Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State's regular season is in the books, and while the Nittany Lions fell short of their College Football Playoff goal, a number of players who will be back next year made strides on the field in 2023. Who are the biggest risers in that group? Here's a look at five young players who made significant progress from Week 1 to Week 12. Safety Kevin Winston Jr.: The ex- pectation prior to the season was that Winston, a sophomore, would eventu- ally wrestle the starting job away from senior Keaton Ellis and go from there. He ended up starting in Week 1 and never relinquished the job, becoming one of the Nittany Lions' best defend- ers in the process. Winston finished the regular season ranked second among Penn State safe- ties in snaps with 438, and frankly, the position-share that we expected in the preseason didn't exist. Winston and junior Jaylen Reed had nearly a 2-to-1 edge over Ellis and redshirt sophomore Zakee Wheatley in snaps. Winston finished second on the team in tackles with 51, adding 2.5 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, 2 fumble recov- eries and an interception. Pro Football Focus graded him out as the Nittany Lions' No. 2 defender among starters. His work in coverage and run support made him Penn State's most well- rounded safety. It should provide a nice jumping-off point for 2024. Defensive tackle Zane Durant: Penn State had concerns on the interior coming into the season, but the defen- sive tackles held up pretty well in 2023. Leading the way was Durant, a sopho- more who parlayed his athleticism and nonstop motor into impressive on- field production. Durant topped the defensive tackles in snaps with 297 and finished with 16 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and 2 sacks. He also recovered a fumble. Due to the nature of the position, de- fensive tackle stats often fail to capture the true impact that a player is having. Durant is a case in point. He's been ter- rific this season. Running back Kaytron Allen: Nothing about Penn State's offense in 2023 will leave fans longing for more of the same. That said, it was fun to watch the development of the running game over the final two weeks of the regular season. Penn State simplified the ap- proach for Allen and Nicholas Single- ton, and the sophomore duo combined for 255 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards against Michigan State. It was a breakout that everyone had been wait- ing for. Allen and Singleton had both done it in the past, but they looked much better to close the season. Penn State's offense seems to be at its best when Allen is the bell cow. In addition to his team-best 851 rushing yards, he had 14 catches for 81 yards in the regular season. There aren't a lot of options from that side of the ball for the title of most improved player, but Allen's progress heading into 2024 is notable. Linebacker Kobe King: Middle linebacker was a sticking point coming into the season. To a degree, it still is — but not because of the starter. King took a big step forward as a redshirt sophomore. On the heels of a really good training camp, King showed visible improve- ment throughout the year and held up well in the middle. By midseason, there was no questioning that he had estab- lished himself as the starter ahead of junior Tyler Elsdon. King led the Nittany Lions in tack- les with 54. That number included 5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also recovered a fumble. King didn't have to be spectacular, but he played at a level this season that should be encouraging for 2024. Quarterback Drew Allar: The sophomore quarterback certainly wasn't flawless in his first season as a starter. Still, there was ample reason to be encouraged about his potential in the long term. Maybe it's a case of recency bias, but Allar's season finale against Michigan State looks like a nice jumping-off point for the future. Not only did he do a lot right in throwing for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he looked comfort- able doing it. Most of the regular season was spent playing in a shell. While it's great that he only threw 1 intercep- tion, the lack of initiative in the pass- ing attack bit Penn State in big games. When he was loose, as he was against the Spartans and also in a 51-15 rout of Maryland, he showed he has the potential to be at or near the top of the Big Ten positional rankings. Throw out the numbers; both the good and the bad are a bit misleading. Allar took some positive steps that should benefit him under new play- caller Andy Kotelnicki in 2024. ■ Sophomore safety Kevin Winston Jr. won a starting job in preseason camp and ended up finishing second on the team with 51 tackles. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL These Rising Stars Brighten PSU's Outlook In 2024 JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N S E A N F I T Z S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M