Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
1 2 A U G U S T 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 P enn State is one of five schools with three players on the Walter Camp preseason All-America teams that were announced July 1. Senior running back Nicholas Singleton is on the first-team squad along with senior defensive tackle Zane Durant, while redshirt junior guard Olaivavega Ioane is a second-team selec- tion. Alabama, Clemson, Indiana and Texas were the other teams with three players on the prestigious list. The Tigers, Crim- son Tide and Nittany Lions all had mul- tiple first-team selections, as did Ohio State and Notre Dame. Singleton returns to help lead a back- field that includes classmate Kaytron Allen. The duo has already combined to rush for 5,789 yards and 56 touchdowns at Penn State. Both decided to come back for a final season in 2025, motivated in large part by the opportunity to pursue a national title. "We always talk about it in this build- ing, just 1-0 every week," Singleton told On3's Pete Nakos. "The ultimate goal is to win a national championship. But in order to do that, you just have to worry about taking it one game at a time each week." On the opposite side of the ball, Durant is arguably one of the more underrated defensive linemen in college football. He doesn't fill the stat sheet every week, but his tape rarely fails to impress, giving him a chance to be either a Day 1 or early Day 2 draft pick next April. Set to lead a young stable of defensive tackles this fall, Durant is starting to gar- ner national attention this offseason. Lin- dy's listed him as a first-team preseason All-American in its season preview maga- zine. Ioane is likewise starting to catch the attention of the national media. He was listed as a first-team All-American by Athlon and received second-team laurels from Lindy's. "In my mind, he's one of the top guards in the country," Penn State of- fensive line coach Phil Trautwein said earlier this year. KING MACK RANKED AMONG FASTEST PLAYERS Junior safety King Mack is something of an unknown heading into the 2025 sea- son. He played only 70 defensive snaps as a true freshman at Penn State, then transferred to Alabama last year, where he played 106 snaps and subsequently re-entered the portal, soon resurfacing at his original school. Shortly after his re- turn to PSU, Mack suffered a hand injury that caused him to miss much of spring practice. Something that is known, however, is that when Mack suits up for the Nit- tany Lions this fall, most likely as a nickel safety, he'll be one of the fastest players on the field. The Florida native's speed has been a significant part of his game since his high school days. Alabama defensive coordi- nator Kane Wommack raved about it last August. "He's a very fast individual, very physi- cal. He's got some really good instincts," Wommack told BamaOnLine. Added Crimson Tide safeties coach Colin Hitschler, "I think he's a really tal- ented kid. Obviously, speed is something everyone knows about. He's got a good feel in zone coverages. He'll hit you, he's a good man cover guy. He's a good player." Mack's speed caught the attention of EA Sports, maker of the College Foot- ball '26 video game. King is among the 10 fastest players in this year's game, check- ing in at No. 6 with a 98 speed rating. South Carolina receiver Nyck Harbor leads the list. Harbor was a two-sport phenom in high school and ran one track season for the Gamecocks in 2024, during which he posted times of 20.20 seconds in the 200-meter race and 10.11 seconds in the 100 during the outdoor season. Second among the video game's fast- est players is LSU receiver Barion Brown, followed by UCLA cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, Arkansas receiver Jordan An- thony and Texas A&M cornerback Julian Humphrey. Except for Mack, all the play- ers listed in the top 10 are either wide re- ceivers or cornerbacks. — Greg Pickel PSU FINISHES 16TH IN DIRECTORS' CUP Led by the NCAA champion wrestling and women's volleyball teams, Penn State finished 16th in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings for Division I. The Nittany Lions tallied 893 points and ranked fifth among Big Ten schools behind USC (1,253.75, second overall), UCLA (1,149, fifth), Ohio State (1,032.25, eighth) and Michigan (928.5, 13th). The Lions got 100 points apiece from their two national championship-winning teams and also benefitted from strong seasons by the football, men's ice hockey and men's lacrosse teams, all of which made their respective final fours. Texas won the all-sports competition with 1,255.25 points. — Matt Herb Three From Penn State Named Walter Camp All-Americans G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 .C O M Defensive tackle Zane Durant chose to come back to Penn State for his senior season after ranking third on the team last year with 11 tackles for loss. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL