Penn State must replace safeties Zakee Wheatley, King Mack and Dejuan Lane. But the program has added several outstanding transfers from Iowa State that should be featured in this season's defense.
Iowa State defensive back Marcus Neal celebrates with teammates on the bench after making an interception during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State won 38-14. AP Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton should hear his named called early in the upcoming draft and the 2026 defense will feature burgeoning second-year talents Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Dixson at corner.Edge rusher. Cornerback. Linebacker. Invaluable positions at PSU.The position has become vital to defensive success at the college and professional levels. Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown were team leaders and tremendous players for the Lions, as were Kevin Winston and Jaylen Reed. Brisker and Brown are elite safeties at the NFL level, valued for their production and versatility.Zakee Wheatley will be the next PSU safety drafted, and he could go as high as the second round. He was credited with 170 tackles during his final two seasons in State College. More great safety play will be on display in the fall. The position coach and the likely starters have strong Iowa State roots. Deon Broomfield is Penn State’s new safeties coach. A standout safety at ISU, Broomfield spent the previous five seasons coaching Matt Campbell’s safeties in Ames. Penn State safeties coach Deon Broomfield talks with the media at a press conference at Beaver Stadium on Feb. 4, 2026. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comAsked about the importance of safety play in today’s college game, Broomfield stressed the importance of athleticism and adaptability at the position.“At one point, everything was spread ; that was really popular in college football. “You talk about the old Baylors and the Oklahomas. Everything was spread and was wide open so, you needed more DBs on the field to cover and do different things. “Now it’s kind of opposite, now people are getting to ‘12’ and 13’ . So, you need different types of bodies and different skill sets to defend all these different things.” Iowa State defensive back Jamison Patton celebrates his interception as he runs back to the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against South Dakota, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. Marcus Neal Jr., Jamison Patton and Jeremiah Cooper, ex-Cyclones, are with Broomfield at Penn State. Those three likely will be featured in this year’s secondary with the Lions replacing Wheatley, King Mack and Dejuan Lane at safety.He’s 6-1, 215 pounds and coming off a 2025 season in which he finished tied for the Iowa State team lead in tackles and added 11 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.The 6-2, 210-pound Patton, a senior, appeared in nine games – all of them starts -- and totaled 48 tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions. Iowa State defensive back Jeremiah Cooper breaks up a pass intended for South Dakota wide receiver Larenzo Fenner during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. Cooper is one of the most unique players on the Lions’ roster. The redshirt senior has the size to play safety or corner. Cooper started his ISU career at safety, where he was a first-team All-Big 12 pick in 2023. He moved to corner ahead of the 2025 season, but he was limited to four games due to injury. Cooper made 36 starts for the Cyclones and Cooper intercepted five passes and was credited with 10 pass breakups in that 2023 season.“That brings value. You can put him into a lot of different situations.”“He could go from safety to being a linebacker. The more guys that you can have do different things, it just gives you more options and different tools to be able to use to defend offenses. “The rise of is cool to see and the NFL guys are getting paid a ridiculous amount of money at the safety position, but I think it’s value now because it’s tough to defend offenses.”
Penn-State-Football @Yahoo Zakee-Wheatley King-Mack Dejuan-Lane Matt-Campbell Iowa-State-Cyclones Marcus-Neal Jeremiah-Cooper Jamison-Patton Deon-Broomfield Section:/Pennstatefootball
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