DeMatha Catholic head coach Bill McGregor has churned out plenty of talent over his 35 seasons in Hyattsville. The Stags consistently see multiple players graduate and go on to high-level college football. That includes recent Penn State star safety Kevin Winston Jr., who heard his name called in the NFL Draft last month to join the Tennessee Titans.
That makes McGregor’s thoughts on Nittany Lion commit Darrell Carey pretty noteworthy. He, like Penn State safeties coach Anthony Poindexeter, sees similarities in the two defensive backs.
Winston measured 6-1.5 and 215 pounds at Penn State’s pro day in March, albeit while rehabbing from a partially torn ACL. Carey sits in the range of 6-3 and 190 pounds entering his senior season at DeMatha — with some room still to grow and add to that frame.
The other key? McGregor moves Carey around defensively, playing both safety spots, down into the nickel or out at corner. Winston was important for Penn State’s defense before injury because of his ability to impact a three-safety defense, both in coverage and against the run.
“He covers so much ground,” McGregor told PennLive of Carey. “If he’s the safety, it’s like having an extra pass defender at times. At the same time, he’s a hard-nosed kid where he’ll come up and hit you. He’s just a really good high school football player.”
Carey committed to Penn State on April 18, helping continue what has been a red-hot month-plus of Nittany Lions recruiting. The three-star and No. 12 prospect in Maryland has flown under the radar a bit, in part because of the bevy of talent that rolls through DeMatha.
McGregor pushes his seniors to colleges hard before the juniors get the attention, but a ton of D-I offers rolled through for Carey this winter, including Oregon, Texas A&M and Pitt. More will come this summer as he camps and gets the spotlight. Still, the Nittany Lions were long-term leaders for his services. He visited Happy Valley three times, and on a visit to spring practice on April 12, he felt ready to commit.
His parents wanted him to hold off just a bit, but six days later, he made the call to Poindexter and James Franklin.
“He came home and says, ‘I want to go to Penn State. And I even said, ‘Are you sure? Because everybody’s going to start coming through here now. Are you sure you really want to do this?’” McGregor said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, absolutely. I want to go to Penn State. I like everything about it.’”
Carey loves a lot about Penn State, but the scheme fit with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is a big thing. He feels he’ll fit well into their preferred three-safety system, appreciating the challenge of covering a top receiver 1-on-1 or standing in the box pre-snap.
As one of the few returners in DeMatha’s secondary, Carey will also have to take a step forward this season. McGregor already called his safety a leader, someone players gravitate toward, and will bestow more pre-snap responsibilities on Carey, such as calling out coverages.
“He just makes plays,” McGregor said. “He’ll just fly out of nowhere, come up and either make a tackle or make an interception. When he sees it, he’s fearless and just goes for the ball.”
Penn State football Blue-White game, 2025
DeMatha's Darrell Carey (center) and Lavar Keys (right) have played together since they were 9 years old. Keys, a longtime Penn State commit, helped drive Carey toward the Nittany Lions. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comJoe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
McGregor also goes back a long way with Poindexter. He sent tons of his players to Virginia while Poindexter was an assistant there, and it’s continued since his move to Penn State. Players like Winston, defensive tackle Coziah Izzard and 2026 wide receiver Lavar Keys have continued the Happy Valley pipeline.
“A great coach, great person. His personality, it’s just unbelievable,” McGregor said. “He’s always happy, always bubbly. He comes in straight with the guys. That’s what I really like.”
That was a major selling point for Carey. He took note of how consistent Poindexter has been since “Day 1” of his sophomore year, checking in each week. He pointed out Poindexter’s “real” qualities as a coach and recruiter.
“Sometimes you can tell if somebody is giving you fake attention or if they’re just using you for business. You can tell he genuinely cares about you as a person, as a kid, and wants to see you grow and help you develop,” Carey said. “That’s why I can say our relationship is what it is, because as time went by, he stood by me, and he’s always made sure I was OK. Just checking on me, even if it wasn’t for football.”
Over the past few months, though, Carey has also grown to appreciate the values Penn State’s staff holds over other schools. It’s not just the way he’s bonded with Poindexter that made the Nittany Lions an attractive landing spot.
“To be honest, I looked at a lot of schools, and they were really just talking about money. I don’t look at money first at a school,” Carey said. “I look at good coaches, who’s gonna help me graduate, who’s gonna push me to get a degree, who’s gonna help me with my business, who’s gonna help me grow as a person and become a leader? And that’s what Penn State was all about.
“I haven’t even spoken money with them yet, but other schools, that’s their first pitch. And to me, that’s like you’re just trying to buy me. You don’t really care for me. When I went up there, I loved the facilities, the way they were treating me, the meeting that we had with Coach Franklin, his presentation on how he cares for the players and how he’s going to help us graduate. And I just said, ‘I feel like this is the right place to be.’”
According to On3, Carey finished his junior season with 65 tackles and three interceptions, with two of those going for touchdowns. He’s set for another big season in 2025 before enrolling at Penn State, and he’s constantly looking for ways to improve his game.
Carey read and watched online content after his commitment, seeing many highlight his hips as a room for improvement in his game. He takes the critiques to heart and even asks for anyone to watch his tape and offer their own insight.
And perhaps, if he keeps on the current trajectory, he could end up like Winston in the not-so-distant future: an important Nittany Lion and a future NFL Draft pick.
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