Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 2 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Taking detailed notes of more than 80 plays, BWI was able to draw some con- clusions from the team assignments and snap counts. (The snap counts listed be- low do not include skeleton passing drills or the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.) Here's a position-by-position look at what we saw, and what it may mean for the season ahead. Quarterback Coach James Franklin said after the spring game that the competition be- tween redshirt freshman Ethan Grunke- meyer and redshirt sophomore Jaxon Smolik for the backup job was too close to call. Grunkemeyer became Drew Al- lar's understudy during the College Football Playoff after Beau Pribula en- tered the transfer portal, while Smolik was still recovering from an injury that kept him out of action all year. "I think it's going to be a battle," Franklin said. "Grunk did some phenom- enal things last year; we're very excited about him. He's got an extremely strong arm, and Jaxon missed the whole year, so we didn't have a whole lot to compare and contrast. Then Jaxon comes back, and you're not sure how he's going to be. Is he going to be rusty? He had a great spring, so that will be a battle." It was clear from the usage pattern that Grunkemeyer was slightly ahead coming into the game. He got on the field first for the White team and later played for the Blue, receiving 28 reps overall to Smolik's 18. This duel is going to continue into pre- season camp. If Grunkemeyer had a lead in the spring, Smolik might have closed the gap with a solid performance in the scrimmage. Running Back Everyone knows who's on top here, but the backup spots behind seniors Nicho- las Singleton and Kaytron Allen are up for grabs. The staff split up redshirt freshmen Quinton Martin Jr. and Corey Smith so they could maximize their snaps in the Blue-White Game. Smith (26 snaps) saw more action than Martin (16), but Martin had a more favorable situation, running OFFENSE QUARTERBACK No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 15 Drew Allar Sr. 6-5 236 17 Ethan Grunkemeyer R-Fr. 6-2 210 14 or Jaxon Smolik R-So. 6-1 213 RUNNING BACK 10 Nicholas Singleton Sr. 6-0 220 13 Kaytron Allen Sr. 5-11 217 WIDE RECEIVER 11 Kyron Hudson R-Sr. 6-1 212 12 Anthony Ivey R-Jr. 5-11 191 WIDE RECEIVER 5 Devonte Ross Sr. 5-10 170 4 Tyseer Denmark R-Fr. 5-10 182 WIDE RECEIVER (Slot) — Trebor Pena R-Sr. 6-0 184 2 Liam Clifford R-Sr. 6-1 204 TIGHT END 16 Khalil Dinkins R-Sr. 6-4 243 85 or Luke Reynolds So. 6-4 252 LEFT TACKLE 66 Drew Shelton Sr. 6-5 308 74 J'ven Williams R-So. 6-5 315 LEFT GUARD 71 Olaivavega Ioane R-Jr. 6-4 334 63 Alex Birchmeier R-So. 6-5 307 CENTER 53 Nick Dawkins R-Sr.+ 6-4 297 52 Dominic Rulli R-Jr. 6-3 295 RIGHT GUARD 50 Cooper Cousins So. 6-6 308 54 TJ Shanahan Jr. R-So. 6-4 321 RIGHT TACKLE 72 Nolan Rucci R-Sr. 6-8 308 68 or Anthony Donkoh R-So. 6-5 334 DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 33 Dani Dennis-Sutton Sr. 6-5 265 44 Jaylen Harvey R-Fr. 6-2 246 99 or Yvan Kemajou Fr. 6-3 244 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 50 Alonzo Ford Jr. R-Sr.+ 6-2 302 54 Xavier Gilliam R-Fr. 6-2 300 34 or Owen Wafle R-Fr. 6-2 293 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 28 Zane Durant Sr. 6-1 292 39 Ty Blanding R-So. 6-1 290 DEFENSIVE END 36 Zuriah Fisher R-Sr.+ 6-3 258 18 Max Granville R-Fr. 6-3 247 45 or Enai White R-Jr. 6-5 264 WILL LINEBACKER 0 Dominic DeLuca R-Sr. 6-1 235 32 Keon Wylie R-Jr. 6-2 227 MIKE LINEBACKER 13 Tony Rojas Jr. 6-2 227 — Amare Campbell Jr. 6-0 230 40 or Anthony Speca R-Fr. 6-1 225 CORNERBACK 9 Elliot Washington II Jr. 5-11 197 5 Daryus Dixson Fr. 6-0 193 CORNERBACK 4 A.J. Harris Jr. 6-1 184 2 Audavion Collins R-Jr. 5-11 179 BOUNDARY SAFETY 10 Dejuan Lane So. 6-2 207 21 Vaboue Toure R-Fr. 6-1 209 FIELD SAFETY 6 Zakee Wheatley R-Sr. 6-2 198 27 Lamont Payne Jr. R-So. 6-0 191 NICKEL 16 King Mack Jr. 5-10 188 7 or Zion Tracy Jr. 5-11 178 SPECIAL TEAMS PUNTER No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 95 Riley Thompson Sr. 6-1 231 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-Sr. 6-6 282 PLACEKICKER (FG) 94 Ryan Barker R-So. 6-2 200 98 Matthew Parker Fr. 6-0 220 PLACEKICKER (KO) 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-Sr. 6-6 282 LONG SNAPPER 48 Tyler Duzansky R-Sr. 6-4 221 HOLDER 95 Riley Thompson Sr. 6-1 231 PUNT RETURNER 5 Devonte Ross Sr. 5-10 170 7 Zion Tracy Jr. 5-11 178 KICKOFF RETURNER 10 Nicholas Singleton Sr. 6-0 220 25 Quinton Martin Jr. R-Fr. 6-1 205 BWI'S UNOFFICIAL PENN STATE DEPTH CHART