Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538407
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 17 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1 s t A.J. Harris' spot on Trevor Sik- kema's list of the most draft- worthy cornerbacks in college football this year. The Pro Football Focus analyst has Harris listed ahead of Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, Clemson's Avieon Ter- rell, South Carolina's Jalon Kilgore and North Carolina's Thaddeus Dixon. A true junior, Harris will be draft- eligible following the 2025 season. Penn State has never had a defensive back se- lected in the first round of the NFL Draft. 2 n d Beaver Stadium's place among the best venues in college football, as ranked by USA Today writers Paul Myerberg and Blake Topp- meyer. "Few sights are more intimidating to visitors than Penn State's annual 'White Out' games, when fans dress up in white tops to provide visitors with an unset- tling, eye-popping backdrop," Myerberg and Toppmeyer wrote. "Combined with the deafening roar provided by 100,000- plus fans, this makes Beaver Stadium one of the elite settings in the FBS." The writers listed LSU's Tiger Sta- dium as the nation's best college football venue. Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) was third, followed by Autzen Stadium (Or- egon) and Memorial Stadium (Clemson). 3 Number of Penn State women's vol- leyball players selected to the pre- season All-Big Ten squad. Sophomore setter Izzy Starck, senior libero Gillian Grimes and junior right-side hitter Ken- nedy Martin all earned all-conference laurels in July. A unanimous All-Big Ten choice, Martin transferred to PSU in May after earning All-America honors the past two seasons at Florida. In a poll of league coaches, the defend- ing national champion Nittany Lions were picked to finish second behind Nebraska in the team standings. The Li- ons and Cornhuskers shared the Big Ten title last year, and Penn State went on to defeat Nebraska, 3-2, in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. 6 Nittany Lion football players on PFF's preseason All-Big Ten team. Senior quarterback Drew Allar, senior running back Nicholas Singleton, red- shirt junior guard Olaivavega Ioane, se- nior defensive tackle Zane Durant, senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and junior cornerback A.J. Harris all made the list. The Lions' six honorees were the most of any team. 3 1 Number of Penn State student- athletes who earned a 4.0 grade point average during the 2024-25 aca- demic year. That total fell just short of the school record of 32 perfect GPAs, set the year before. 1 7 3 Points amassed by left winger Gavin McKenna in 76 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League last sea- son. McKenna ended the season with a league-record 54-game point-scoring streak and was named WHL Player of the Year. Expected to be the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, McKenna became the highest-rated player ever to join the Penn State men's ice hockey team when he signed with the Nittany Lions in July. $ 1 6 4 .9 m i l l i o n Total amount of the gifts received by the Nittany Lion Club during the 2024-25 academic year. The fundraising haul was a record for the club, which uses the rev- enue to support student-athletes, boost scholarship aid and develop facilities projects. The NLC received gifts from 19,863 donors, including 100 donations of $100,000 or more and 13 gifts topping $1 million. Much of the club's support came from former PSU student-athletes. Nearly a quarter of the university's athletic alumni — 22.8 percent — gave back to their alma mater. ■ By The Numbers 15 percent DREW ALLAR'S odds of being the No. 1 overall pick in next year's NFL Draft, as cal- culated by ESPN analyst Jordan Reid. Describing the third-year starter as a "toolsy passer who took a major leap in 2024 under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotel- nicki," Reid awarded Allar the same odds as fellow quarterbacks LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU). The only other play- ers with 10 percent or better odds on Reid's list were Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (12 percent) and Clemson edge rusher T.J. Parker (10 percent). PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS