It’s not often a true freshman makes an immediate impact at Penn State, a program that consistently brings in top-20 recruiting classes and effectively uses the transfer portal to plug glaring holes on the roster.
Earning playing time is a tall task regardless of position, but a group of young Nittany Lion defenders have already made their mark through three games.
So far, head coach James Franklin has named cornerback Daryus Dixson and defensive ends Chaz Coleman and Yvan Kemajou as players who have the green light to burn their redshirts this season, but others are in the mix.
Here’s how those freshmen have performed in practice and games this season.
Daryus Dixson
Dixson has the highest snap count of any freshman at 80, and he’s exceeded 20 in each game, even against Florida International when many backups weren’t able to play due to the Nittany Lions’ inability to pull away until late.
“For a true freshman to be able to do what he’s done in practice and compete in the games, I think he’s at the top end of the curve of guys that I’ve been around,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Wednesday. “He’s extremely competitive and studious and I think all he needs is more experience under the bright lights.”
Dixson will likely get that opportunity in two weeks when No. 6 Oregon visits Happy Valley for the annual White Out game, one of the biggest stages in college football every year.
Special teams coordinator Justin Lustig said Dixson wasn’t expected to have such a big role, but his play on special teams helped him earn more snaps. Lustig said players are either “found on special teams or built on special teams,” and Dixson was found in the season opener.
“Daryus Dixon comes to mind in Game 1, was not really slated to play a whole lot on defense,” Lustig said. “We had him on kickoff and punt return, and he was making plays, and then all of a sudden that turned into more plays for him on defense.”
Chaz Coleman
Coleman has quickly developed into a fan favorite, boosted by stories of his work ethic and selfless nature since he arrived on campus, as well as Knowles’ nickname for him — the Chazmanian Devil.
Franklin has described him as a “yes sir, no sir” type of player, but his on-field play is anything but reserved. In 71 total defensive snaps, Coleman has the second highest PFF grade on the team behind only star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton.
“Chaz, he’s jumped off the screen from the time I first got to be around him, and he’s made plays in games,” Knowles said. “He’s just a really disruptive guy. I think his progress is going to have to come against teams that are heavier in the run game and more talented in the run game. We’re going to have to see how he can hold up in that because I think he can pass rush against anybody.”
Coleman will get an opportunity to test his run-stuffing ability against the Ducks, who average the third most yards per carry and most in the Big Ten (7.0) through three games.
Yvan Kemajou
Before the season, defensive line coach Deion Barnes said Kemajou, like Coleman, was “catching on fast” throughout fall camp.
Kemajou has racked up 55 snaps through three games, and is credited with four pressures on 31 pass rush plays. He’s seen the field in every game so far and has provided depth at a position of need.
Jahmir Joseph
Joseph popped against Villanova, seeing the field for 19 snaps and recording two tackles and a flashy pick-6. He finished with a 90.0 game grade from PFF and has the highest coverage rating of any Nittany Lion.
“I thought the Jahmir Joseph interception was as big-time as it gets, not only making the play, but then obviously turning into an offensive player once the ball was in his hands,” Franklin said after the game.
Joseph also saw 23 snaps against Nevada and could burn his redshirt this season despite not being explicitly named by Franklin.
Alex Tatsch
Linebacker Alex Tatsch didn’t play against Nevada or Florida International, but he saw 21 snaps against the Wildcats last Saturday. Knowles said it’s a “possibility” Tatsch burns his redshirt this season despite only playing in one game so far.
Knowles said the staff evaluated his performance on the D squad and saw enough for him to earn a bigger role both in practice and in games.
“We thought it was worth the investment to start getting him meaningful practice snaps, meaningful game reps,” Knowles said. “You really always have to choose who you’re going to invest those reps in, and we saw enough of him doing really, really good things on the practice squad and other situations, to think it was worth the investment.”
Lustig said Tatsch is in a similar boat to Dixson, proving his worth on special teams to earn more defensive snaps.
“He’s still a freshman, so there’s some growing pains we’re working through still there in terms of just picking up the scheme and being consistent with the X’s and O’s,” Lustig said. “But other than that, he’s got all the tools to be a guy that should be able to help us down the road.”
