Penn State's Johnny Dixon Finally Is Drawing Some Attention

The Lions' cornerback loves being tested. 'You want to throw it at me, go ahead,” Dixon said.

STATE COLLEGE | Johnny Dixon, Penn State's fifth-year cornerback, walked into Holuba Hall a bit out of breath for his post-practice media availability Wednesday and proceeded to ask for a chair. He sat down and answered questions calmly and concisely while taking a break. Interestingly, that's not Dixon's typical personality on the field and around team facilities.

Dixon is one of the more entertaining players on Penn State’s roster, cracking jokes and acquiring a reputation for his on-field banter with opposing receivers. Trash talk is a pretty common skill among cornerbacks, especially in Penn State’s recent history, and Dixon is no exception. He credited his roots in Tampa, Florida, for making him the confident player he is today. "Where I'm from, you got to show people who you are at all times," he said. "If you look scared, they're not gonna take you seriously.

“Some people try to act like they don't hear me, but I know they hear me. Then some people will talk back. It makes the game more fun. At the end of the day, it's a game and that's how I play. That's what's fun to me,” said Dixon, who likes it when opponents return the favor. “Show me you a dog, too, you feel me?”

Dixon has been a potentially underappreciated member of Penn State’s defensive dominance to start the season. Head coach James Franklin said as much Tuesday, offering an unprompted note of appreciation to Dixon for “playing really good football.” A transfer from South Carolina, Dixon is in his third year at Penn State and his second as a consistent contributor on defense.

Dixon has grown significantly as a pass defender and is a talented blitzer and run-stopper off the edge, adding elements not all cornerbacks are capable of delivering. He said the shout-out from Franklin was cool, and obviously appreciated the respect from his head coach, but finished his reaction by simply saying, “back to work.”

And Dixon has been busy. With teams actively avoiding preseason All-American Kalen King, the rest of Penn State’s cornerback group has been tested frequently. Dixon has responded with a pair of pass breakups and an interception so far. According to Coaches by the Numbers, Dixon allowed a completion rate of just 50 percent when targeted through the first five games. He appreciates the challenge.

“I love it, to be honest with you. I feel bad for [King] because I still want him to show what he can do, but I love it. You want to throw it at me, go ahead,” Dixon said. “We’ve got two elite corners.”

Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith spoke glowingly of Dixon, calling him one of the more caring, passionate and giving guys on the roster. Smith, known for a tough-love coaching style through his long tenure at Penn State, also highlighted Dixon’s willingness to be coached.

“We knew we had an elite corner in Johnny Dixon. That's why he rotated last year when we had Joey Porter Jr., even before Joey got injured,” Smith said during the week leading up to the Iowa game. “He's just showing you guys what we already knew. He's an elite cover corner. Teams have tried him deep several times, and he's making great plays on the ball. He's putting together some good film for himself. He's dependable and trustworthy out there.”

Franklin discussed twice this week the added flexibility his defense gains with depth at corner and defensive line, two positions the coach has highlighted often all year. Manny Diaz’s unit is allowing the fewest yards per game in the FBS while boasting the nation’s most effective blitz packages as well.

“It really opens up a lot of opportunities for what you want to do defensively because those positions either can dictate in a positive way what you can do to attack the offense, or they can limit you in trying to protect those positions. So we're fortunate,” Franklin said. “We've talked about the corners a lot and Terry and the job he's done. Also the fact that our corners can cover and tackle. They're physical and they're tough, which is not always the case.”

Penn State’s cornerbacks have four interceptions and four pass break-ups through five games. Dixon said there’s a lot more where that came from.

“We’re definitely working [toward our best football],” he said. “I feel like we’re playing really good football, and we’re top in the nation.”

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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