All 105 is a Nittany Sorts Now series profiling each Penn State football player. In this edition, we’ll profile true freshman cornerback Elliot Washington.
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 192 pounds
Hometown: Venice, Florida
Before Penn State: Washington was one of Penn State’s biggest recruiting wins of the 2023 cycle. He has been committed to Alabama since January, then flipped to Happy Valley in July after going on an official visit to Penn State the previous month. Washington, a four-star recruit, had a decorated career at Venice High School. He helped his team to two regional titles, two state title game appearances and the 2021 state championship.
Where he stands: Washington is part of a loaded position group. Kalen King is set to fill new Steeler Joey Porter Jr’s shoes well as the team’s top corner, and could even be the top corner taken in the 2024 Draft. Johnny Dixon has four seasons of college football experience— two each at South Carolina and Penn State— and started all 13 games last season. The fifth-year senior is expected to again be a big part of coordinator Manny Diaz’s defense in 2023. Nickelback Daequan Hardy is also entering Year 5, and should see quite a bit of playing time come September. Cam Miller also has a lot of promise heading into his second year. Along with Washington, other ‘23 signees in four-star Zion Tracy (St. Thomas More HS) and three-star Lamont Payne (Carnegie, Pennsylvania), will be in the mix as well.
Of Penn State’s ‘23 signees in the secondary, Washington arguably has the most promise. But the combination of his youth and Penn State’s depth will make it difficult for him to get a lot of playing time in Year 1.
A quote about Washington: “You’ve earned this. So enjoy today. You’re going to be here in a very short period of time. So I would challenge you and the family to take advantage of every day you have left there. Elliot, don’t take it for granted. You have unbelievable people around you that love and support you. So enjoy this time that you have together because, pretty soon, you’re going to be on campus. So you’ll have a lot of hard work, but we’re going to do it together.” — Coach James Franklin to Washington on Early Signing Day 2022
