Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
2 0 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 4 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / S E A S O N S T O R Y L I N E S 1. ANTOINE BELGRAVE-SHORTER | CB A three-star prospect from Jacksonville, Fla., Belgrave-Shorter might seem an unlikely choice to head up this list. But the buzz from inside the Lasch Building has been strong, and this is a position group with no established starters returning, meaning that the 6-foot, 194-pound January enrollee will have a chance to work his way into the rotation. 2. COOPER COUSINS | IOL There was speculation prior to spring practice that Cousins, a January arrival, could give fifth-year senior Nick Dawkins a run for the starting center spot. That talk has cooled in recent months, but the 6-6, 315-pound Cousins is likely to forgo a redshirt and could see action at center and/or guard this fall. 3. QUINTON MARTIN JR. | RB Another January enrollee, Martin had 6 carries for 34 yards and 2 touch- downs in the Blue-White Game. The 6-1, 202-pounder has a chance to earn carries playing behind juniors Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. And it doesn't hurt that he was an excellent receiver at Belle Vernon (Pa.) High. 4. TYSEER DENMARK | WR Denmark only arrived in June, so he's got some catching up to do. Still, his MVP performance in the Big 33 Classic was an encouraging sign, and it's no secret that the Lions have needs at this position group. If he's ready to com- pete at the Power Four level, Denmark could end up being the most impact- ful freshman in the 2024 class. 5. KARI JACKSON | LB Jackson has reportedly impressed the coaching staff with his maturity and businesslike demeanor since arriving in January. He's been recovering from a shoulder injury, but if healthy, the three-star prospect from West Bloomfield, Mich., could see reps at the Will linebacker spot. T R U E F R E S H M A N I M P A C T 1. A BIGGER BIG TEN The Big Ten's commitment to numerical accuracy ended more than three decades ago when it admitted Penn State as its 11th school. The conference has undergone three more growth spurts in the years since, with this year's addition of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA bringing its membership to 18 teams. The Nittany Lions have gone 12-11 all-time against their new conference foes, a winning percentage of .522. That's a quite a bit worse than their .689 winning percentage in 31 seasons of Big Ten membership. But the last time PSU faced any of those West Coast teams in a regular-season game was in 2000, a 29-5 loss to the Trojans at East Rutherford, N.J. So, the predictive power of previous games is limited, to say the least. 2. A BANKER'S DOZEN College Football Playoff organizers had 7.8 billion rea- sons for wanting to expand the tournament field to 12 teams this year. That's how much ESPN will pay for the broadcast rights over a six-year period beginning in 2026 when the current deal ends. The media-rights windfall helps explain why the playoff is growing, and the Lions could be among the biggest on-field beneficiaries of expansion. They finished in the top 12 of the final CFP poll six of the past eight seasons, including a No. 10 rank- ing last season. 3. RECEIVERS READY? In this space a year ago, we wrote that in ad- dition to big seasons from their veteran wideouts, the Nittany Lions needed "players such as redshirt sophomore Harrison Wal- lace III, redshirt freshman Kaden Saunders and sophomore Omari Evans to take major steps forward." Those three players are now a year older, but that assessment still stands. If Penn State is going to improve on last year's passing attack, which ranked 77th in the FBS, it will need more catches from Wallace, Saunders and Evans. All three are potential start- ers, and they'll be looking to substantially improve on last year's combined statistical portfolio, which amounted to 29 catches for 378 yards and 3 touch- downs. 4. BEGINNING OF THE END After two seasons at outside linebacker, junior Abdul Carter is set to move up front to defensive end, where the Lions must replace NFL draftees Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac. Even from the second level, Carter had a knack for making plays in the backfield; he had 16 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in his first two seasons. Now, the 6-foot-3, 259-pounder is being put in position to create even more havoc on the opponents' side of the line of scrim- mage. There's certain to be a learning curve, but the Li- ons know how to develop edge rushers. A year ago, they led the FBS with 49 sacks. 5. NEW LEADERSHIP Given the sheer volume of coaching turnover through- out college football, it's not unusual to see a Power Four program replace two coordinators in the same year. Penn State did it in 2016, when Joe Moorhead took over the of- fense and Brent Pry was promoted to lead the defense. The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship that season, so it worked out pretty well. Until this year, however, the Lions had never welcomed three new coordinators in the same year — at least not dur- ing James Franklin's tenure as head coach. Andy Kotelnicki (offense) and Tom Allen (defense) arrived in December, and Justin Lustig (special teams) joined them in January. Those changes will lend even more uncertainty to a season that is sure to look different than any in Penn State football history. Receiver Omari Evans had 4 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown last season. Now a junior, he will be looked upon to deliver big plays in the passing game this fall. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL