Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
2 2 F E B R 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 cism of Penn State has been running high lately. ESPN's Heather Dinich summed it up when she predicted that the Nittany Lions will "again be good, not great." "Penn State has had enough trouble with Ohio State and Michigan, and now it has to worry about Washington, USC and UCLA," Dinich wrote. "For most of Franklin's decade leading the program, PSU has settled for being the league's third-best team. With the Big Ten growing to 18 teams in 2024, even that could be a challenge." The Nittany Lions appeared in the middle of ESPN's way-too-early top 25, coming in 12th. Writer Mark Schlabach acknowledged that "there are some nice pieces coming back in quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and tight end Tyler Warren." But he also threw in some big caveats. "Both starting offensive tack- les will have to be replaced," Schlabach noted, "and the receiver room needs a serious upgrade." Seeking Progress The Nittany Lions will return 16 players who started the Peach Bowl. Of course, the team's postseason lineup had been cobbled together after a se- ries of opt-outs, meaning that a number of those starters were backups pressed into emergency duty ahead of the team's matchup with Ole Miss. Still, PSU will bring back its starting quarterback, its top two running backs and one of its co-starters at tight end. It will also benefit from the arrival of trans- fer wide receiver Julian Fleming, who caught 26 passes for 270 yards at Ohio State last season. New offensive coordi- nator Andy Kotelnicki certainly has some holes to fill, but in rising juniors Singleton and Allen at running back and Allar at quarterback, he's got a base to build upon. On defense, the Lions will return 14 of their top 20 tacklers, a list headed by rising junior safety Kevin Winston Jr. with 61 stops last year, including 10 in the Peach Bowl. PSU got a boost up front when defensive tackles Dvon Ellies and Hakeem Beamon both announced that they would be returning in 2024. Between them, Ellies and Beamon have started 26 games at Penn State, and their presence will help former Indiana head coach Tom Allen transition to his new role as PSU's defensive coordinator. The Nittany Lions' biggest offsea- son questions will involve the wide re- ceiver corps. Even with Fleming com- ing aboard, Penn State appears thin at a position group that in recent years has been a persistent problem. Last year's big portal acquisition, Dante Cephas, opted to transfer out after one relatively quiet season, leaving behind a returning wideout corps consisting of mostly un- proven scholarship players. Take away rising senior KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who had 53 receptions for 673 yards last fall, and PSU's remaining nine schol- arship wideouts combined to catch 48 passes for 579 yards in 2023. In the Peach Bowl, the PSU wideouts produced just 7 catches, all in the fourth quarter after Ole Miss had taken a com- manding lead. The disparity between Penn State's pass catchers and Missis- sippi's was a major topic of postgame conversation, and it prompted a rebuttal from redshirt freshman Kaden Saunders. "All I see on my Twitter is stuff about our wide receivers," Saunders tweeted a few days after the game. "We have more than enough talent … trust me." The Nittany Lions are surely hoping that's true. If they can make substantial progress here, they will go a long way toward fixing their biggest liability and maneuvering themselves into playoff contention. The sport's geography may be a mess, but Penn State still knows where it wants to go in 2024. ■ Kaytron Allen led the Nittany Lions in rushing this past season, finishing his sophomore campaign with 902 yards and 6 touchdowns. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL THE BIG PICTURE