Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 7 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / S P E C I A L T E A M S / / / / / / / PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Justin Lustig: After Oregon native Stacy Col- lins headed to Boise State in January following two seasons on the East Coast, the Nittany Lions found a replacement with strong Pennsyl- vania ties. Lustig is an Erie native and a Bucknell graduate who made coaching stops at Villanova and Edinboro while he was working his way up the career ladder. Lustig reached the Power Five level in 2017 when Syracuse hired him to oversee its special teams units and running backs. He spent four seasons with the Orange, helping them lead the ACC in punting in 2017, '18 and '19. Dur- ing his tenure, Syracuse averaged 43.7 yards per punt. Lustig moved on to Vanderbilt in 2021 and had the same effect on the Commodores' punt- ing units. In Lustig's second season in Nashville, Matthew Hayball averaged 45.4 yards per punt, ranking second in the SEC and 13th nationally. Last year, Hayball averaged 47.6 yards and won first-team All-SEC honors. In addition, long snapper Wesley Schelling was a second-team all-conference choice. It was the first time in program history that two Vanderbilt special- ists received All-SEC recognition in the same season. KEY RETURNEES RYAN BARKER PK | R-Fr. | 6-2 | 195 • Joined the Lions as a walk-on last year out of Kennett (Pa.) High. • Kicked 6 field goals as a senior, including a school-record 45-yarder, to finish with 51 points. • Averaged 41.4 yards per punt and earned touchbacks on 45 of 51 kickoffs during the 2022 season. TYLER DUZANSKY LS | R-Jr. | 6-4 | 217 • Served as Penn State's long snapper in all 13 games and finished the season with 6 tack- les, including 5 solo stops. • Appeared in seven games in 2022 as the backup to Chris Stoll. • MITCHELL GROH P | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 191 • Has not yet appeared in a game at Penn State but earned Academic All-Big Ten hon- ors the past two years. • Was a two-time MaxPreps Class 6A All-State punter at Dallastown (Pa.) Area High. GABRIEL NWOSU KO/P | R-Jr. | 6-6 | 280 • Kicked off 76 times in 13 games last fall, aver- aging 63.7 yards per attempt and earning 50 touchbacks. • Appeared in eight games in 2022, averaging 63.2 yards on 18 kickoffs with 7 touchbacks, and compiling a 34-yard average on 2 punts. SANDER SAHAYDAK PK | R-Jr. | 6-0 | 188 • Won the starting job in preseason camp last year but was replaced by Alex Felkins after missing 2 field goals in the opener. • Appeared in seven games as a redshirt fresh- man in 2022, averaging 62.3 yards on 15 kickoffs with 4 touchbacks, and making 1 of 2 field goal attempts. RILEY THOMPSON P | Jr. | 6-1 | 221 • Averaged 45.8 yards on 50 attempts in his first season at Penn State, winning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. • Had 15 punts of 50 or more yards, and 17 of his punts pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line. • Playing for Florida Atlantic in 2022, ranked second in Conference USA and 12th nation- ally with a 45.4-yard punting average. NEWCOMER CHASE MEYER PK | Jr. | 5-10 | 183 • Hit 17 of 20 field goal attempts at Tulsa last season and 30 of 31 extra points. • Kicked 3 field goals, including a 37-yard game-winner with one second remaining in a 29-27 victory over East Carolina. • Attended Penn as a true freshman and saw action primarily as a kickoff specialist. Gabriel Nwosu earned touchbacks on 50 of his 76 kickoffs as a redshirt sophomore last season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL