ATLANTA — Penn State football cornerback Johnny Dixon did not travel with the team and is not expected to play in the Nittany Lions’ upcoming clash with Ole Miss on Saturday in the Peach Bowl, according to coach James Franklin.
“Johnny Dixon is not with the team currently,” Franklin said. “So obviously we don’t anticipate him to play in the game.”
Dixon’s absence has been noted throughout Penn State’s week-long stay in Atlanta although the longtime cornerback has not announced his intentions to declare for the upcoming NFL Draft publicly. Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson also did not travel with the team but had previously announced his plans to enter the draft. While it’s generally expected that Dixon’s absence is related to the draft process, that is technically not yet official as Franklin did not expand on why Dixon did not travel with the team.
Dixon started in all 12 games for the Nittany Lions en route to making 26 tackles, 4.5 sack, and one interception.
Should Dixon ultimately make his NFL Draft aspirations known he would likely be the third Penn State cornerback in a highly touted defensive corps to do so. Dixon would join Daequan Hardy, who has already announced that he will enter the draft, while standout corner Kalen King is also expected to do the same following the Peach Bowl.
