Tag: Zion Tracy

Penn State stuns Ohio State with a pick-six on their first pass

Penn State corner Zion Tracy intercepts a pass against Ohio State and returns it all the way for touchdown.

Penn State is trying to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Ohio State Buckeyes today in Happy Valley, and it will require a big performance from both sides of the ball. With starting quarterback Drew Allar healthy enough to start, the offense should at least be at full strength.

The defense, however, is missing one of its most important players. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton is out with an injury he sustained against the Wisconsin Badgers a week ago, putting more pressure on the secondary to make plays in coverage. Without his ability to get after the QB, they will likely have to spend more time covering Ohio State’s impressive receivers.

Early on, the results were about as positive as possible. On the very first pass from Ohio State QB Will Howard, Penn State corner [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] jumped the route by Jeremiah Smith and returned it for a touchdown.

It’s hard to imagine a better start for Penn State in the biggest game of the season. It’s obviously very early (and Ohio State has already answered with a pair of touchdowns of their own), but that score helps give them a leg up the rest of the way.

Tracy hasn’t played many snaps this season, but he made the most of his opportunity on this play. Hopefully the secondary can make a few more plays when given the chance.

Penn State’s Zion Tracy with pick-six against Ohio State

Penn State got a pick-six against Ohio State

Penn State was out fast against Ohio State in a clash of top five teams on Saturday.

The Nittany Lions drove eight minutes for a field goal to start the game.

On Ohio State’s first drive disaster struck. Will Howard’s first pass was picked by Zion Tracy.

Tracy ran it back 31 yards for a touchdown and after the PAT, Penn State had a 10-0 lead n the key Big Ten game.

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’s cornerbacks coach discusses potential contributing freshmen

Could any of these freshmen find a role in Penn State’s defense in 2024? An assistant coach offers his opinion.

Penn State had a fantastic signing day, locking up all 25 of their commits and having no drama surround their program on a day that can become filled with potential commits signing elsewhere.

On the recruiting front, the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff will turn their attention towards future classes and continue to try and build another elite class that has become the norm under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag].

As far as the on field product goes, the next question that presents itself is which one of the incoming freshman could become impact players in their first season in the program?

Penn State had five players, all on the defensive side of the ball, forego their redshirt seasons during the 2023-24 campaign. Linebacker [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag], safety [autotag]King Mack[/autotag] and corners [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] and [autotag]Elliott Washington[/autotag] all contributed in limited roles.

Cornerbacks coach, Terry Smith, was asked which players in the 2024 class could follow that mold and become contributors immediately in their first year by Ryan Snyder of On3 (paid subscription required).

He immediately looked to his position group as the Nittany Lions have three players entering the NFL draft.

Smith said that [autotag]Jon Mitchell[/autotag] and [autotag]Antoine Belgrave-Shorter[/autotag] are two players to watch since they are enrolling in January and will get to work within the program as soon as possible.

He notes that it will come down to if they can make the transition from the high school level to high-major Power 5 football and adjust to the processing speed it takes to recognize what is happening during the play.

Talent-wise he thinks Mitchell and Belgrave-Shorter have the tools to be contributors, but it will come down to making that adjustment.

As far as the offensive side of the ball, he has his eye on running back, [autotag]Quentin Martin[/autotag], who is a Top-100 player.

Even in a loaded running back room with [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] coming back, Martin is an explosive playmaker and could be used in the passing game early on as he is considered the best receiver in the room already.

James Franklin announces four Penn State freshmen burning their redshirts

James Franklin confirmed which newcomers will bur their redshirt years of eligibility in 2023.

Penn State head coach James Franklin sat in front of a microphone and reporters for his first regularly scheduled press conference of the regular season on Tuesday. In previewing the season opener against West Virginia, Franklin discussed a wide range of topics without shedding much light on the starting quarterback for the Week 1 showdown with the Mountaineers. He did, however, outline the plan for a handful of some of the youngest players on the roster.

One of the most exciting topics that he talked about was the freshmen players on the team who will have the “green light” and burn their redshirt this season. It’s a term that he’s used to mainly highlight the players that are ready to make an impact immediately in their freshman year.

These are the four players Franklin announced at the presser.

  • [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] (linebacker)
  • [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] (cornerback)
  • [autotag]Elliott Washington[/autotag] II (cornerback)
  • [autotag]King Mack[/autotag] (safety)

“These guys have shown that they’re the closest, not just to play on defense, but also have significant roles on special teams,” Franklin said on Tuesday. “So, that’s where those guys have been able to get the green light, is being in what I would consider the three deep on defense, and being within the two deep on enough special teams units that it makes sense.”

Rojas has been a fast riser in the program this summer after putting on over 30 pounds of muscle since he arrived on campus. There have been murmurs that he will see time at linebacker at portions of the season that aren’t in blowout games.

Tracy and Washington will likely be confined to special team roles when not in for mop-up duty. Both were rated as four-star recruits by On3 and have flashed in the offseason training camps.

Mack is a name that kept coming up over and over again through the summer and spring. The former Top 100 recruit in the 2023 class out of Florida has been an impact player throughout camp. He could see the field at some point in a rotational role like Rojas.

Franklin also mentioned other freshmen are in the mix to burn their redshirt as well, “There’s another group of yellow guys that you hope by game five, game four, game five, somewhere around there, that they’re going to be ready to be green-lighted as well.”

Factors like on-field performance, injuries, and others will be used to determine which freshmen will be given the green light throughout the season.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 12 Zion Tracy

Take a look at high profile freshman Zion Tracy and expectations for him this season for Penn State.

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 [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.

Continuing this effort is a look at cornerback Zion Tracy. The true freshman is coming into Penn State as a coveted defensive back prospect. Unfortunately, that potential wasn’t able to be shown during the spring game because he had an injury. Will Tracy be able to get some playing time in his freshman season or will he be redshirted and developed for a whole season?

Penn State’s 2023 football commitment tracker

The Penn State football Class of 2023 commitment tracker has been updated with the latest recruiting development

The Class of 2022 was great for Penn State, but it’s already time to turn the page toward the Class of 2023. And James Franklin and the Nittany Lions already had a few commitments on the board for the Class of 2023 as the signed letters of intent were coming in for the Class of 2022.

We’ll be keeping track of every commitment that goes on the board for Penn State in the Class of 2023. But knowing that odds are pretty good at least one player will have a change of heart somewhere along the recruiting process, we’ll keep tabs on what they are doing up until signing day.

This tracker will be updated accordingly when needed. It was last updated on February 1, 2023.

Penn State football recruiting profile: CB Zion Tracy

A quick profile rundown for Penn State Class of 2023 CB Zion Tracy.

After losing out on [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] to the NFL Draft, Penn State continues to retool its cornerback room in recruiting. [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] is a four-star cornerback with plenty of athletic ability and size that Penn State looks for in their corners. He will have some time to develop and improve while providing Penn State with some depth.

Here is a snapshot look at one of the final pieces in Penn State’s Class of 2023 recruiting class.

Penn State Class of 2023 signee gets big bump in final On3 player rankings

One key member of the Penn State Class of 2023 just saw his stock skyrocket.

With the traditional national signing day approaching quickly, On3 has provided its final update to its player rankings for the Class of 2023. And as a result, it turned out to be a big update for Penn State commit [autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag].

Rappleyea was among the biggest movers up in the On300 ranking, moving from no. 82 in the last update all the way up to no. 41 in the final player rankings from the recruiting service. He is now the second highest-ranked player in Penn State’s Class of 2023 behind offensive lineman [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag]. He passed another offensive lineman, [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag], in moving up as high as he did.

Penn State ended up having a number of players ranked in the final On300 rankings, and there could still be room for another. Offensive tackle [autotag]Chimdy Onoh[/autotag], from Maryland, is ranked no. 210 in the nation on the rankings from On3, and he is believed to be considering Penn State as his commitment announcement approaches.

Other Penn State commits in the On300 rankings include:

  • OL J’ven Williams (no. 9)
  • OL Alex Birchmeier (no. 74)
  • LB [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] (no. 86)
  • S [autotag]King Mack[/autotag] (no. 113)
  • DE [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] (no. 155)
  • TE [autotag]Joey Schlaffer[/autotag] (no. 158)
  • LB [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag] (no. 171)
  • CB [autotag]Elliot Washington[/autotag] (no. 194)
  • CB [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] (no. 200)
  • OL [autotag]Anthony Donkoh[/autotag] (no. 216)

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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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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.