Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 7 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M handle all field goals in 2021, becoming a do-it-all solution in the kicking game. Stout was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft, and his departure has forced Collins to start anew as he looks to fill all three roles. A good way to start evaluating that challenge is to focus on the aspect of special teams play that Collins consid- ers most important: field position. "Our impact is going to be winning the hidden yardage to put our offensive and defensive units in a position to be successful," he said. "I think that's what it's all about." In no area was Stout more im- pactful at Penn State last year than in the punt game. He was a third- team All-American as a senior, as well as the Big Ten Punter of the Year. Stout averaged 46 yards per at- tempt. Of his 67 punts, 30 resulted in fair catches, 35 pinned oppo- nents inside their 20-yard line, 25 traveled 50 yards or more, and only three went into the end zone as touchbacks. Stout capped his Penn State career with a score of 93.2 from Pro Football Focus, which was the best in the country. It was also PFF's best overall score for a punter in the past three years. To replace Stout, Collins will have to select from a group of three punters: sixth-year transfer senior Barney Amor, redshirt freshman walk-on Gabe Nwosu and true freshman Alex Bacchetta. Only Amor has ever attempted a punt in a college game, having done so at FCS- level Colgate during the 2019 season. Even though none of the contend- ers have ever punted in a game at Penn State, Collins is encouraged by his options. Amor was recognized as the team's most improved special teams performer in spring practice, and while no punting stats were kept for the Blue- White Game, Nwosu looked as though he was hitting the ball well. Bacchetta didn't arrive until the summer, but as the top punting prospect in the country according to Kohl's Kicking, he appears fully capable of emerging as the starter. "I thought Barney had a really good spring. He was very, very consistent and trended up the whole way," Collins said. "I'm excited to work with Alex. He's done a great job with our workouts here and he's an extremely mature kid, so I'm looking forward to that. And Gabe probably had his best day punting in the spring game. "So, we're going to compete through [preseason camp]. Again, you look at an older guy [in Amor] who's mature and does a great job. I think Alex is a great young talent, and how quickly he can develop and really get ready for game mode will be the question that we have got to get answered through camp." Kickoffs are another area in which Penn State will miss Stout. As a senior, he averaged 64.6 yards on 65 attempts, notching 59 touchbacks with just one kickoff sent out of bounds. The num- bers over three seasons made him one of college football's most consistent and effective specialists when it came to ensuring that opponents were at least 75 yards from the end zone when they started their drives. Collins called Stout's penchant for touchbacks a "huge weapon," but he said he was encouraged by Penn State's options there, too. The 6-foot-6, 278-pound Nwosu "showed some real promise," and Sander Sahaydak, a redshirt freshman placekicker with a live leg, also "had a nice spring" in the competition to handle kickoffs, Collins said. Throw in fifth-year senior Jake Pinegar and maybe even Bacchetta, who is a top kicking prospect in addition to being an outstanding punter, and Collins is expecting to have a competitive envi- ronment in preseason camp. "We've got multiple guys that can kick it off," he said. "We had some good numbers throughout spring. We need to continue that trend. There will be a competition there through camp." As good as Stout was in a variety of areas throughout his three sea- sons in State College, the Nittany Lions will have an opportunity to improve their accuracy on field goals this fall. Last season, Stout hit on just 16 of his 23 attempts and ranked 82nd nationally in field goal per- ce n ta ge ( 69. 57 ) . So m e o f h i s misses — a 23-yarder at Wiscon- sin, a 40-yarder against Illinois, a 43-yarder against Michigan and a 27-yarder at Michigan State — were from makeable distances and hindered Penn State's chances in games that were all decided by less than a touchdown. Indeed, the Li- ons won only one of those games, pre- vailing 16-10 against the Badgers. Collins expressed frustration at the inconsistencies he saw from both Pin- egar and Sahaydak early in spring prac- tice but said they improved as the ses- sions went on. Peaks and valleys could prove important to Collins' decision- making process; he's looking for con- sistency moving forward. "It's going to be a great competition when we get into [preseason] camp," he said. "I thought they both trended in the right direction as we finished our spring practices and went into the spring game. "Jake has more experience. He's older, he's been in games. Sander has a very, very live leg. It'll be a great competition as we go through, and we'll be interested to see how it plays out." ■ Players (9) PLACEKICKER NO. PLAYER YR. HT. WT. 92 Jake Pinegar R-Sr. 6-2 206 94 Sander Sahaydak R-Fr. 6-0 171 PUNTER 96 Barney Amor Sr.+ 6-1 193 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-Fr. 6-6 278 97 Alex Bacchetta Fr. 6-2 205 LONG SNAPPER 91 Chris Stoll Sr.+ 6-2 262 KICKOFF RETURNER 28 Devyn Ford Jr. 5-11 190 24 Keyvone Lee So. 6-0 234 PUNT RETURNER 3 Parker Washington So. 5-10 212 SPECIAL TEAMS