Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1525333
1 4 S E P T E M B E R 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 is again well-represented on The Athletic's annual "Freaks List." Four Nittany Lions made the ranking of college football's most physically talented players, which was compiled by writer and FOX broad- caster Bruce Feldman. Unlike previous years of the James Franklin era, the Nittany Lions did not have anyone inside of Feldman's top 10. However, All-Big Ten defender Abdul Carter, who will play both defensive end and linebacker this fall, checked in at No. 12 on the 100-player list. "As he has moved from linebacker to the defensive line, the 6-3 Carter is up four pounds to 254," Feldman writes. "He matched his numbers from last offsea- son, clocking a 4.48 40, a 4.35 shuttle and broad-jumping 10-7 when he was No. 43 on our list in 2023. … He'll be an even big- ger problem for rival quarterbacks now that he's coming off the edge. Carter's max velocity is 22.4 mph. He vertical jumped 33.5 inches, power cleaned 350 pounds, bench pressed 375 and squatted 600." Carter may be even more formidable than Feldman noted. According to the roster that Penn State released prior to the start of preseason camp, the third- year starter is up to 259 pounds. Checking in six spots behind Carter on the list is one of his fellow Penn State de- fensive linemen, junior tackle Zane Du- rant at No. 18. "Durant was No. 38 on the list last year; he has added six pounds (up to 290) but hasn't lost any speed, running another 4.66 40 this offseason," Feldman writes. "His 660-pound squat set a Penn State record for defensive linemen. He also bench pressed 425." Durant was an 11-game starter last year for a Penn State defense that allowed only 75.5 rushing yards per game, fewest in the FBS. The third Nittany Lion on Feldman's list is running back Nicholas Singleton. The Penn State junior checks in at No. 29 after a 2023 season in which he rushed for 752 yards while catching 26 passes for 308 yards. "Expect Singleton and the Penn State offense to become more potent with for- mer Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki taking over," Feldman notes. "This offseason, the 228-pound Single- ton hit 23.6 mph on the GPS and trimmed his 40 time from 4.39 to 4.35. His shuttle time stayed at 4.18. His broad jump im- proved to 10-1. His power clean went up to 390. His 655-pound squat bumped Penn State great Saquon Barkley off of the top spot as the program's record holder for running backs." Penn State's final entry on The Ath- letic's list is redshirt sophomore Gabriel Nwosu at No. 91. Nwosu is listed on the Lions' roster as a punter, but his primary role is as the team's kickoff specialist. Last fall, he had 50 touchbacks on 76 kickoffs. "He is definitely not your average kicker or punter," Feldman writes. "The [redshirt junior] from Maryland is 6-6 and 280 pounds. He benched 365 pounds, squat- ted 525 and cleaned 330." In addition to the four current Penn State players, one former Lion also made the cut. Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, who is now at Georgia Tech, checks in at No. 46. This year's list is headed for the sec- ond year in a row by South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor, a 6-5, 235-pound sophomore who doubles as an All-Amer- ica sprinter on the Gamecocks' track team. — Greg Pickel Abdul Carter Headlines PSU's Four-Man 'Freaks List' Contingent TV Complicates White Out Scheduling Penn State fans have grown frustrated that TV considerations have led to the team's best home game typically starting at noon on FOX the past few years. The early-afternoon kickoffs preclude those games from being White Outs because PSU would prefer to play its annual showcase game at night. For eight consecutive years, from 2012 to 2019, the Nittany Lions faced either Michigan or Ohio State in a prime-time White Out. That trend ended after the 2020 COVID season. PSU's past three White Out clashes have been against Auburn (2021), Minnesota (2022) and Iowa (2023). This year's White Out game will be Washington's first-ever visit to Beaver Stadium on Nov. 9. No kickoff time has been listed yet, but there's been speculation that it will start at 3:30 p.m., meaning that most of the game would be played after sunset. No kickoff time has been listed for the Ohio State game, either, but Penn State's Nov. 2 clash with the Buckeyes is expected to start at noon. Penn State athletics director Patrick Kraft said he had been hopeful that this year's White Out would be against Ohio State, but the desire for a night game made Washington the better choice. "The night piece is critical, just from my two years here," he said. Kraft noted that there's been some frustration at Penn State over the scheduling of White Out games, but he added that "the FOX window at noon is huge. That is a big window, for the network, for the conference." — Greg Pickel After ranking 43rd on writer Bruce Feldman's list in 2023, defensive end Abdul Carter is up to 12th this year. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL