Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
2 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M nition from the media and third-team honors from the coaches. He also found a home on the true freshman All-America teams assembled by On3 and Pro Football Focus. "I'm proud of him. He's gotten better every single week," Franklin said. "He's got a ton of natural physical ability, and he's getting more and more confident within the scheme, which is not only helping our defense play better, but it's also putting him in position to make m o re a n d m o re plays." S i n g l e to n , A l - len, and Carter were the headliners of this freshman class throughout the 2022 regular season, but they weren't the only first-year players who saw time. Here's a complete rundown of the remaining members of the class, with players listed from most games played to fewest. In total, the 10 rook- ies who saw time in five games or more used a year of eligibil- ity and will be sophomores in 2023. The remaining 12 first- year players will be redshirt freshmen next fall. DE Dani Dennis-Sutton (12 games): His most produc- tive afternoon of the regular season came Nov. 5 at Indiana, a game in which he finished with 3 tackles and an intercep- tion. "DDS" had 16 tackles and 3 sacks heading into the Rose Bowl. DT Zane Durant (11): The focus of considerable pre- season buzz, Durant saw action in every game except the Nit- tany Lions' visit to Michigan on Oct. 15. He didn't fill up the stat sheet, which is hardly un- usual for an interior defensive lineman. Durant finished the regular season with 5 stops and a sack. Additional opportunities should pres- ent themselves in 2023 with PJ Mustipher graduating. WR Omari Evans (11): Evans played in every game except for the Lions' 30-0 rout of Maryland in Week 10, but he never grabbed a bigger rotational role. He fin- ished the regular season with 5 catches for 55 yards, one of which went for a touch- down in the home opener against Ohio. Evans will have a chance to rise up the depth chart next season with Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley mov- ing on. S KJ Winston (11): Winston played primarily on special teams, where his speed and sure tackling convinced the coaching staff to forgo redshirting the On3 four-star safety. He finished the regular season with 14 tackles, includ- ing 1 tackle for loss. Winston will fight for Ji'Ayir Brown's vacated starting role next fall. QB Drew Allar (9): Allar backed up Sean Clifford after beating out redshirt f re s h m a n C h r i s - tian Veilleux in pre- season camp for the No. 2 job. Penn State mostly used the former five-star recruit in the second halves of games in which the outcome was no longer in doubt. He finished the regular season with 35 com- pletions on 59 attempts (59.3 percent) for 344 yards, with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. Allar appears to have a firm grip on the starting position in 2023 — so firm that Veilleux entered the transfer portal after the season. CB Cam Miller (9): Miller was often the first reserve cornerback off the bench for Penn State in 2022, and he also played special teams, making 5 tackles in his nine appear- ances. His role will be increased in 2023 when he joins the cor- nerback rotation now that Joey Porter Jr. is off to the NFL. OL Drew Shelton (6): With Olu Fashanu sidelined in November due to an undis- closed injury, Shelton stepped into the starting left tackle role and performed well. The mo- ment did not seem too big for him, even if it's rare at Penn State, or anywhere else, for a first-year player to start at such an important position. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton played in all 12 of Penn State's regular-season games, totaling 3 sacks to tie for fourth place on the team. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE "That was obviously a big part of our success, really as a team … to be able to sustain drives and make big plays. It's unusual to do it with a freshman, let alone two true freshmen, but they complemented each other really well, and we were able to not only run the ball but create more explosive plays with our play-action pass game, and you mix a little RPO in there, as well. It's been really good." J A M E S F R A N K L I N O N F R E S H M E N N I C H O L A S S I N G L E T O N A N D K A Y T R O N A L L E N