Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
2 4 A P R I L 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 T he Penn State football team has had plenty of talent the past several sea- sons, but it has not been able to par- lay those strengths into a Big Ten champi- onship or College Football Playoff berth. The problems have mostly been on offense, which is why the Nittany Lions have a new coordinator on that side of the ball in Andy Kotelnicki, formerly of Kansas. During his time in Lawrence, Ko- telnicki helped turn a perennial straggler into one of the Big 12's highest-scoring teams. His hiring by PSU in December has given rise to hope that certain posi- tion groups will play better even without substantial changes in personnel. The Lions also have a new coordinator on the defensive side of the ball, with for- mer Indiana head coach Tom Allen suc- ceeding the Duke-bound Manny Diaz. Penn State flourished under Diaz's lead- ership, and several of the key players who helped the Lions finish third in the FBS in scoring defense are back. There are still six months to go before we start getting definitive answers to the many questions that have arisen since the change in leadership on both offense and defense. In the meantime, here's a look at how Penn State's position groups rate heading into the final weeks of their offseason drills. Offense 1. Running Back Kotelnicki's main task this year is to find a way to get more explosive plays out of juniors Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The dynamic running backs, es- sentially co-starters, were the focal point of defensive attention last season. While their overall play was improved, their pro- duction declined, and the vibes, for lack of a better term, were off. But let's not lump the two together out of laziness. By the end of the season, Allen had put up yardage totals and advanced metrics similar to his 2022 performance. He broke 37 tackles last year, fifth among Big Ten running backs. His 556 yards after contact were also fifth in the conference, and he generated more yardage on explosive runs than he did the year before, with 11 carries of 15 or more yards, up from 8 in 2022. The obvious and potentially unsustain- able part of the equation was the decline in Singleton's breakaway-run percentage. As a true freshman, Singleton rushed for 1,057 yards, with 633 coming on runs of 15 or more yards. That worked out to a gaudy breakaway percentage of 59.9. As a sopho- more, however, Singleton's percentage slipped to 22.4. He had a good year by most metrics, but his biggest shortcom- ing was that he wasn't special. Kotelnicki needs to find a way to get Singleton cleaner running lanes that allow him to use his size (6-foot, 226 pounds) and speed to rip off devastating carries. Singleton needs to adjust his approach, too, but he has grown and matured since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2022. The running backs will remain on top of this ranking until the team features an- other part of the offense as the core unit. 2. Tight End It's hard not to get excited about the Penn State tight ends room, despite los- ing a probable Day 2 NFL Draft pick in Theo Johnson. Senior Tyler Warren returns as the veteran in the room, while redshirt ju- nior Khalil Dinkins will have to fight off redshirt freshman Andrew Rappleyea for playing time. The team's reputation for recruiting cyborg athletes who can run, jump and catch is clear. This year, the Lions also have a chance to get bet- ter blocking, too. Penn State's recruiting prowess at the tight end position has been so signifi- cant it's changed the team's offensive dynamics during the past two seasons. While a return to more 11-personnel looks (one running back, one tight end) might be healthier for the offense, the ability to use a 12-personnel alignment (one running back, two tight ends) is a great security blanket. 3. Quarterback The Penn State quarterbacks room is in a better place than it was in 2023. The team has highly recruited talent, the most recent addition being true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, the No. 10 quarterback in the 2024 class ac- cording to On3. The backup situation is also good, in that the Nittany Lions are looking for ways to get redshirt sopho- more Beau Pribula on the field. Redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik is behind the two experienced quarterbacks. Position Group Position Group Power Rankings Power Rankings Here's how the Nittany Lions stack up heading into the final weeks of spring practice T H O M A S F R A N K C A R R | T F R A N K . C A R R @ O N 3 . C O M