Tag: Keaton Ellis

Curtis Jacobs and Keaton Ellis sign undrafted free agent contracts

After not being drafted by any NFL team, Curtis Jacobs and Keaton Ellis signed free agent contracts.

Just because ever NFL team passed on you in the NFL draft doesn’t mean you were unwanted. Following the draft, NFL franchises look to round out their rosters with the pool of undrafted free agents. After the 2024 NFL draft came to a close, two former Penn State players kept their NFL dreams alive by signing undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams.

Linebacker [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] was one of those players signing an undrafted free agent contract. Jacobs was signed by the reigning defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. the Chiefs used one of their draft picks to add center Hunter Nourzad, so Jacobs will head to Kansas City wiht one of his Penn State teammates.

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Jacobs not being drafted was a bit of a surprise given his positive reviews in the buildup to the draft. Alas, he will be heading to one of the best NFL teams in the midst of a dynasty, which should be a great opportunity for Jacobs to continue to grow and compete at a high level.

Another former Nittany Lion signing an undrafted free agent contract was safety Keaton Ellis. Ellis signed with the Tennessee Titans after the draft.

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With Ellis signing with the Titans, the only member of Penn State’s defensive backfield in the rookie class of 2024 without an NFL home at the moment is Johnny Dixon. Kalen King and Daequan Hardy were late-round draft picks.

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Best photos from Penn State’s Week 3 win at Illinois

Best photos from Penn State’s Week 3 win at Illinois.

It sure looked like a beautiful mid-September afternoon for some college football in Week 3, and the Penn State defense looked absolutely stunning. Penn State improved to 3-0 in the 2023 college football season with a 30-13 victory at Illinois, the Big Ten opener for both schools. Penn State’s defense forced five turnovers in the win, and each one of them was as pretty as could be for those watching with blue and white glasses on.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s third game of the season, its first road test of the season.

West Virginia head coach lauds NFL draft talent on Penn State defense

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown knows his offense is going up a Penn State defense with lots of star power.

Penn State is preparing to open the 2023 season with a home opener this Saturday night against former regional rival West Virginia. In the first meeting between the two schools since 1992, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is fully aware of just how much talent Penn State has to offer that his team will have to prepare for.

In a weekly press conference, Brown praised the star power on Penn State’s defense ahead of the Week 1 matchup. Brown said Penn State has nine draft picks on the defensive side of the football, according to WV Sports Now and reporter Mike Asti via X, formerly known as Twitter.

Nine players with NFL draft potential on one defense? Yeah, that’s pretty good. So who are those nine players Brown is referring to?

The three obvious ones are cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], and linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. King is being viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL draft pool, so long as he declares for the draft after this season. Robinson has been called a possible first-round draft pick as well. Carter is still just a sophomore, but you have to imagine he is on the radar of the draft scouts already.

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Linebacker [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] are probably the next two to come to mind, bringing our total to five players. Other starters developing their NFL draft stock may be defensive tackles [autotag]Hakeem Beamon[/autotag] and [autotag]Dvon Ellies[/autotag]. And safety [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] are likely players to be on the big board for some teams, even if later in the draft process.

Penn State’s defense should be locked in from the start this week and season. After a strong showing in the spring Blue-White Game, Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has a unit that will be able to create opportunities for the offense to do its thing.

Penn State hosts West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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Best Penn State photos from Big Ten football media day

Check out the photo gallery of Penn State’s representatives from Big Ten football media day.

Indianapolis was the scene for Big Ten football media day, and Penn State is hoping to make a return trip at the end of the season for the Big Ten championship game. The media day festivities showcasing the Big Ten and half of the conference’s coaches and players got underway on Wednesday, July 26, with Penn State’s representatives taking time to talk about the team, conference, and more as we look deeper into the start of the 2023 college football season.

James Franklin was joined by three of his top upperclassmen and leaders for the 2023 season; offensive lineman Olu Fashanu, defensive lineman Adisa Isaac and safety Keaton Ellis.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s representatives and more from Big Ten football media day.

Athlon Sports: Penn State football has 13 on preseason All-Big Ten for 2023

Penn State had the third-most players appearing on the preseason All-Big Ten list from Athlon Sports.

It’s that time of the year again when the preseason college football previews start making the rounds. Athlon Sports has not sent its annual preseason publication to the magazine racks just yet, but it has shared its preseason all-conference teams for the upcoming 2023 college football season.

The preseason All-Big Ten list from Athlon Sports was published earlier this week, and it included 13 players from Penn State’s roster scattered throughout its four-deep all-conference team. Yes, four-deep, because it is likely the best way to spread the word with school press releases and social media impressions. Only Michigan and Ohio State had more players listed than the Nittany Lions among Big Ten teams, which may be something that has come to be expected.

Here are all of the Penn State football players to make the Athlon Sports preseason All-Big Ten team.

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 2 Keaton Ellis

Snapshot profile of Penn State starting safety Keaton Ellis, a truly homegrown talent.

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 a real homegrown talent that has gone from local high school standout to a fixture in the Penn State defense going into his senior season, safety Keaton Ellis. Ellis was easy to keep on Penn State’s recruiting radar from State College, and it is easy to see why James Franklin and his staff made sure nobody came into their backyard to lure him away from Happy Valley. Ellis’ father, Bruce Ellis, is a former Penn State player (1973-76) and both of his parents are Penn State graduates. You might say Ellis was born to be a defensive leader for this team.

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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Top 5 position battles heading into Penn State’s spring practices

These position battles will be heating up when Penn State opens spring football practices.

Penn State football is in a very good position overall with the way that James Franklin has this team constructed. Of course, there are a few positions that need to be sorted out still.

The position battles going on this spring will be what solidify the starting lineup. The team is very deep and whoever loses these battles shouldn’t be seen as someone not of the quality you expect from Penn State. Rather, it will speak volumes as to what the starters should be seen as which is top-level quality players.

Here are the top five position battles to monitor this spring.

Keaton Ellis returning to Penn State in 2023

“Job’s not done.” Keaton Ellis is coming back to Penn State.

Penn State will have a key player returning on defense next season to help out in the secondary. [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag] announced on his Instagram account on Friday evening that he will be back in Happy Valley playing for Penn State in 2023, rather than taking off for the NFL.

“Job’s not finished,” Ellis wrote on his Instagram post confirming his return for 2023.

Ellis had 25 tackles and two tackles for a loss last season. After making a move from cornerback to safety, Ellis will be a leading returner in the secondary last season along with cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. The role of Ellis will be increased following the NFL draft departure for [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag].

Ellis will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2023 with one year of standard eligibility and one additional season granted by the NCAA for the 2020 COVID season.

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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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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.