Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1499919
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 3 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M H aving lost last year's starting punter and placekicker to graduation, Penn State went into spring practice with big questions to answer in the kicking game. To hear head coach James Franklin and special teams coordinator Stacy Collins tell it, the Nittany Lions also came out of spring practice with big questions to answer. It appears that PSU's depth chart will continue to be in flux when the team reconvenes for fall camp in a few months. PUNTER: Franklin was clearly underwhelmed by what he saw in the Blue-White Game. Punt- ing under controlled conditions — no rush, no returns — redshirt freshman Alex Bacchetta aver- aged 33.4 yards on 5 attempts, while the only punt by redshirt sophomore walk-on Mitchell Groh covered 38 yards. "We've got to be better," Franklin said. "We were basically punting on air, with no rush, noth- ing. We should have been killing the ball. That's something we've really got to work on between now and [the season opener against] West Vir- ginia." Senior transfer Riley Thompson punted just once, but he boomed it 62 yards. Thompson averaged 45.4 yards on 61 attempts last season at Florida Atlantic, ranking second in Conference USA and 12th in the FBS. That experience might seem as though it would give him a leg up on Bacchetta, who averaged 40.0 yards on 4 attempts as a true freshman last fall, but Collins said their battle is still too close to call. "It's been a great competition," he said. "Alex is back after getting a little bit of play for us last year, and then you're bringing in Riley Thompson. Those two are competing." PLACEKICKER: Here's another area in which a transfer is challenging an inexperienced returnee. Alex Felkins, a senior who arrived in January af- ter three seasons at Columbia, kicked for the Blue team in the spring game, hitting a 22-yard field goal and reaching the end zone on all three of his kickoff attempts. As with the punters, the kickers didn't face any pressure on their attempts, and there were no returns, so the experience wasn't a true test of anyone's game readiness. Felkins was an All-Ivy League performer at Columbia, where he set a school record with 183 career points. He will continue his battle with red- shirt sophomore Sander Sahaydak in preseason camp. Both received first-team reps in spring practice. "We flipped those guys, who's working with the ones, who's working with the twos," Collins said. "They've got a heck of a competition going." Sahaydak handled the team's kickoffs last year before being replaced by the since-graduated Jake Pinegar at midseason. That job could go to Sahaydak or Felkins this fall, or the Lions could turn to redshirt sophomore Gabriel Nwosu. A 6-foot-6, 278-pound walk-on, Nwosu is listed as a punter on PSU's roster but kicked off 18 times last year with 7 touchbacks. "He's got a big-time leg," Collins said. "Gabe has done a great job with our kickoffs. He's stood out." LONG SNAPPER: Redshirt sophomore Tyler Duzansky looks to be the choice to replace Chris Stoll, winner of last year's Patrick Mannelly Award, which goes to the nation's top long snap- per. One of Duzansky's projected competitors, Michael Wright, transferred to Boston College in January. PUNT RETURNS: No one on Penn State's spring roster has ever returned a punt at the college level. Sophomore receiver Kaden Saunders was lined up deep in the Blue-White Game, but there were no returns in the game, so he didn't have a chance to show what he can do with the ball in his hands. Fellow receiver Omari Evans could also get a look here, or possibly senior cornerback Daequan Hardy. One other player who may bear watching is incoming Minnesota transfer Trey Potts, who averaged 10.8 yards on 6 returns for the Gophers during the 2021 season. KICKOFF RETURNS: Hardy fielded kicks in the Blue-White Game, but again, there were no re- turns allowed. He averaged 14.0 yards on 2 kick returns last season. Running back Nicholas Singleton handled 14 of Penn State's 20 kickoff returns as a true freshman last fall, with a 24.9-yard average and a 100-yard touchdown against Rutgers. He's back for his sophomore season, and Franklin has shown over the years that he's perfectly comfortable using starters in this role. ■ SPECIAL FORCES Penn State's revamped kicking game continues to take shape M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Senior kicker Alex Felkins connected on the only field goal attempt of the Blue-White Game, a 22-yarder. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE PUNTER No. Name Elig. Ht. Wt. 95 Riley Thompson Sr. 6-1 216 or 97 Alex Bacchetta R-Fr. 6-2 214 PLACEKICKER 91 Alex Felkins Sr. 6-3 198 or 93 Sander Sahaydak R-So. 6-0 181 KICKOFFS 91 Alex Felkins Sr. 6-3 198 or 93 Sander Sahaydak R-So. 6-0 181 or 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-So. 6-6 278 HOLDER No. Name Elig. Ht. Wt. 48 Tyler Duzansky R-So. 6-4 215 PUNT RETURNER 7 Kaden Saunders R-Fr. 5-10 172 or 5 Omari Evans So. 6-0 189 or 25 Daequan Hardy R-Sr. 5-9 179 KICKOFF RETURNER 10 Nicholas Singleton So. 6-0 228 or 13 Kaytron Allen So. 5-11 218 or 25 Daequan Hardy R-Sr. 5-9 179 BWI's Unofficial PSU Special Teams Depth Chart