2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 6 Zakee Wheatley
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season
Continuing this effort is a look at a rising defensive contribution, safety Zakee Wheatley. Wheatley is coming into the 2023 season with a shot at landing a starting role on the defense, if not just getting a bigger chunk of playing time. Wheatley saw a good amount of playing time in 2022 and could see even more as he continues to prove to be one of Penn State’s top players in the secondary.
Preseason Player Profile
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Hometown: Crofton, MD
Height: 6-2
Weight: 194
247Sports Composite Ranking
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
[4-stars] | [No. 15 in Maryland] | [No. 24 overall safety]
Class of 2021
Class in 2023: Redshirt sophomore
Penn State put Zakee Wheatley on their recruiting radar early on, and the effort paid off. James Franklin and his staff extended an offer to Wheatley back in June 2019 and welcomed him to campus for four unofficial visits before the end of the year. As more offers rolled in for Wheatley, he committed to the Nittany Lions in April 2020 and signed in the early signing period.
Career Stats
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Games | Tackles | PD | FF | INT | ||
2021 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Zakee Wheatley saw brief playing time as a true freshman with a crowded and top-heavy defensive secondary firmly in place at the time. But he quickly made a name for himself last season by appearing in all 13 games played and making some big plays when he was on the field.
Wheatley made his first career interception in a road win at Auburn, closing out the first quarter by taking advantage of a quarterback under pressure making a bad decision.
Depth Chart Overview
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
After losing Ji’Ayir Brown to the NFL draft, a year after losing Jaquan Brisker to the draft, Penn State once again has an opening for a starting safety. Zakee Wheatley could be a player to keep a close eye on, although he could be in a heated competition with teammate Jaylen Reed for the starting job in the fall.
Penn State should have one safety spot ironed out with the return of Keaton Ellis, an experienced senior. But Wheatley and Reed appear to be the top options in the running to fill the vacant spot at the other safety position on the field.
Similar to the safety position this year, Penn State also has a cornerback spot to fill after losing Joey Porter Jr. to the NFL draft. Kalen King gives Penn State one of the best at the position on one side, while Johnny Dixon could be a leading candidate for the vacant cornerback job. It is not likely a player like Wheatley moves to cornerback, especially with potentially good options already in place.
