Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
2 4 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 5 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / SEASON STORYLINES 1. Great Expectations The coaches and Associated Press pollsters have yet to weigh in, but when they issue their preseason rankings in August, it's a safe bet Penn State will be rated higher than it's been to open any season since it was third in the AP poll in 1999. The Nittany Lions have been a consensus top-five team in the way-too-early rankings from various corners of the college football commentariat. With the start of preseason camp just around the corner, it's no longer way too early to think seriously about how the 2025 season might play out, and also to wonder how the Nittany Lions will respond with a target on their back, especially once an eminently man- ageable nonconference slate gives way to a Big Ten schedule that starts off by pitting them against defending conference champ Oregon. The 1999 team didn't fare so well, dropping its last three regular-season games and finish- ing 11th in the AP rankings. This year, the Li- ons will be hoping for a more satisfying result. 2. Defensive Leadership The Nittany Lions lost their on- and off- field defensive leaders this past offseason. Coordinator Tom Allen headed to Clemson in January, a surprise move that led to an even more surprising response. The Lions filled the vacancy by swiping Jim Knowles away from Ohio State, where he had just won a national championship. Describing it as "a power move against the Buckeyes," Lindy's College Football ranked Knowles' arrival as the biggest coordi- nator hire of the offseason. Now that Knowles has had a chance to get comfortable in State College, one of his top priorities will be to replace the leadership Penn State lost when defensive end Abdul Carter and middle linebacker Kobe King headed to the NFL. 3. Receivers Ready? Stop us if you've heard this one before. In what has seemingly become an annual fea- ture of Penn State's offseason discourse, the wide receiver corps has caused more angst than any other position group. The Nittany Li- ons have rebuilt the unit, with a trio of senior transfers — Trebor Peña, Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson — expected to top the depth chart after arriving from Syracuse, Troy and USC, respectively. In addition, several freshmen have elicited excitement, particularly three-star Floridian Koby Howard, whose practice-film compila- tion wowed fans when it began circulating online. No matter who comes up with the catches, the Lions are going to need this unit to take a big step forward if they're going to contend for a national title. 4. Last Time Around An impressive list of future pros opted to delay their entry into the NFL to play one more year of college football. Quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, offensive tackle Drew Shelton, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Zane Durant and safety Zakee Wheatley all opted to come back for their senior seasons, brightening Penn State's outlook immeasurably. Allar, Singleton, Allen, Dennis-Sutton and Durant were all ranked by Lindy's among the top seven players in the country at their respective positions. 5. Atmospheric Pressure Beaver Stadium has been hailed as having one of the greatest game-day environments in college football. For the next two seasons, though, the stadium will be under construc- tion. The west-side grandstand and press box were torn down over the winter in the first phase of a $700 million overhaul. Penn State is filling in the holes by erecting temporary seat- ing for the 2025 and '26 seasons, and athletics director Patrick Kraft has said the stadium's ca- pacity will still surpass 100,000, but it remains to be seen how the extensive construction project will affect the atmosphere. TOUGHEST GAMES 1. At Ohio State | Nov. 1 Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State is 2-14 in road games against the Buckeyes. Its most recent win was in 2011 at the end of a dreary season in which both programs were reeling from off-field upheaval. Ohio State has lost a lot from last year's national championship team, including de- fensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who'll be in the opposing coaches booth when he returns to the Horseshoe. Still, it's hard to picture the Buckeyes falling far, if at all. They haven't lost more than two games in a season since that cursed 2011 campaign under interim coach Luke Fickell. Penn State will have a very dif- ficult time snapping its current six-game losing streak in Columbus. 2. Oregon | Sept. 27 The last time these two teams met — in the Big Ten Championship Game last Decem- ber — quarterback Dillon Gabriel connected with receiver Tez Johnson for 181 yards in Oregon's 45-37 shootout victory. They're both gone, but the Ducks have been grooming Dante Moore for the starting QB job since he transferred from UCLA last year. And while the receiver corps suffered a key loss this summer when the team's top returning pass catcher, Evan Stewart, went down with what was re- ported to be a torn patellar tendon, the Ducks have welcomed five-star freshman Dakorien Moore this offseason. PENN STATE'S TOP FIVE … PENN STATE'S TOP FIVE … Koby Howard will be looking to make an impact on Penn State's wide receiver corps as a true freshman this fall. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Senior quarterback Drew Allar will get another shot at Oregon in September after throwing for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS