Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Pinstripe Bowl Preview Senior defensive tackle Zane Durant became the first Nittany Lion to opt out of the postseason when he announced on Dec. 8 that he was skipping the Pinstripe Bowl to prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Durant was later joined by senior running back Nicholas Singleton and redshirt senior safety Zakee Wheatley. More players were ex- pected to opt out in the days that followed. On a Dec. 9 conference call with reporters, Terry Smith acknowl- edged that Durant would be moving on. At the time, Singleton and Wheatley had not yet revealed their decisions. "We're just looking forward to putting our best team forward and trying to get ready for this Clemson team that creates all kind of chal- lenges for us," Smith said. Smith's counterpart at Clemson, Dabo Swinney, suggested that any similar news from his program wouldn't come until closer to the game. Swinney was responding to a question about junior cornerback Avieon Terrell, who declared for the draft on Dec. 8 but did not say whether he intended to play in the Pinstripe Bowl. "We'll have our team meeting, and that will be our first practice, and we'll see where everybody is," Swinney said. "I'm sure we've got a couple of injury situations as well that we've got to deal with, but we'll get it all ready to go and head up to New York on the 22nd and get ready to play." Durant will be a considerable loss for the Penn State defense, which must find a way to slow down a Clemson team that averaged 405.3 yards per game to rank seventh in the ACC. The 6-foot-1, 287-pound senior totaled 25 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 4 sacks, in his final season. He also had an interception that he returned 14 yards in PSU's opener against Nevada. A three-year starter, Durant finishes his career with 89 total tackles, including 22 for loss and 10 sacks. "Zane has meant a lot to what we've done defensively here at Penn State," Smith said. "He anchored our defensive line. He's played tre- mendous football for us. We've gotten great value from Zane." On Dec. 9, Durant accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, which will take place Jan. 31 in Mobile, Ala. Singleton concludes his time in blue and white with 622 carries for 3,461 yards and 45 rushing scores. He also had 102 receptions for 987 yards and 9 touchdowns, plus one kick-return score. Wheatley has started 28 games at safety for the Nittany Lions the past two seasons. He finishes his career with 223 tackles, including 5 for loss and 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 6 pass breakups and 6 interceptions. Campbell Won't Have Role In Bowl Prep Penn State returned to the practice field on Dec. 8, the same day that it introduced Matt Campbell as the team's new head coach. The Nittany Lions are still under the direction of interim head coach Terry Smith and the remaining staff. That group will see the team through its matchup against Clemson on Dec. 27, after which it will officially become Campbell's program. Neither Campbell nor any of the people he's bringing to State Col- lege are expected to have any coaching role in the bowl game. At his introductory news conference, Campbell said he will be heavily focused on player and staff evaluations, with an eye toward building the 2026 team. The former Iowa State coach will be trying to stay out of Smith's way during the team's game prep. "The first thing that I can do is not be a hindrance to this great team," Campbell said. "To watch these guys climb back [to bowl eligibility], it's been super impressive. My respect for Terry and the seniors on this football team, [attempting to] win four in a row, that's huge. "I think we'll figure out, Terry and I, where is the best place for me to be so that I'm not a hindrance to this team. It allows me to be able to start to build for the '26 team and yet still be around and really start to develop that relationship with our players." It's unclear how many of the program's on- and off-field staff mem- bers will be on hand in Yankee Stadium. As of Dec. 11, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, tight ends coach Ty Howle, quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien and running backs coach Stan Drayton were all confirmed to be moving on from Penn State. Howle and O'Brien are joining James Franklin's staff at Virginia Tech. Amid all the upheaval, Campbell emphasized his desire to play more of an observational role for now. "I'm going to have to walk a really fine line, because that's going to be a unique challenge," he said. "I don't know if I have the perfect an- swer, because I think I'm going to have to work through it day by day." — Greg Pickel Postseason Notebook Three Players Set To Skip Penn State's Bowl Game Durant had 4.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks and an interception in his final season with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT