James Franklin confirms that Penn State CB Johnny Dixon won't play in Peach Bowl
Atlanta – It’s been expected for nearly two weeks now, but on Friday, Penn State head coach James Franklin confirmed that cornerback Johnny Dixon is not with the team in Atlanta and won’t play in Saturday’s Peach Bowl.
“Johnny Dixon is not with the team currently and so obviously we don’t anticipate him playing in the game,” Franklin said during the final pregame press conference ahead of the game.
Back on Dec. 13, the Senior Bowl announced that Dixon is set to participate in this year’s game, joining edge rusher Adisa Isaac. Dixon hadn’t announced anything publicly himself, but he did post multiple updates via Instagram that showed he wasn’t with the team.
A native of Tampa, Fla., Dixon was a four-star prospect and one of Penn State’s top cornerback recruits in the Class of 2019. The Nittany Lions hosted him for an official visit in Oct. 2018, but he ultimately ended up signing with South Carolina in December of that year. Dixon played in 12 games for the Gamecocks during his first season on campus. He became a full-time starter during the 2020 season.
After that season, Dixon entered the transfer portal and ultimately announced his decision to come to Penn State on Dec. 28, 2020. He didn’t start for the Nittany Lions during the 2021 season, but he did play just over 200 snaps in 10 games. He finished with 11 tackles and two pass deflections.
With both Joey Porter Jr. and Kalen King on the roster in 2022, Dixon earned five starts that season, totaling 479 snaps in 13 games. He earned his best grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022 with a 72.7 overall defensive grade. He finished that season with 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, 12 pass deflections, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
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The 2023 season marked his first year as a full-time starter at Penn State. Dixon played in all 12 games, totaling 497 snaps for the Nittany Lions. He finished with a 66.0 overall defensive grade by PFF. Dixon totaled 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four pass deflections, one interception and one forced fumble this past season. His 4.5 sacks were tied for the second-most on the team with linebacker Abdul Carter.
During his press conference on Oct. 10, head coach James Franklin went out of his way to compliment Dixon on his performance.
“I did want to give one of our guys some love because I don’t think he’s getting enough attention for how well he is playing,” Franklin said. “It really started in training camp and has continued, and that’s Johnny Dixon. I think Johnny is playing really good football. I think we have two corners – we have more than that but two corners in Johnny and Kalen that are tough guys and that are physical at that position, which is less common now than it used to be.
“They do a really good job in a lot of different ways, not just defending the pass. Johnny is a great blitzer, then also supporting the run. So, I wanted to give him some love because it’s deserved.”
NFL Draft experts expect King to also turn pro. Both he and Daequan Hardy are expected to play Saturday against Ole Miss before turning their attention to the professional ranks.
