There are a lot of new faces on this year’s Penn State football team, but there are some familiar ones, too, and new coach Matt Campbell raved about one of them.
“The one young man that’s stood out to me from the day I’ve gotten here to where we’re at,” Campbell told reporters at his first press conference of the spring season Tuesday at Beaver Stadium.
The young man is veteran cornerback Zion Tracy, a 5-foot-11, 186-pounder entering his fourth season at Penn State.
“I think Zion Tracy is one of the best football players that maybe I’ve coached, to be quite honest with you, in terms of talent, ability,” Campbell said.
Tracy has been making plays since he was a freshman.
At Northwestern in 2023, Tracy stopped a fake punt.
But the biggest play of Tracy’s career took place the next season against Ohio State.
With Penn State ahead 3-0, Tracy stepped in front of QB Will Howard’s pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.
Had Penn State won that game, it would be remembered as one of the signature plays of the James Franklin era. Even still, it’s something that stood out to Franklin’s successor, who was at Iowa State at the time.
“Man, you talk about being great in the moment,” Campbell said, “I think you go back to his — to two years ago and he’s the punt returner, the play he makes against Ohio State. I feel like every game, big moment, that guy has showed up and (he’s) been an elite football player.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Along with showing up in the big moments, Campbell loves Tracy’s versatility.
In Jim Knowles’ scheme last year, Tracy was the primary nickel back.
But Campbell feels he could play just about anywhere in the secondary.
“I think Zion can be one of the best corners in the country,” Campbell said. “I think he can be one of the best safeties in the country. He can play nickel. He can do a lot.”
Of Tracy’s 413 snaps last season (per Pro Football Focus), 253 were at slot corner. 72 were at free safety and 48 were in the box.
Campbell coached some quality defensive backs over his decade at Iowa State, including new Nittany Lions Marcus Neal and Jeremiah Cooper, who have both been All-Big 12 performers.
So was high praise when Campbell said he feels Tracy is the type of player to build a defense around.
“When you have a chess piece like Zion, it gives you the ability to start to kind of navigate the rest of the defensive structure kind of around him,” Campbell said.
