Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 111 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M a special teams role, he transferred again, this time to Western Michigan. McGraw fin- ished his career there, playing in 27 games with one start. In 2024, he made 22 tackles, with 2.5 for loss and a sack. In 2025, he had a career-high 42 tackles, with 8.5 for loss and 7 sacks, to help the Broncos win the Mid-American Conference title. He signed a free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins following the 2025 NFL Draft and is still with the team. JAYLEN REED S 29 Reed was a two-year starter and a big part of the 2024 defense that helped Penn State reach the CFP semifinals. After making 6 stops in eight games as a true freshman, he played in all 13 contests during the 2022 season, finishing with 31 tackles and 3 pass breakups. Reed became a full-time starter the following year and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten notice after making 46 tackles and adding 2 interceptions. Saving his best season for last, Reed was one of the Lions' top defenders in 2024, finishing with 98 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, and making 3 interceptions. The Houston Texans took him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he is still with the AFC South franchise. SANDER SAHAYDAK K 0 Sahaydak was twice usurped as the Lions' starting place-kicker. After earning the first-team job in 2023, he gave way to Alex Felkins early in the year. In 2024, the job was his until a recurrence of those early- season struggles prompted the staff to give Ryan Barker a try. Sahaydak left PSU before the 2025 season, ending his college football career in the process. He finished 2 of 7 on field goal tries as a Nittany Lion. LANDON TENGWALL OL 5 Tengwall's career was cut short by issues related to concussions. After redshirting in 2021 while still seeing time in three games, the Maryland native started the first five games of the 2022 season before missing the rest due to an injury. He retired from college football in 2023 and has since moved into media as a podcaster and video blogger with an emphasis on film breakdowns. DAVON TOWNLEY DL 0 After redshirting in 2021, Townley played in seven games during the '22 season, fin- ishing with 3 tackles. In 2023, he recorded 1 stop in three games. Townley then hit the transfer portal and landed at Missouri State. He made 13 tackles in 12 games during the 2024 campaign and went on to start 11 games the next year, amassing 23 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and 2 sacks, and an interception. CHRISTIAN VEILLEUX QB 0 Veilleux spent his first two college seasons at Penn State and is best remembered for his performance in a 28-0 win over Rutgers in 2021. Taking charge of the offense after Sean Clifford fell ill early in the game, he completed 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns. Veilleux then transferred to Pitt, where he started five games in 2023, completing 94 of 184 passes for 1,179 yards and 7 touchdowns. A year later, he was at Georgia State, where he threw for 2,047 yards and 13 touchdowns. He did not re- tain the starting job last fall, playing in only three games. HARRISON WALLACE III WR 21 Known as an extremely athletic receiver, Wallace redshirted in 2021 before catching 19 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown in '22. He went on to start six games in 2023, finishing with 19 receptions for 228 yards and a score. In 2024, Wallace caught 46 passes for 720 yards and 4 touchdowns but did not become the WR1 many had hoped he would be. He transferred to Ole Miss ahead of the 2025 campaign and enjoyed his best season, making 61 receptions for 934 yards, both of which were team highs, and catching 4 scoring passes. Wallace signed a free agent deal with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2026 NFL Draft. ZAKEE WHEATLEY S 28 A two-year starter, Wheatley was produc- tive throughout his tenure in State College. After redshirting as a true freshman, he played in 12 games in 2022, totaling 27 tackles and 2 interceptions. Wheatley had a high-profile reserve role in 2023 when he finished with 24 tackles. Becoming a starter for the first time in 2024, he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors after amassing 96 tackles, 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. He again received honor- able mention All-Big Ten laurels in 2025 af- ter recording 74 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. The Carolina Panthers took Wheatley in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. JORDAN VAN DEN BERG DT 0 Van den Berg started his career at Iowa Western, then spent three seasons with the Nittany Lions, making 26 tackles, including 4 for loss and 2.5 sacks, in 26 game ap- pearances. He transferred to Georgia Tech before the 2024 season and blossomed into an All-ACC performer, earning second-team honors in 2024 and a first-team nod last fall. He led the Yellow Jackets with 11 tackles for loss in 2025 and was chosen by the Chicago Bears in Round 6 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Final Grade: C- Penn State did not get as much out of this class as it had hoped. If it were to be re-ranked based on actual college production, it would not come in at No. 18 nationally. Some of the class's dif- ficulties can be put down to bad luck; Tengwall's medical retirement was an especially big blow, because he was developing into a major contributor on the offensive line. But injuries weren't the only prob- lem. Three members of the class — McGraw, Wallace and van den Berg — enjoyed their best seasons after they left Penn State, and they're now in the NFL. Several others transferred without doing much at PSU. Three of the four-star players in the class — Wheatley, Reed and Kalen King — matched or exceeded their rankings, but the only three-star players who outperformed their recruiting evalua- tions were Dinkins and Kobe King. With only a handful of true difference-mak- ers, this is probably the weakest class of the Franklin era. NFL Draft Picks Kalen King — Green Bay Packers, Round 7, No. 255, 2024 Kobe King — Minnesota Vikings, Round 6, No. 201, 2025 Jaylen Reed — Houston Texans, Round 6, No. 187, 2025 Zakee Wheatley — Carolina Panthers, Round 5, No. 151, 2026 Jordan van den Berg — Chicago Bears, Round 6, No. 213, 2026 Note: Khalil Dinkins (San Francisco 49ers), Rodney McGraw (Miami Dolphins) and Harrison Wallace III (Arizona Cardinals) signed undrafted free agent deals following their respective NFL Drafts.