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 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1. Liam Clifford will claim a starting WR spot Many believe that senior transfers Devonte Ross, Kyron Hudson and Trebor Peña will be the first three receivers to take the field when Penn State opens its season Aug. 30 against Nevada. Could happen. But we believe Clifford is being overlooked. The redshirt senior has made 39 catches for 505 yards and a touchdown in his career, and while those are hardly starter-quality numbers, he has ample experi- ence and a track record of consistency. He could be on track for a big final season in State College. "I think Liam is similar to Peña," James Franklin told BWI in June. "He's just very mature, and I think people underappreciate that. I think even my own staff sometimes takes that for granted." 2. Cooper Cousins will be a starting guard Penn State will feature senior Drew Shelton at left tackle, redshirt junior Olaivavega Ioane at left guard and super senior Nick Dawkins at center, with redshirt senior Nolan Rucci and redshirt sophomore Anthony Donkoh alternating at right tackle. That leaves only the right guard position up for grabs, and Cousins is the obvious choice to fill it. The sophomore from Erie is a former five-star prospect who im- pressed as a backup last season. JB Nelson's transfer to Kansas State further established Cousins as the favorite, but there is one alternate possibility. Donkoh started out his PSU career at guard and could move back inside if that gives posi- tion coach Phil Trautwein a better chance to get his best five on the field as much as possible. Stay tuned. 3. Jaxon Smolik will emerge as Drew Allar's backup Smolik, a redshirt sophomore, is returning from an injury that cost him the entire 2024 season. Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer is set for his second year in State College after being promoted to a second-team role when Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal last December. Franklin predicted this battle will go down to the wire. A lot of people are forgetting how Smolik was viewed before the injury set his career off-course. He looked fine in the spring and is the older guy, so we'll side with him, fully realizing that this is the prediction that is most likely to be proven wrong in a few weeks. 4. Zion Tracy will win the nickel position New coordinator Jim Knowles is bringing a 4-2-5 base defense to Penn State. It won't mean five defensive backs are on the field for every snap, but that will be the case more often than not. Tracy, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior cornerback, figures to benefit from that approach. The nickel spot appears to be Tracy's job for the taking in preseason camp. He's battling redshirt junior safety Kolin Dinkins and redshirt freshman cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr., but Tracy looks to have the upper hand. He could be poised for his best season yet if everything comes together. 5. King Mack will start at safety Sophomore Dejuan Lane was available throughout spring practice, while Mack sat out most of the drills after suffering a hand injury. Those two facts could make this choice look foolish come opening day. That said, Mack is a junior who spent his first season at Penn State and his second at Alabama. He's back at his original school, and that extra year of experience at the college level might lead to a better camp performance than Lane, which would put him at the top of the depth chart coming out of preseason camp. — Greg Pickel Five Bold Predictions For Preseason Camp Liam Clifford is Penn State's top returning wide receiver with 18 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown last season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL brought in veteran running backs coach Stan Drayton to fill a surprise vacancy that arose when Ja'Juan Seider headed to Notre Dame. With Singleton and Al- len having combined for 5,789 career rushing yards and 56 touchdowns, Dray- ton should have no trouble hitting the ground running at his new school. Franklin said at media day that the mood in the Lasch Building doesn't feel any different than in previous years. If something has changed, it's the exter- nal perceptions of the program. Franklin said his players "have earned those types of conversations and that attention," but he was quick to add that hype ultimately doesn't matter. "No one cares about preseason rank- ings," he said. "I'm not going to frame the preseason rankings and put them in my basement in the man cave. No one cares. "We want to spend our time working on the things that are going to allow us to do what we want to do this year, starting with [the season opener versus] Nevada and creating the habits and behaviors that will get us there. We're not spend- ing a ton of time talking about goals and those types of things. There's a place for it, but we're focused on what we need to do to have the type of season we want to have." ■