Tag: Jaylen Reed

Penn State transfer CB A.J. Harris is impressing teammates early

The early indications are sounding positive for Penn State transfer cornerback A.J. Harris this spring.

Penn State’s secondary is going to look a whole lot different in 2024-25 after they lost three of their starting cornerbacks to the NFL draft.

There will be internal candidates who get opportunities to replace the departures, but [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff recognized the unit might be a bit thin if they don’t hit the transfer portal for immediate help.

They were able to get some very high-profile names by landing two players leaving SEC schools.

[autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] were major additions for the Nittany Lions after they decided to leave Georgia and Florida.

Early returns from both players have been positive with Kimber likely factoring in for playing time more this season because of his age and experience, but that’s not stopping the hype from building around Harris.

The former five-star recruit and No. 2 cornerback in his class decided to transfer to Penn State after doing tons of research on the team and program.

“When we got on the phone with him, he had done his homework. He knew our roster. He knew the coaches. He had watched our film, studied our film, looked at the data, where we were ranked, how we played defense,” Franklin said according to Daniel Gallen of 247Sports.

While that impressed the coaching staff, Harris is also turning heads of his teammates with his play on the field.

“I feel like, personally, A.J. Harris is one of them ones, you know? I feel like A.J. Harris, he’s a stud, man. He’s a great player,” safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] told Gallen. “Just the way he plays the game of football and … his preparation is insane.”

That is about as good of news as the Nittany Lions could have hoped for when landing the former coveted recruit.

Harris will be part of Penn State for the next couple years based on eligibility remaining, and he could become an important part of this secondary.

There’s a chance he could even factor in during this upcoming season.

“I feel like he’s gonna do great things for us this year,” Reed added.

It will be interesting to see how everything sits coming out of spring practice, but the feedback on Harris has been great so far and it looks like the Nittany Lions might have found themselves a gem in the portal.

Best photos from Penn State’s win over Indiana

Here are the best photos from Penn State’s home win against Indiana in Week 9.

Penn State had to dig deep in the final minutes of a rough outing to find a way to a victory on Saturday afternoon against Indiana. Despite being a 31-point favorite, Penn State needed a long touchdown pass and a defensive safety to help seal the fate of this particular home game, a 33-24 victory.

Penn State’s defense gave up more points in a game than it has all season long, and the offense had their rough moments for a second consecutive week. But in the end, the Nittany Lions managed to come out on top and toss aside quite a gritty effort from the visiting Hoosiers.

Here are some of the best photos available from Penn State’s win over Indiana.

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 1 Jaylen Reed

Jaylen Reed should be a physical force in the Penn State secondary 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 the rising stars and potential key players on the defensive side of the football, safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag]. Reed is entering his third season with the program, and he could be locking down a key role in a new-look defensive secondary.

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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King Mack mentioned as player who could play early by 247Sports

247Sports says this Class of 2023 piece could have early impact at Penn State

Penn State’s latest recruiting cycle certainly hit the mark when it came to adding quality depth across the roster. A solid follow-up to the Class of 2022, the incoming Class of 2023 is not short on quality pieces that could have an impact relatively early on for the Nittany Lions. Among those in the class highlighted as a player to watch as early as 2023 could be safety King Mack.

247Sports put together a list of 15 players across the country in the Class of 2023 that could potentially have an early impact with their new teams. Mack was the one player in Penn State’s class put in the spotlight by 247Sports in its list.

Here is what 247Sports said about one of Penn State’s next big defensive stars;

Penn State’s 2023 safety haul is absurd. The Nittany Lions landed a trio of Top247 four-star safeties from the state of Florida, headlined by King Mack. Not only is Mack the most ready-to-play prospect of the group, but he’s also the highest-upside player. Mack was a defensive and special teams terror this fall for Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, which got 50 tackles, one interception, two punt blocks, one kick block, one defensive TD, two kick return scores and two punt return TDs. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound speedster has an outstanding track profile which contributes to the excellent athleticism he shows on the field (a 10.69 100, a 21.43 200, and a 46.25 400, which won gold in Florida’s Class 3A).

As referenced by the writeup from 247Sports, Mack is one of three safeties in Penn State’s recruiting class. He is joined by four-star DaKaari Nelson from Alabama and four-star Elliot Washington from Florida. Penn State was close to adding another safety to the mix but Conrad Hussey flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida State in the early signing period.

Penn State will have at least one starting job open at the safety position in 2023 with [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] graduating and moving on to the NFL. Penn State’s most senior safety heading into 2023 will be [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag]. Potential candidates for starting in Brown’s vacant spot include returning players such as [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag]. But Mack certainly is on the radar coming into the program.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ safety preview

Ji’Ayir Brown’s return highlights the safety position overview for Penn State in 2022. Position overview…

Penn State is prepping for a season in which the program hopes to redeem itself on the national stage. After back-to-back seasons of mediocre results, Penn State is aiming to bounce back and prove themselves worthy of being in the Big Ten championship hunt, if not a little bit more.

Penn State kicks off the 2022 season with a Thursday night primetime matchup at Purdue on September 1. And for the second straight year, the depth and quality of the defensive secondary appears to be a strength for Penn State. The safety position loses a big-time player in Jaquan Brisker but the return of Ji’Ayir Brown coming off his breakout season is a big plus for the defense this fall.

Here is a look at the safeties on the roster for Penn State coming into the 2022 season.

Penn State football snapshot: No. 7 Jaylen Reed

Penn State defensive back Jaylen Reed will be adding depth to the defensive secondary in 2022.

Penn State may not be as known for it’s defensive back prowess but they are starting to carve out some talent. The next face of the position should be [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag].

Jaylen Reed was a freshman for the Nittany Lions last year but he was able to make appearances in eight games. He never saw a ton of meaningful snaps but he did get to play in some big games such as Ohio State and the bowl game against Arkansas.

This year though he has a chance to be the star safety on the team for new defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag]. Diaz has produced several star-NFL safeties during his careers at both Texas and Miami, Penn State should be no different.

Keep in mind, the departure of [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] there is a hole at the position for Reed to fill.

Inside the Box Score: The key stats from Penn State’s Blue-White Game

Inside the box score with some key stats from Penn State’s Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s Blue-White Game showed the Nittany Lions are still a bit of a work in progress in some key areas, but there were still some players and developments worth being optimistic about moving into the summer. And the final box score from a spring scrimmage like Penn State’s can oftentimes be misleading or unnecessarily overanalyzed. Nonetheless, it is a starting point for evaluating just where the Nittany Lions are heading once the 2022 season begins.

So, with the caution of not wanting to get too carried away with the official stats shared by Penn State from the Blue-White Game on Saturday afternoon, let’s dive headfirst into the key stats from the final spring practice of the season before Penn State moves to the next stage of its offseason.

And why not start with the quarterback position?

Quarterbacks

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
  • [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag]: 5-of-14, 75 yards
  • [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]: 6-of-14, 61 yards, 2 interceptions, 1 sack
  • [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag]: 4-of-7, 41 yards, 1 touchdown
  • [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag]: 2-of-3, 7 yards, 2 sacks

Sean Clifford had some decent production in his time on the field, including the game’s only touchdown pass (to transfer addition Mitchell Tinsley. Clifford also had the best performance from passers in seven-on-seven drills, for whatever that is worth.

Christian Veilleux had the most complete performance among those vying for backup consideration to Clifford. This could have been expected given he already has some in-game experience from last season.

Don’t get too down when reviewing the stat line for five-star quarterback Drew Allar, because he was not given much help at times by his receivers dropping passes or having a ball bounce off their hands. But he did have a number of throws that seemed to be just a tad behind his intended targets. And Beau Pribula also had some freshman moments, which was to be expected.

NEXT: Who were the top running backs in the Blue-White Game?

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Penn State football recruiting: 2022 player performance updates

This could be a big week for Penn State recruiting with a home game against Michigan

We are in the home stretch of the college football season and Penn State heads back home to take on Michigan. Penn State has also entered some crucial moments in recruiting. Let’s take a look at the status of some future Nittany Lions.

One point worth noting is that Penn State had plans to redshirt defensive back Jaylen Reed. However, he has worked his way up and earned his spot for the Nittany Lions to burn his redshirt, as James Franklin says he’s ready to play.

Next up, Ohio quarterback Drew Allar has received a great amount of hype since being recruited by Penn State, and he has certainly lived up to it. 247 Sports has Allar As one of the headlines for this week‘s list of high school standout prospects.

Allar threw for 443 yards and six touchdowns in the team’s recent 45-15 victory. He has done everything you can ask for in a talented high school quarterback. He not only shows off his arm strength, but he also has elite mobility, allowing him to extend plays down the field.

Our next player is a three-star quarterback who is also in the 2022 recruiting class in Beau Pribula. Pribula threw for a four touchdown game in his most recent playoff appearance. Pribula is hoping to lead his team to a second straight visit to the state championship.

Pribula’s teammate, and fellow Penn State commit, wide receiver Anthony Ivey, is also coming off impressive season, surpassing 2,000 career receiving yards.

Penn State has a bright future ahead of them. From a team that lacks depth in their quarterback room, they are certainly getting some talented ones in the 2022 recruiting class, along with some talented receivers for them.

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Penn State jersey numbers for new football players

Penn State has updated the jersey numbers for freshmen football players and some new transfer players

While some programs may play some offseason gimmicks of forcing players to earn their jersey number or a helmet decal, Penn State doesn’t mess around with such uniform motivations. And on Friday, Penn State confirmed the jersey numbers to be worn by every incoming freshman or transfer player being added to the roster this fall.

Penn State has already given some new players an official jersey number, including those who enrolled early and participated in spring football. But a couple of new additions to the program this summer now have their official jersey numbers as well.

Here’s a look at the official jersey numbers for a number of the newest Nittany Lions;

  • No. 4 – CB Kalen King
  • No. 6 – CB Zakee Wheatley
  • No. 7 – S Jaylen Reed
  • No. 9 – QB  Christian Veilleux
  • No. 14 – CB A.J. Lytton
  • No. 17 – TE Khalil Dinkins
  • No. 18 – DE Davon Townley Jr.
  • No. 24 – CB Jeffrey Davis Jr.
  • No. 28 – LB Dominic Deluca
  • No. 41 – LB Kobe King
  • No. 42 – LB Jamari Buddin
  • No. 52 – DT Jordan Van Den Berg
  • No. 58 – OL Landon Tengwall
  • No. 68 – OL Eric Wilson
  • No. 82 – WR Liam Clifford
  • No. 85 – WR Harrison Wallace III
  • No. 90 – DE Rodney McGraw
  • No. 94 – K Sander Sahaydak

Penn State will begin preseason camp on August 6. Penn State’s season opener will be played on September 4 at Wisconsin. The game will be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.

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