Johnny Dixon: CB · Penn State · #3.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Johnny Dixon
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. The five seasons span two programs and two head coaches: Will Muschamp and James Franklin. The first career honor came in 2023: All-Big Ten. One game to point at: 5 tackles and 2 tackles for loss against Ohio State — Week 8, 2023.
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
26 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 5.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Penn State | 26 | 20 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 3 | 1 |
| 2022 | Penn State | 20 | 15 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 7 | 2 |
| 2021 | Penn State | 10 | 8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2020 | South Carolina | 34 | 28 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5 | -- |
| 2019 | South Carolina | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | 1 |
| Career | 93 | 73 | 11.5 | 7.5 | 17 | 4 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 10 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-15vs West Virginia | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 3 | W 30-13@ Illinois | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 31-0vs No. 24 Iowa | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 41-13@ Northwestern | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 12-20@ No. 3 Ohio State | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 33-24vs Indiana | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 51-15@ Maryland | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 15-24vs No. 2 Michigan | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 27-6vs Rutgers | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 42-0vs Michigan State | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 26 | 20 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
12%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
26tackles this season26 tackles · 5.5 for loss · 4.5 sacks · 3 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Road4g | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
James Franklin
Pass share
44.6%
412 pass / 512 run
Plays / game
71.1
13 games
Team sack rate
3.1%
425 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2023
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #41 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons, at South Carolina and Penn State, 93 tackles — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
The role got bigger.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN
All-Big Ten mention (2023)
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Will Muschamp, Mike Bobo and James Franklin.
