Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534903
M A Y 2 0 2 5 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Last season, Penn State running backs gained 990 yards before contact, best in the Power Four conferences. On the flip side, they broke tackles on only 20 per- cent of their attempts, which was tied for 44th. Making the unblocked defender miss is still the sticking point for this duo to overcome. Both players surpassed 1,000 yards last year and proved that they're excel- lent running backs. This year's goal is to be transcendent and reach superstar status. 2. Quarterback Penn State's 2025 outlook began trending sharply higher in December when Drew Allar announced he was re- turning for his senior season. If you don't think it's significant to have an experienced veteran at quarter- back, look at the starters for the last four national championship teams. Georgia's Stetson Bennett was a redshirt junior in 2021 and a redshirt senior the follow- ing year. Michigan's J.J. McCarthy was a junior in 2023, and Ohio State's Will Howard was a super senior last season. The losing quarterbacks in those games were all juniors or seniors, too. There's no doubt that Allar's decision to return to Penn State was fueled par- tially by a poor playoff run. His produc- tivity, poise and decision-making suf- fered when the pressure went up. The offense had to compensate for the loss of right tackle Anthony Donkoh after his season-ending injury against Minnesota in Week 13. Schematically and mentally, Penn State adjusted to accommodate right tackle Nolan Rucci in pass protec- tion. These decisions changed the of- fense in a way that was positive for Rucci but negative for Allar. We expect Allar to improve this off- season and fix his issues with consis- tency and resiliency for the coming year. That, after all, is why he returned to Penn State. 3. Offensive Line As with the two position groups listed above, the key to Penn State's outlook here is retention. Four of last year's starting linemen are back. If you count Rucci, that number jumps to five. Left tackle Drew Shelton enters his senior season, followed by redshirt junior Olaivavega Ioane at left guard. In addi- tion, super senior Nick Dawkins is back as the Lions' starting center. The right tackle position feels secure, with Rucci having improved as the sea- son went on and Donkoh expected to re- turn healthy for his redshirt sophomore campaign. Rucci was banged-up this spring, but if he and Donkoh are both good to go in the fall, the Lions will have a formidable combination. In addition to its excellent top-end talent, the line should be deep, even with veteran JB Nelson entering the portal, a move that should assure soph- omore Cooper Cousins of a starting role at right guard. The Lions could have a legitimate four-deep at offensive tackle for the first time since the NCAA sanc- tions crippled the program a decade ago. 4. Tight End Tyler Warren has left for the NFL, taking with him a multifaceted skill set. Yet, the team's second tight end, Khalil Dinkins, returns for his redshirt senior season and is a force in his own right. Dinkins spent the 2024 season doing the dirty work for PSU, digging out defensive ends in the run game and dominating of- fensive tackles. He'll have to fend off sophomore standout Luke Reynolds first. Reynolds emerged late in the season as an alterna- tive to Warren in the passing game. You have a very impressive offensive option when you combine that first-year prog- ress, getting his body up to 252 pounds during the offseason, plus the high-level acrobatic skills that made him a top-100 player in the 2024 recruiting class. Another impressive aspect of the Penn State tight ends room is its depth. PSU lost a crucial piece to the puzzle last year Senior left tackle Drew Shelton is one of five players with starting experience last fall who are returning to Penn State's offensive line in 2025. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS