Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 4 N O V 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 conference, Franklin admitted that he and his staff would have to reevaluate their depth chart. Sahaydak "has been awesome for us," the coach said. "We just won that game, and he should be celebrating this thing like everybody else. But ultimately, we'll have a com- petition, and all these things will factor in decisions that we're going to have to make moving forward." Ready For His Chance Given Franklin's comments, it was no surprise that Barker was the starter when Penn State welcomed UCLA to Beaver Stadium the following week. The sec- ond-year kicker was unfazed by his pro- motion, noting that for the entirety of his college career, he had been getting him- self mentally ready for such a moment. "I wouldn't say it was too hard [to persevere]," he said. "Coach Lustig al- ways talks about preparing like you're the starter no matter where you are on the depth chart. I didn't take that lightly. I prepared every week like I was the starter. And when my time came, I knew I had to make the most of it." Having done so, Barker's place within the program is starting to come into focus. After his performance at USC, Franklin dubbed him Ryan "Cold As Ice." Barker. The Big Ten dubbed him its Freshman of the Week. Franklin said Barker's story is one from which the entire team can learn. It repre- sents "what the game of football teaches," he said, an example of how far commit- ment and resiliency can carry a player. "He earned the starting job, then lost the starting job, then he comes here and he's 4-for-4 on the road [with a] game- winning field goal in overtime," Franklin said. "I'm really proud of him." It's a hopeful feeling that Barker shares. Goals that might have seemed out of reach as recently as a month ago have already been accomplished. And, with the opportunity for more, Barker is determined to capitalize on his op- portunity. "It's truly a dream come true," he said. "Ever since I stepped foot here, all I've ever wanted to do is hit a game- winning field goal." ■ OFFENSE QUARTERBACK No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 15 Drew Allar Jr. 6-5 235 9 Beau Pribula R-So. 6-2 206 RUNNING BACK 10 Nicholas Singleton Jr. 6-0 226 13 Kaytron Allen Jr. 5-11 220 WIDE RECEIVER 3 Julian Fleming Sr. 6-2 208 5 Omari Evans Jr. 6-0 188 WIDE RECEIVER 6 Harrison Wallace III R-Jr. 6-1 198 11 Tyler Johnson R-So. 6-0 188 WIDE RECEIVER (Slot) 2 Liam Clifford R-Jr. 6-1 208 12 Anthony Ivey R-So. 5-11 187 TIGHT END (Y) 44 Tyler Warren Sr. 6-6 261 85 Luke Reynolds Fr. 6-4 248 H-BACK 16 Khalil Dinkins R-Jr. 6-4 252 85 Luke Reynolds Fr. 6-4 248 LEFT TACKLE 66 Drew Shelton Jr. 6-5 307 74 J'ven Williams R-Fr. 6-5 310 LEFT GUARD 71 Olaivavega Ioane R-So. 6-4 348 56 JB Nelson R-Sr. 6-5 326 CENTER 53 Nick Dawkins R-Sr. 6-4 298 52 Dominic Rulli R-So. 6-3 295 RIGHT GUARD 77 Sal Wormley R-Sr.+ 6-3 327 50 Cooper Cousins Fr. 6-6 316 RIGHT TACKLE 68 Anthony Donkoh R-Fr. 6-5 330 72 or Nolan Rucci R-Jr. 6-8 308 DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 33 Dani Dennis-Sutton Jr. 6-5 266 92 Smith Vilbert R-Sr.+ 6-6 282 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 28 Zane Durant Jr. 6-1 288 50 Alonzo Ford Jr. R-Sr. 6-2 319 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 91 Dvon J-Thomas R-Sr.+ 6-1 305 99 Coziah Izzard Sr. 6-3 305 DEFENSIVE END 11 Abdul Carter Jr. 6-3 252 15 Amin Vanover Sr. 6-4 258 WILL LINEBACKER 13 Tony Rojas So. 6-2 236 0 Dominic DeLuca R-Jr. 6-1 230 MIKE LINEBACKER 41 Kobe King R-Jr. 6-1 248 43 Tyler Elsdon Sr. 6-2 230 SAM LINEBACKER 0 Dominic DeLuca R-Jr. 6-1 230 8 DaKaari Nelson R-Fr. 6-3 222 CORNERBACK 3 Jalen Kimber R-Sr. 6-0 184 5 Cam Miller Jr. 6-0 184 CORNERBACK 4 A.J. Harris So. 6-1 193 16 Elliot Washington II So. 5-11 194 SAFETY (Lion) 5 Cam Miller Jr. 6-0 184 7 Zion Tracy Sr. 5-11 181 SAFETY 6 Zakee Wheatley R-Jr. 6-2 200 27 Lamont Payne Jr. R-Fr. 6-0 192 SAFETY 1 Jalen Reed Sr. 6-0 212 10 Dejuan Lane Fr. 6-2 211 SPECIAL TEAMS PUNTER No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 95 Riley Thompson Jr. 6-1 224 96 Mitchell Groh R-Jr. 6-1 195 PLACEKICKER (FG) 94 Ryan Barker R-Fr. 6-2 192 91 Chase Meyer Jr. 5-10 181 93 or Sander Sahaydak R-Jr. 6-0 185 PLACEKICKER (KO) 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-Jr. 6-6 285 LONG SNAPPER 48 Tyler Duzansky R-Jr. 6-4 216 35 Blaise Sokach-Minnick R-So. 6-3 220 PUNT RETURNER 7 Zion Tracy So. 5-11 181 KICKOFF RETURNER 10 Nicholas Singleton Jr. 6-0 226 25 Quinton Martin Jr. Fr. 6-1 205 BWI'S UNOFFICIAL PENN STATE DEPTH CHART