Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
6 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 F ollowing the Penn State football program all year long makes it a little tougher to unearth under-the-radar storylines than it might seem on the sur- face. Going beyond the obvious is why we're here, though, so with spring ball well underway, we're on the lookout for some unlikely names who could end up playing major roles for the Nittany Lions in the fall. Here are five that stick out: Dominic DeLuca: The linebackers room is in transition with the move of junior Abdul Carter to defensive end. That has a ripple effect on the rest of the linebackers. Sophomore Tony Rojas is expected to cross-train at both outside spots and take on a bigger role, with redshirt junior Kobe King locking down the middle. Penn State will get to a 4-2-5 alignment under new coordinator Tom Allen, but pigeonholing the defense into one defensive formation is a waste of time. DeLuca is still at the strongside spot, which is the position that is most in flux with the change in defensive leadership. There will still be a role there for the redshirt junior, and potentially a big one, but it may not be the full-time spot that it was with Curtis Jacobs manning the position. Nevertheless, DeLuca figures to play quite a bit, and he should repeat as a team captain on special teams this year. He's a guy that young players like Rojas can lean on to get where they need to be. Riley Thompson: The 24-year-old punter went from having one year of eligibility left to getting two more (2024 and 2025) from the NCAA this offseason. In the process, he solved any questions the Nittany Lions might have had in the punting game. Last year, Thompson was one of Penn State's most improved players from opening night to the end of the season, and he's set himself up nicely to be a reli- able special teams contributor this year. He should be in the mix for All-Big Ten honors once again. On top of that, Thompson will fill some other roles with the Lions this spring and into the fall. He's the lefty holder, and that's especially important considering that two of the guys vying for the vacated placekicking job — red- shirt junior Sander Sahaydak and red- shirt freshman Ryan Barker — are left- footed. The oldest guy in the room (and on the roster), Thompson will also be the liaison for new special teams coordinator Justin Lustig. Nick Dawkins: Everyone wants to see what true freshman Cooper Cousins can do at center. We get that. But until there is evidence that Cousins can go a very far distance in a very short amount of time, Dawkins is the guy we're putting in the driver's seat. Everyone around the program has been talking up Dawkins this offseason. Most of that has to do with the redshirt senior's leadership ability and the fact that everyone loves the guy. Dawkins missed most of the 2022 season with an injury and returned last year as a reserve at both guard and cen- ter. Center Hunter Nourzad and guard Sal Wormley led the team in snaps, so Dawkins' exposure was limited. That's a roundabout way of saying we don't know what he can and cannot do just yet. He's a potential captain who will be given the opportunity to succeed. Liam Clifford: Wide receivers coach Marques Hagans has quite a job ahead of him, and that's on several levels. By the end of the 2023 season, this position group was nearly nonexistent. How does PSU fix that? A good way to start would be by developing con- sistency, and Clifford, a redshirt junior, could help. He had 13 catches for 130 yards last season, including 3 catches in the Peach Bowl. Perhaps more than anyone else in the room, we have an idea of what Clifford is and what he isn't. Penn State's receivers must crawl before they can walk. Having Clifford serve as a reliable target is a step forward that can help everybody. Zakee Wheatley: Penn State's de- fense is in transition from what Manny Diaz did to what Allen eventually will do. A big part of that change will be how Al- len deploys his three-safety looks. Senior Jaylen Reed and junior Kevin Winston Jr. are back as the starters, but redshirt junior Zakee Wheatley will play himself into a very important role. After a frustrating 2023 season in which he didn't make the leap he envi- sioned for himself, Wheatley went back to work this winter and accomplished a lot of what he needed to do. He's po- sitioned himself to be a key part of the secondary, and he'll get a chance to see the field a lot as the third guy. Perhaps most important, he can sit back as the deep safety and give Allen a chance to play with Reed and Win- ston in different roles closer to the line of scrimmage. Wheatley has quietly become one of the defense's most im- portant players, even if he's not carrying the starter label. ■ Redshirt junior safety Zakee Wheatley has won praise from the coaching staff this spring for the progress he's made since the end of the 2023 season. PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL These Five Players Should Be On Everyone's Radar 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