Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T here are cornerstone players who must perform well if a team is go- ing to have a chance to win. For the Penn State offense, we're well-aware of who those players are heading into the 2024 season: junior quarterback Drew Allar, junior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, senior tight end Tyler Warren, etc. There are also a number of players who have less-prominent roles but who are going to be of vital importance to the team's success. These are the ones who can solve sticky depth chart issues if they play above expectations. Listed below are three such players, along with a wild card choice: Nick Dawkins: It looks as though Dawkins, a 6-foot-4, 306-pound red- shirt senior, is on his way to taking over for recent Kansas City Chiefs draftee Hunter Nourzad as the Nittany Lions' starting center. Nothing is set in stone, but his play this spring indicates that he's next in line in the middle. Of course, there's a difference between playing and playing well. Dawkins needs to perform well enough that the Lions can move other players around to gain experience and create depth at all three interior positions. Specifically, Dawkins locking down the starting center role would allow true freshman Cooper Cousins more time to learn and develop as a role player. It would permit Cousins to pick up other positions, specifically right guard, where he would back up super senior Sal Wormley. Having a swing player on the interior would help take snaps off Dawkins and Wormley in nonconfer- ence games. Khalil Dinkins: Penn State's H-back position is an open competition. If Din- kins, a 6-4, 246-pound redshirt junior, wins the job, it will create flexibility at tight end, allowing redshirt freshman Andrew Rappleyea to serve as backup at both the H-back and Y spots. If Rappleyea wins the H-back job, he most likely would still be the backup to senior Tyler Warren at the Y position. That would be a lot on the plate of a young player. Rappleyea will play both spots even if Dinkins wins the H-back job, but he would be the backup in that scenario and could be used more selec- tively. Essentially, this combination — War- ren at Y, Dinkins at H-back and Rapple- yea backing up both — is the best way to get all three players on the field and producing for the offense. Kaden Saunders: Although Malik McClain caught only 6 passes for 71 yards in his lone season at Penn State after transferring from Florida State, the Lions lost some depth when the se- nior wideout entered the transfer portal following spring practice. The biggest domino effect is that there isn't an obvious backup behind junior Omari Evans outside anymore. One way to solve this problem would be to use redshirt junior Liam Clifford at both X and in the slot, but to do that, Clifford needs to be free to move around the formation. It will be easier to create that flex- ibility if Saunders becomes a strong option in the slot and improves his con- sistency. The 5-10, 176-pound redshirt sophomore is a good route runner, can change direction, and has good speed. While he's not a difference-maker in any category, he has enough juice to be a key player. Saunders could play Z but likely isn't strong enough to beat press coverage on the outside. At 6-1, 203 pounds, Clif- ford has more size to get through con- tact. He's not overly physical, but he's the best candidate among Penn State's two-deep players to rotate behind Evans outside. Saunders could help make that happen by showing he can be produc- tive in the slot. Wild Card: The most common ques- tions that Penn State fans have asked this spring involve the passing game. Why doesn't PSU try using freshman running back Quinton Martin Jr. at wide receiver this year? Why can't freshman tight end Luke Reynolds play receiver? Why can't Penn State play Singleton or Allen in the slot? The first two ideas aren't viable, but the third one is a real option. Offen- sive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is an outside-the-box thinker who will put players in unique situations to make plays. It's realistic to think that we will see Singleton and Allen line up in the slot as well as the backfield. Penn State needs to overcome its depth crunch at receiver. If Saunders, Clifford and their fellow wideouts aren't able to provide the necessary produc- tivity, the Nittany Lions will have to at least consider other options. While running back targets are gener- ally less productive than wide receiver targets, Kotelnicki has already shown he's willing to scheme up plays to get his runners to an aggressive depth on verti- cal concepts out of the backfield. ■ O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR T F R A N K .CA R R @ O N 3 .C O M Redshirt senior Nick Dawkins has been a leader for the Nittany Lions in the offseason and is the favorite to start at center this fall. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS These PSU Players Could Create A Ripple Effect UPON FURTHER REVIEW