Penn State CB Johnny Dixon set to participate in Senior Bowl
The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced Wednesday morning that Penn State cornerback Johnny Dixon is set to participate in this year’s game, joining edge rusher Adisa Issac. He’s the third Nittany Lion to confirm he’ll participate in a college all-star game, as offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
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 eight games for the Gamecocks during his first season on campus before becoming a full-time starter during the 2020 season.
But after that season, Dixon decided to enter the transfer portal. He announced his decision to come to Penn State on Dec. 28, 2020. Dixon didn’t start for the Nittany Lions his first season in State College but he did play just over 200 snaps in 10 games. He finished with 11 tackles and two pass deflections in 2021.
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.
Trimmings: Tracking Penn State’s transfer portal progress as of Dec. 12
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. 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, although he hasn’t publicly announced his plans as of Dec. 13. With Daequan Hardy also finishing his fifth year in college, the Nittany Lions are expected to see a lot of turnover at the cornerback position this offseason.
