Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
4 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M RETURNING STARTERS Ryan Barker | K | R-So. Barker became Penn State's starting placekicker after Sander Sahaydak struggled early in the year. The walk-on from Landenberg, Pa., ended up hitting 15 of 18 attempts, including a walk-off winner against USC in overtime. He received hon- orable mention All-Big Ten notice. Tyler Duzansky | LS | R-Sr. Duzansky appeared in all 16 games as Penn State's long snapper and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree. Gabriel Nwosu | KO/P | R-Sr. Nwosu handled Penn State's kickoffs for the second year in a row. He had 60 touchbacks on 97 attempts. Nicholas Singleton | KR | Sr. Moonlighting as Penn State's kick-return specialist, Single- ton averaged 23.6 yards on 14 attempts, including a 66-yarder against Maryland. The veteran running back received an hon- orable mention All-Big Ten nod for his work on special teams. Riley Thompson | P | Sr. In his second season with the Nittany Lions, Thompson averaged 42.8 yards on 51 attempts, with 6 punts of 50 yards or longer. Zion Tracy | PR | Jr. Tracy took over as punt returner when receiver Kaden Saun- ders was forced to vacate the role due to an injury. The defen- sive back averaged 5.8 yards on 15 attempts, with a long return of 14 yards. OTHER RETURNEES Chase Meyer | K | Sr. Meyer didn't see action in his first season with the Nittany Lions after transferring from Tulsa. Kaden Saunders | PR | R-Jr. Saunders had been expected to handle punt returns last fall, but a nagging injury held him back. He returned only 4 punts for an aver- age of 6.3 yards before sitting out the final 12 games of the season. 2025 Outlook The most noteworthy development on Penn State's special teams last year was Barker's emergence as a dependable placekicker. For the second year in a row, Sander Sahaydak won the job in preseason camp, but the redshirt junior missed 3 of 5 field goal attempts in PSU's first four games, including a pair of 40-yard tries in the Big Ten opener against Illinois. That opened the door for Barker, and he made the most of his oppor- tunity. Barker started the following week against UCLA and nailed kicks of 40 and 25 yards. He tightened his hold on the starting job when he went 4 for 4 at USC, including a 36-yarder to supply the decisive points in a 33-30 overtime victory. With three years of eligibility remaining, Barker gives Penn State long- term security at the placekicker spot, something it hasn't had in a while. There's also continuity at punter, with Thompson set to return for his third season after transferring from Florida Atlantic in 2023. His 42.8-yard average ranked fifth in the Big Ten this past year, but the Nittany Lions' big- gest play in the punting game was a fourth-quarter fake that produced a 32- yard gain by backup tight end Luke Reynolds and allowed them to run out the clock in a 26-25 win at Minnesota in November. Penn State's return game didn't generate much excitement in 2024, but that was partly because of injuries. Singleton was banged-up early in the Big Ten season, and the staff auditioned several other players in the kick- return role, with running backs Kaytron Allen and Quinton Martin Jr., as well as receiver Omari Evans, all getting a shot. In addition, four players tried returning punts before the coaches settled on Tracy as Saunders' full-time replacement. Penn State should have a very deep backfield next season, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Martin or one of the other backup running backs take over for Singleton on kickoffs. Then again, the staff wasn't afraid to use Saquon Barkley in that role in 2017, so they're not going to be afraid to con- tinue using Singleton if they figure he gives PSU the best chance to break a long one. Tracy and Saunders will likely battle in the offseason for the punt-return job. — Matt Herb Returnees Bring Stability To Penn State's Kicking Game Ryan Barker took over as Penn State's starting placekicker early in the Big Ten season and went 15 of 18 on field goal attempts and 48 of 49 on PATs. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 2025 LOOK AHEAD SPECIAL TEAMS