Tag: Cam Miller

These two cornerbacks are standing out after Penn State’s spring practices

Penn State’s cornerback situation is looking solid after spring football practices.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his coaching staff knew he could have to replace three starting cornerbacks from this last year’s team and went into the transfer portal to address some of those concerns.

The player who could be an immediate plug-and-play guy is [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] who is coming over from Florida as a redshirt senior.

But it’s the other transfer corner in [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] who has been turning heads throughout spring according to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports (subscription required).

The former five-star recruit is coming off a freshman season at Georgia where he played in seven games as a reserve and recorded eight tackles.

With three years of eligibility remaining, Franklin and his staff envision Harris being a major part of this secondary for years to come and could be a factor as early as this season.

He’s an extremely physical cornerback who is billed as “super aggressive and super confident,” gaining status as a favorite of teammates and coaches alike.

It will be interesting to see how he factors into [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]’s defense this season since the Nittany Lions need to replace the production from three starters.

However, Harris isn’t the only one in the cornerback room turning heads this spring, either.

Donohue also notes that previous transfer [autotag]Audavion Collins[/autotag] has also earned some rave reviews from the coaching staff after being described by [autotag]Terry Smith[/autotag] as “a night-and-day different player.”

Collins is a largely unknown commodity after not logging any games for Mississippi State before transferring to Penn State last summer. In his first season with the Nittany Lions he only appeared in six games and logged eight defensive snaps.

Still, Donohue notes that the coaching staff told him they have been impressed with the corner’s attention to detail and tenacity this spring.

Whether that is enough to get him playing time in a room that features Kimber, Harris, [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag], and [autotag]Elliot Washington[/autotag] will be seen, but Penn State seems to be in a great spot with this position group despite losing three starters.

Penn State lands former 5-star Georgia transfer A.J. Harris from transfer portal

Penn State lands former five-star CB out of the transfer portal

Penn State has been busy in the transfer portal this offseason as they’ve started to address some of the holes that became open with the departures of those declaring for the NFL draft and graduating.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff have been able to get some blue chip talent in the portal as well, landing five-star high school talents like wide receiver [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag].

Now on Thursday, they have secured a commitment from another elite talent in former Georgia cornerback A.J. Harris according to BlueWhiteIllustrated.

“Harris did not make a public announcement, but BWI confirmed on Wednesday that the former Bulldog is on campus and attending classes at University Park for the spring semester,” writes Sean Fitz.

This is a huge get for the Nittany Lions.

247Sports rated the 6’1″ 190 pound corner as a five-star recruit in the class of 2023. He was able to play as a freshman at Georgia, although in a limited role, recording eight tackles in seven games.

After not playing in November, he decided to look at other schools where will play the remaining three seasons of his college football eligibility.

Harris was the 12th overall player in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings and the No. 1 cornerback.

Penn State only has one upperclassmen in their cornerback room next year in [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], so the former five-star recruit gives the Nittany Lions more talent, depth and options heading into the spring.

After landing Harris, this has become one of the best offseasons that Penn State has had in the transfer portal to date, getting three former five-star recruits and players who should immediately be able to help.

Penn State defense forces 5 turnovers in 30-13 win at Illinois

Penn State 30, Illinois 13: Penn State defense carries Nittany Lions to Big Ten-opening win at Illinois

Taking the road for the first time this season proved to be a bit of a challenge for the Penn State offense. Fortunately, the offense didn’t make the trip to Illinois alone this weekend. The Penn State defense was dominant in a 30-13 victory over the Illini with five forced turnovers in the game. Although Penn State struggled to gain control on offense, the Nittany Lions scored 20 points off the five Illini turnovers.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had a rough outing in his first road start for Penn State, but he had some big moments to help lead the team to a win. The biggest moment of the game came late in the first half for Allar as he ran for a first down, hurried to the line, and delivered a dime down the field to [autotag]Liam Clifford[/autotag] for a big gain to set up a late field goal just before halftime. That gave Penn State a 16-7 lead but the offense could not carry over any momentum at the start of the second half.

Penn State’s quarterback ended his afternoon completing 16 of 33 pass attempts for 208 yards without a touchdown, but he also did not turn the football over despite being under consistent pressure by an aggressive and well-schemed Illinois defense.

Allar also did not get some help from his wide receivers. Allar made some good throws that simply were dropped by his intended targets, including a pair to receiver Malik McClain. But Allar did miss a few open looks and couldn’t quite connect with a couple of his passes. Overall though, Allar seemed to handle the pressure of his first start out of Beaver Stadium well enough to pick up the win, and there is clearly room to improve.

But this game was all about the defense. Penn State allowed just seven points for the second straight game and has yet to allow an opponent to score more than 15 points. On a day when Penn State’s offense needed an assist, it was the defense that set the tone and shut down nearly every threat by the Illini. It started right from the start with three interceptions of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Penn State managed just 13 points off of those early turnovers, but the defense made plays when it was needed the most.

[autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] came up with a massive interception in the second half immediately after a big passing play by the Illini with the game still very much in question. Or so it seemed. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag], and [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag] also got their hands on an Illinois pass attempt. Linebacker [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] also recovered a fumble forced by [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag].

Head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] will be able to look at many self-inflicted wounds by his team in the coming week as well. Poor penalties on took Penn State’s offense out of favorable positions, including a poor unsportsmanlike penalty on receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the first half that turned a 3rd-and-2 into a 3rd-and-17. Allar smacked his hand on a defender’s helmet on the following play and [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] had a 52-yard field goal blocked. Illinois followed up with its first touchdown of the game on the ensuing possession to cut the Penn State lead to 13-7. Penn State was flagged for six penalties in the game, costing Penn State 65 yards.

Penn State will be home next weekend for a primetime matchup with Iowa. It will be the official whiteout game for the Nittany Lions.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 5 Cam Miller

Penn State’s rising cornerback Cam Miller should see more playing time in 2023.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Continuing this effort is a look at one of Penn State’s younger defensive back options going into 2023, Cam Miller. Entering his second season with the program, Miller is quickly moving his way up the depth chart at cornerback and he should be expected to see some more playing time this fall even if not in a starting capacity. Miller could be in line for a starting job in 2024, and he should be a solid asset to the defense in 2023 as he continues to be developed.

Penn State spring football preview: Cornerbacks and safeties

There are some key spots to fill in the Penn State secondary this spring.

Penn State is normally known as “Linebacker U,” but recently their secondary players have been making waves at the NFL level.

In recent years, [autotag]Adrian Amos[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Scott[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] have all been featured in prominent roles at the next level. Now, [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] is expected to be the highest Penn State secondary player ever taken in the NFL Draft and [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] is climbing up draft boards.

The current 2023 roster has a bunch of playmakers as well. This will be an experienced group overall and should have a major impact on the success of Penn State’s defense this season.

The headliner in the group is cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. He was a bit overshadowed by Porter Jr. last season, but it’s now his time to shine. Others in the secondary should become a household name this season as well.

Here are some names to watch as spring practices start.

Kalen King

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Measurables: 5’11” / 185 lbs.

Year: Junior

Expected Role: Starting cornerback

Kalen King is a flat out star. While overshadowed by the bigger name of Joey Porter Jr., he put together an elite season last year. His PFF grade of 89.0 was 8th best out of 916 corners.

He is expected to be one of the most impactful players on the defense and might be the best player in the program. He showed how good he was in a primary role during the Rose Bowl. If King continues to play like he did last season, Penn State is in good hands at starting cornerback.

Johnny Dixon

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Measurables: 6’0″ 190 lbs.

Year: Redshirt Senior

Expected Role: Starting cornerback

[autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] will have some big shoes to fill this season. The former South Carolina transfer is expected to win the starting role during the spring and summer to play opposite of King.

In the two season he’s been at Penn State, Dixon improved his PFF grade by 10 points. He ranked 260th out of 916 corners in 2022-23, recording 23 total tackles, 10 passes defended and two interceptions. There is potential that this could be a position battle to watch in the spring and summer as James Franklin brought in a transfer cornerback from North Carolina.

NEXT: The expected starters at safety

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Penn State CB Marquis Wilson reportedly enters transfer portal

Penn State cornerback enters transfer portal

Penn State’s depth in the secondary could be taking a bit of a hit this offseason. Not only is Penn State losing cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] to the NFL this spring, but [autotag]Marquis Wilson[/autotag] could be on his way out the door as well. Wilson has made the decision to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from Lions247 on Monday.

Wilson will have one final year of eligibility to make use of wherever he decides to go next. He has expired his regular eligibility under NCAA rules but does have the extra year granted to all student-athletes impacted by the 2020 COVID-19 season.

By entering his name in the transfer portal, Wilson is free to have contact with any school interested in recruiting him to their program. Wilson can always decide to withdraw his name from the transfer portal should he decide to remain at Penn State. The majority of players entering the transfer portal do end up going elsewhere, although it is certainly not unprecedented to decide to stay.

Penn State defensive lineman Davon Townley did just that. After initially opting to explore the transfer portal possibilities, Townley has reportedly decided to stay with Penn State for the upcoming 2023 season.

Penn State’s outlook at cornerback in 2023 does look to be in decent shape with the return of [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] and [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag], more consistent play from Johnny Dixon, and continued development of players like [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag] and the addition of star recruits like [autotag]Lamont Payne[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag]. Penn State has also added former North Carolina cornerback [autotag]Storn Duck[/autotag] from the transfer portal to help solidify the depth for next season.

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Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 5 Cam Miller

A snapshot profile of Penn State freshman Cam Miller, who provides depth at cornerback in 2022.

Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.

With plenty of young talent coming into their cornerback room, Penn State looks to be set as far as depth goes for their future. However, outside of [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag], the Nittany Lions have a good amount of unproven talent and also a few secondary players coming in.

One of them is [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag]. Miler is a recruit a few analysts are high on because of his build and talent. He is a bit on the leaner side, but Miller is a guy that could start for Penn State in a few years.

Penn State reveals new uniform numbers for new and returning players

Penn State revealed updated uniform numbers for some new members of the program and three returning players

Penn State officially welcomes some of its newest members f the program to campus recently as the academic calendar moves from the spring semester to the summer. So naturally, that led to some players getting their first jersey numbers with the football program.

On Monday, Penn State revealed the uniform numbers for its newest members joining from the transfer portal or the Class of 2023.

Here are the numbers six new players will be wearing with the Nittany Lions in 2022;

  • 5 – [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], cornerback
  • 8 – [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag], wide receiver
  • 13 – [autotag]Christian Driver[/autotag], safety
  • 64 – [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag], offensive lineman
  • 66 – [autotag]Drew Shelton[/autotag], offensive tackle
  • 97 – [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag], punter

Penn State still has some uniform numbers to distribute as a few more additions will be joining the program later this summer as well. In addition to these new numbers for new players, Penn State also updated the uniform numbers for three returning players.

Quarterback [autotag]Christain Veilleux[/autotag] is now wearing No. 11, [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] is wearing No. 1, and offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] will wear No. 53, the number his father Daryll Dawkins wore in the NBA.

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Penn State Class of 2022: Cam Miller joins a young cornerback room

Penn State Class of 2022 added Cam Miller, who adds more quality depth in the secondary

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6′-0″

Weight: 180 lb

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

High School: Trinity Christian Academy

Twitter: @Cam_miller8

Committed: July 26, 2021

247 Sports:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

The Penn State cornerback room continues to get younger, and Cam Miller is another talented athlete that has a lot of potential to have a productive career at the college level.

Miller had a good amount of interest from across the NCAA, including competition from three other Power-Five schools. The Florida Gators made a late offer to Miller, who ultimately chose Penn State over Virginia Tech over the summer.

One thing that stands out in Miller’s game is his impressive vision across the open field. He has made plays where he comes out of nowhere and makes impressive interceptions.

When looking at corners, one crucial trait to look for is hip mobility. That is one of the biggest traits that Miller possesses. Many times, you will see some corners at the collegiate level like the speed and hip mobility to keep up with speedy receivers. Miller has done a nice job of maintaining both of those components to his game throughout his high school career.

As mentioned, Miller is another athletic player in this recruiting class. Not only did he play corner, but Miller also had great success playing quarterback. He was a transfer player coming from Jacksonville, Florida, where he played at Trinity Christian Academy to finish off his high school athletic career.

Penn State has a lot to look forward to with the future of their secondary room. Miller is one of those guys that can potentially earn a starting role and become a key focal point to the Nittany Lions cornerbacks.

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Video highlights of each member of Penn State football’s Class of 2022

WATCH: Video highlights of each Penn State Class of 2022 player

Penn State locked in its Class of 2022 at the start of the NCAA’s early signing period, and with it comes a bunch of buzz for the future of the Nittany Lions under the leadership of head coach James Franklin. But chances are most of you are unfamiliar with what any of these new faces will bring to the table for Penn State. So it’s a good thing Penn State served up some highlight packages to give fans a quick glimpse of the kind of talent that is joining the program.

Enjoy this collection of video highlights of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022.