Penn State Just Might Field the Best Secondary in Nittany Lions History

In 2014, Smith joined James Franklin’s Penn State coaching staff as cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator. At the time, Penn State wasn’t necessarily known as a proving ground for cornerbacks. Smith made it his mission to change that narrative. 

It started with the 2014 recruiting class that included future NFL cornerbacks Grant Haley, Christian Campbell and Oruwariye. The group played early and “set the tone” for the defensive backs, Smith said. Now entering his 12th season, Smith has turned Penn State into an attractive destination for defensive backs. 

“When we got here, Penn State’s never been known for [being] a place, a destination, for the defensive backs,” Smith said. “And now, we have a DB [Daryus Dixson] from Mater Dei High School [in California]. We got A.J. Harris out of Alabama, right? You know, Elliot Washington’s out of Florida. We got them from everywhere. We’re just a hard-working group that’s just trying to figure things out.”

Headlining the group is Harris, who Pro Football Focus rated among the 10 best cornerbacks in college football. The junior was dominant last season, allowing just one touchdown reception in 389 coverage snaps last season. As a sophomore, Harris ranked among the top 10 cornerbacks nationally in PFF's wins above average metric.

"I expect him to be one of the best [cornerbacks] that ever played here," Smith said of Harris.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles called the secondary “a real strength of our defense.” Notably in the cornerbacks room, Penn State will rotate Zion Tracy, Washington, Audavion Collins and potentially true freshman Daryus Dixson, all of whom Knowles shouted out during local media day. 

“If I had to use one word, it would be ‘impressive,’” Knowles said of the cornerbacks. “Terry Smith has built an awesome culture in that room. Those guys are playmakers, so I’m going to set things up for them to make plays. I saw it in the spring and I’ve seen it already here in the [beginning or training camp].”

That doesn’t even mention Zakee Wheatley, who is one of the top safeties in the country. The secondary is shaping up to be one of Penn State’s best and could be a true difference in 2025. 

Penn State’s secondary is confident

The confidence Smith showed has expanded through the room. Zion Tracy had an immediate “for sure” answer to the question, “Is this the best cornerback room in the country?” Wheatley said he’s very excited about this year’s secondary, noting that “we’ve got a lot of dogs everywhere.”

Wheatley added that the secondary is “probably the most athletic room we’ve had.” Tracy backed that statement and said that the group’s bond has deepened its commitment.

“All the connections we’ve got with each other, the bonds we have with each other, I feel like that’s going to make us really at the top of the nation,” Tracy said. 

Penn State’s secondary has plenty of veterans: Wheatley is a redshirt senior, and Harris, Tracy and Washington are juniors. Safety King Mack is a junior who returned to Penn State after spending last season at Alabama. Because of that, Smith said the leadership is the best since Haley’s 2016 squad.  

Though he compared this year’s secondary to that of 2016, Smith said each season Penn State sets a new standard. This secondary wants to be the best in the country and is ready to prove it.

“Each year you reset, and we set a new standard,” Smith said. “The goal is to be No. 1. The goal is to trust our process. These guys buy into it, and they look at past years, and they want to surpass those guys. They want to be better. They want to do better. Like this group here, they’re so dialed in this summer. They’re looking at route concepts and understanding what’s coming at them, and based on our coverage, how do we match up these routes? And we’re already more advanced than last year’s, and we were pretty dang good last year.

“And we have a great culture of success. We play with an edge. We have a chip on our shoulder. We always play feeling like we have to prove ourselves, whether we do or don’t, it’s the edge we carry. The thing I always say to our room is, ‘We’re going to play with toughness, and if you don’t have your edge about yourself, you can’t play here.’”