Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 3 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ors by turning in a dominant season in 11 games as Penn State's starting left guard. With Ioane being hailed as pos- sibly the best interior lineman available in next year's NFL Draft, there was a case to be made for him as the Riming- ton-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year honoree, but that award went instead to Carter Smith of Indiana. Ioane is a road-grading blocker and one of the few Penn State players who upped his draft stock by returning for a final season in State College. He actu- ally has another year of eligibility re- maining, but with numerous draft ana- lysts projecting him to go somewhere in the first round next April, there are no indications that he plans to use it. A 6-foot-4, 323-pounder from Gra- ham, Wash., Ioane has been the Nittany Lions' best lineman this season, earning a 77.0 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, including an 89.0 pass- blocking mark, easily the team's best. But since the Big Ten began handing out its Offensive Lineman of the Year award in 1984, only five guards have won it, and two — Wisconsin's Jeff Dellenbach and Iowa's Dave Croston — were sa- luted during the first three years of the award's existence. Two Penn Staters have won it: center A.Q. Shipley in 2008 and tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu in 2023. One other Penn State player who could have made a case for an individual award was redshirt sophomore place- kicker Ryan Barker. Since the start of the season, Barker has been the Nittany Lions' most consistent player, hitting 15 of 16 field goal attempts, with his lone miss coming on a blocked 53-yard at- tempt just before halftime against Flor- ida International in September. Only one Big Ten kicker topped Bark- er's 93.8 percent success rate. That was Indiana's Nico Radicic, who was 13 of 13 heading into the Big Ten Championship Game. Radicic was also perfect on PATs, while Barker went 43 for 44. In the end, Radicic took home the Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year award, while Barker was an honorable mention all-conference selection by both the coaches and media. No Penn Stater has been named Big Ten Kicker of the Year since the award was first pre- sented in 2011. ■ Tyler Duzansky One Of Three Finalists For Mannelly Award The Mannelly Award, which goes to the nation's top long snapper, has only been handed out since 2019, but Penn State is already developing a strong association with the trophy. Four years ago, Chris Stoll won the honor, and this year his successor, Tyler Duzansky, was named a finalist. In addition to Duzansky, a redshirt senior from Wheaton, Ill., the finalists were Beau Gardner of Georgia and Spencer Triplett of North Carolina. The winner was set to be announced Dec. 13 in Lake Bluff, Ill. Duzansky has been Penn State's starting long snapper since 2023. Over the course of his career, he's worked with a couple of players who are now in the NFL. Stoll is the starting long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks, while punter Jordan Stout is with the Baltimore Ravens. "Looking back on my freshman and sophomore years, Jordan Stout was the best punter in the country, then Chris Stoll was the best long snapper in the country," Duzansky said. "You just want to keep leading that legacy. Every year, you're just trying to get better and hope that you can lead like those guys did." The award is named after Patrick Mannelly, a long snapper at Duke who played 16 years in the NFL (1998-2013) with the Chicago Bears. — Greg Pickel Penn State's All-Big Ten Selections OFFENSE RB Kaytron Allen — first team, coaches and media C Nick Dawkins — honorable mention, media TE Khalil Dinkins — honorable mention, coaches and media G Olaivavega Ioane — first team media, second team coaches OT Nolan Rucci — honorable mention, coaches OT Drew Shelton — honorable mention, coaches and media RB Nicholas Singleton — honorable mention, media DEFENSE LB Amare Campbell — third team, media; honorable mention, coaches CB Audavion Collins — honorable mention, media DE Dani Dennis-Sutton — third team, coaches and media DT Zane Durant — honorable mention, coaches and media CB A.J. Harris — honorable mention, coaches and media S King Mack — honorable mention, coaches and media S Zakee Wheatley — honorable mention, coaches and media SPECIAL TEAMS K Ryan Barker — honorable mention, coaches and media LS Tyler Duzansky — honorable mention, media P Gabriel Nwosu — third team, coaches; honorable mention, media KR Nicholas Singleton — honorable mention, coaches and media Ioane earned a first-team all-conference nod from the media following what is expected to be his final season with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS DUZANSKY