Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
2 6 A P R I L 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M years old, he rushed for over 1,200 yards playing varsity football at Pennsylva- nia's Class 5A level. From the start, he was physically ahead of his peers, and it showed throughout his career, as he finished his career with more than 6,400 yards rushing and 115 touchdowns. He's without a doubt one of the best running backs to ever come out of Pennsylvania. Singleton's physical superiority will help him play early at the FBS level, too. At winter workouts in February, he squatted over 500 pounds in front of the media. We know his bench press and power clean are impressive, too; he surpassed 300 pounds in both. Those numbers indicate that he can already handle what will come at him in Big Ten play. Another player who stood out during winter workouts was defensive tackle Zane Durant. New strength coach Chuck Losey III mentioned Durant and Single- ton by name when asked who had im- pressed during the team's strength and conditioning drills. "They've done some really good things ever since being on campus," he said. Just like Singleton, Durant has always been physically impressive. Although we don't have specific numbers on him, his high school coach, Anthony Paradiso, has raved about Durant's potential for over a year now. "He's strong enough to play inside, as a three-technique, but is also quick enough to play off the edge," Paradiso said last summer. "He's as quick as some linebackers, playing at the defensive line position. Someone asked me the other day to compare him to an NFL player and I compared him to Aaron Donald. He's that athletic." We would be remiss to not mention wide receiver Kaden Saunders, too. With a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and a 4.20-second shuttle, the Ohio native brings the kind of speed and route run- ning ability that will provide him with opportunities to impress against his teammates. The wide receiver position has some playmakers at the top, but there are also some younger guys who haven't proven themselves yet. It wouldn't be surprising to see Saunders make a case that he belongs on the field in four- and five-receiver sets. — Ryan Snyder 3 .Does Penn State have the man- .power it needs to improve on the offensive line? This could be the question that de- fines Penn State's season. No matter how things align elsewhere on the field, no matter how good the skill players turn out to be, it's difficult to see the Nittany Lions reaching the level that fans expect from them with- out some considerable improvement on the offensive line. Penn State doesn't need to have the best offensive front in the Big Ten. It just needs one that isn't a liability. Trautwein has the pieces to make that happen if he can get the best out of his young, talented linemen. Specifically, Fashanu and Tengwall must take steps forward. There's still a long way to go this spring, but Fashanu seems like the heir apparent to Rasheed Walker's spot at left tackle. Walker elected to move on to the NFL after what most Penn State fans considered to be a disappointing season. Fashanu started for Walker at left tackle in a loss to Arkansas in the Out- back Bowl, earning an 87.5 pass-block- ing grade and a 69.3 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus analysts. "We have a lot of faith and confidence in him," Franklin said before that game. Tengwall is the other name to moni- tor closely. He held onto his freshman eligibility this year but emerged late last season to become a key rotation player for the Nittany Lions, seeing action on 117 snaps over the last three games. Tengwall notched an 85.2 pass-block grade and 79.4 run-block grade from PFF. He has the flexibility to play at both tackle and guard, earning looks at both positions late last year. "We were very, very pleased and very impressed with him," Franklin said after he made his debut against Rut- gers. "There were a lot of moving parts that magnified it against a team that I think plays good defense and is physical and tough. We were very pleased with Landon." Certainly, Penn State's success on the offensive front doesn't rest solely on two inexperienced linemen. Senior interior lineman Juice Scruggs must continue to show that he can play center effectively, and the Nittany Lions desperately need redshirt junior Caedan Wallace to bounce back from a difficult season at right tackle. The addition of Cornell transfer Hunter Nourzad, who will play on the interior, is another wild card. Penn State averaged 376.4 yards per game in Mike Yurcich's first season as coordinator, ranking seventh in the Big Ten. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL