California, native rounded out his season on a high note with three pass breakups against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Dixson has seen the most snaps at cornerback through two games with 64. Jahmir Joseph, Zion Tracy, Audavion Collins, and Zayas round out essentially the group’s premier lineup.

Joseph and Tracy got a little banged up in camp and have been sharing snaps as they both return to full health. Campbell said Tuesday that their rotation has been a highlight through two games.

Nevertheless, Dixson earned a starting spot heading into the season, and he shouldn’t have a hard time keeping it going. He recorded his first in-game field goal block in the third quarter against Temple, a big play that helped swing the game in Penn State’s favor.

“You just start to realize all three phases matter, and special teams can correlate to defensive stuff as well,” Dixson said after practice Wednesday. “Just getting off the ball fast and physical is a way you got to play defense, so that standard alone just says a lot.”

Campbell and players emphasized the “middle eight” after Penn State’s win over the Owls. That represents the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, which Campbell thinks is the most important frame of the whole game.

Dixson’s field goal block came right on the cusp of the opening 240 seconds of the second half. It was Temple’s opening drive. The Owls needed to put points on the board to keep the Nittany Lions from building on their momentum.

Rocco Becht hit Chase Sowell for a 16-yard touchdown on the next drive. Dixson’s block, in retrospect, set up Penn State’s win perfectly.

Campbell raved about Dixson on Tuesday. He said Dixson won the team’s spring camp award, has a 4.0 GPA, and ranked highest in community service in the program. His play is just a bonus.

“The tank he plays with, he is passionate about becoming the best version of him that he can be, and I’m really proud of what that guy’s about,” Campbell said. “He doesn’t take a play off. One of my favorite reps, obviously, the blocked field goal was huge, but you see him out at gunner, and two times on Zay Robinson’s big returns, he’s got knockdown blocks out at corner. Just his ability- everything we ask that guy to do, he wants to be the best.”

Dixson is focused on cleaning up the little things on the back end going forward. He said the room hasn’t made any big mistakes in the past two weeks, but limiting them to zero is a must.

Keeping mistakes to a minimum will be especially critical for Dixson and company against Buffalo. Bulls wide receiver Chance Morrow has 218 yards and five touchdowns on 18 receptions through two games. None of his teammates have over 50 receiving yards or a single touchdown.

Dixson doesn’t seem too worried about Morrow, though. He just wants to keep the same preparation rolling.

“Just like any other week, looking at all the guys in their room, just looking at formations, what their tendencies are, what they like to do, where they line up, just little things like that. Just trying to prepare for everybody,” Dixson said.

Whatever Saturday and beyond bring for Dixson, the coaching staff has maintained that his growth has made him an invaluable asset on defense and special teams.

He’s a fundamentally better cornerback than a year ago, but he isn’t getting caught up in the noise. His priority is sticking to his process.

“Learning and not staying complacent about what my role was last year, being a freshman who played, none of that really matters anymore. You just go on with the time and keep trying to gain more knowledge and learn,” Dixson said.