Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
4 0 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 KEY LOSSES Alex Bacchetta | P Attempted only 4 punts in his Penn State career, all as a true freshman in 2022. Bacchetta entered the transfer portal in December and later commit- ted to Rice. Alex Felkins | K Took over the starting placekicker job in Week 2 and never relinquished it, hit- ting 19 of 24 field goal attempts in his lone season at Penn State after transfer- ring from Columbia. Daequan Hardy | PR Became the Nittany Lions' primary punt returner at midseason and aver- aged 14.6 yards on 17 attempts to lead the Big Ten. Hardy, who scored on re- turns of 56 and 68 yards against Mas- sachusetts, announced in January that he planned to enter the NFL Draft. KEY RETURNEES Ryan Barker | K/P | R-Fr. Walk-on kicker from Kennett High in Kennett Square, Pa., is expected to vie with redshirt junior Sander Sahaydak and incoming transfer Chase Meyer for the starting placekicker position this year. Tyler Duzansky | LS | R-Jr. Will return for his second season as Penn State's long snapper in 2024. Gabriel Nwosu | P/KO | R-Jr. Served as Penn State's full-time kick- off specialist after seeing occasional ac- tion at the position as a redshirt fresh- man in 2022. Nwosu earned touchbacks on 50 of 76 attempts. Sander Sahaydak | K | R-Jr. Won the starting placekicker job in preseason camp but was replaced by Felkins after missing field goal at- tempts of 38 and 34 yards in the season opener against West Virginia. Sahay- dak didn't attempt another field goal all season. Kaden Saunders | PR | R-So. Began the season as Penn State's top punt returner and averaged 6.1 yards on 14 attempts before being replaced by Hardy. Nicholas Singleton | KR | Jr. Averaged 24.1 yards on 13 kick- off returns, with a long return of 51 yards against Maryland. Riley Thompson | P | Jr. Ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 45.6-yard average on 51 punts in his first season with the Nittany Li- ons after transferring from Florida Atlantic. NEWCOMER Chase Meyer | K | Jr. Hit 17 of 20 field goal attempts for Tulsa last season, including a long kick of 47 yards against Tulane and a 37-yard game winner against East Carolina. 2024 Outlook The NCAA answered one of Penn State's biggest questions in the kicking game when it granted Thompson's request for an additional two seasons of eligibility. The Australia native had been listed as a senior when he transferred to Penn State after one season at Florida Atlantic, but the NCAA ruled that his educational experience back home shouldn't count against his American collegiate eligibility. With that decision, the Lions filled what could have been a worrisome vacancy. Thompson continu- ally improved as the season went on and was very effective in the Peach Bowl, averaging 49.4 yards on 5 attempts, including a couple of punts that surpassed 50 yards. The Nittany Lions do have one significant concern, however, and that is at placekicker, where Felkins is gone after earning second-team All-Big Ten recognition from the media (third-team coaches) in his lone season in State College. Felkins' exit opens up a three-way competition for the starting job. Sahaydak will have a chance to reclaim the position after losing it to the Columbia transfer early last season. Barker was a first-team Pennsylvania all-state kicker and punter as a senior at Kennett High, while Meyer is arriving from Tulsa, where he made 17 of 20 attempts as a sophomore. Elsewhere, the Lions will likely miss Hardy in the return game, but Saunders was a reliable catcher of punts, if not a dynamic return man. Assuming the rising sophomore ends up filling the position again in 2024, the Lions ought to be fine here. They've also got Singleton back to return kickoffs for the third season. The veteran running back suffered one glitch last year — a fumble on the opening kickoff at Illinois that the Illini turned into an early 3-0 lead — but was otherwise dependable. His season-long 51-yard return at Maryland ignited a fourth-quarter scoring binge in which the Lions finished the game with 20 unanswered points. — Matt Herb Talent Returns In The Kicking Game Gabriel Nwosu had 50 touchbacks on 76 kickoff attempts as a redshirt sophomore last fall. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL 2024 LOOK AHEAD SPECIAL TEAMS