Penn State category, Page 22
A leaner Drew Allar looks to get No. 8 Penn State off to a good start at West VirginiaVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Quarterback Drew Allar was great in his Penn State starting debut a year ago against West Virginia. The rest of the season was a bit disappointing. The junior with the big arm expects the Nittany Lions to become more consistent behind a new offensive coordinator. “I think...
Penn State’s heralded 2022 recruiting class ready to make a College Football Playoff push
Drew Allar remembers Penn State football’s highly-rated 2022 recruiting class being a “super-tight group” from the very beginning. Allar, the five-star quarterback and headliner of the class, verbally committed three years ago, back in March 2021. He and the rest of the commits formed a “close connection,” one they used...
Penn State’s Anthony Donkoh, Nolan Rucci continue to battle at right tackle
Everyone knows who will replace Olu Fashanu, Penn State’s first-round left tackle. Drew Shelton, a player with experience and upside, is eager to protect Drew Allar’s blindside. But who starts opposite Shelton is still a mystery ahead of Saturday’s opener at West Virginia. Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci are the...
Schools tried to poach Penn State’s Nick Singleton. Why did the star RB stay loyal?
Nick Singleton and his parents hopped on a Zoom call with his name, image and likeness agents earlier this offseason. The star Penn State running back, after breaking onto the national scene as a freshman, was coming off a frustrating sophomore season. But Singleton had no intention of leaving via...
Penn State prepares for hostile environment as quest for CFP begins at West Virginia
Penn State coach James Franklin is under no illusion about the environment that awaits the No. 8-ranked Nittany Lions in Morgantown for their season opener at noon Saturday against West Virginia. In what marks Penn State’s return to the Mountain State for the first time since 1992, Franklin expects a...
Penn State signs athletic director Patrick Kraft to 8-year extension
Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft was inked to an eight-year extension that keeps him under contract through June 30, 2032, the university announced Monday. The deal was approved by Penn State’s Board of Trustees and by the university’s Committee on Equity and Human Resources in a unanimous vote. Kraft,...
Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton: ‘I’m going to be the best D-end in the country’
Is he cocky or confident? If Dani Dennis-Sutton is right, it won’t matter. Dennis-Sutton has made three starts at defensive end heading into his junior season. There are two good reasons for this: Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac. A pair of first-team All-Big Ten ends last season, Robinson was a...
Power move: Realignment, NIL have drastically changed the framework of college football
Before kickoff next Saturday when Pitt opens its 2024 season against Kent State, tradition will prevail, and players — properly dressed in shirt and tie — will follow coach Pat Narduzzi into Acrisure Stadium. Inside, more memories will be made over the course of the season, perhaps similar to M.J....
Penn State offense aims to take next step behind QB Drew Allar
Few casual college football fans glancing at Penn State quarterback Drew Allar’s statistics from last year could conclude anything other than he had a stellar season. Allar threw 25 touchdowns and only two interceptions, completing 59.9% of his passes for 2,631 yards in his first year as a starter. Yet,...
Penn State features bevy of options across offensive line
Vega Ioane is one of the best eight or nine, and likely one of the top six. On the topic of Penn State offensive linemen, James Franklin and position coach Phil Trautwein could deploy at least eight players — nine if you include prized true freshman Cooper Cousins — early...
Kevin Winston Jr.’s journey led to becoming a Penn State captain, one of college football’s top safeties
Kevin Winston Sr. and his wife, Natasha, were in town last Saturday when they received a text from a Penn State football staffer, asking them to go to James Franklin’s office after watching practice. Initially, they wondered what their son — star safety Kevin Winston Jr. — might have done...
No. 8 Penn State hoping new offensive coordinator can help QB Drew Allar cut loose
STATE COLLEGE — Before Andy Kotelnicki became Penn State’s offensive coordinator, he admittedly didn’t know much about Drew Allar. It didn’t take long for Kotelnicki to conclude the Nittany Lions’ quarterback is a special talent. “His wittiness, his decision-making, those kinds of things are really hard to coach and they...
Penn State’s DaKaari Nelson playing physical after camp switch to linebacker
It’s not often you see position changes once camp has started and a team gets this close to its season opener, but for a guy such as Penn State safety-turned-linebacker DaKaari Nelson, it made a lot of sense. Nelson, a former highly regarded four-star prospect from Alabama, has the frame...
Penn State OC Andy Kotelnicki balances creating big plays with continuing to limit turnovers
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is tasked with bringing the big play back to Penn State. But not all of Penn State’s 2023 numbers need to change. James Franklin was thrilled with the way his offense protected the ball. PSU ranked No. 2 in FBS in turnover margin, finishing at plus-16....
You may not fully believe what Carmelo Anthony said about his U.S. gold medals. But wouldn’t you like to?Video
The necessary disclosure for this column is that, as a Syracuse University graduate, I’m predisposed to stick up for Carmelo Anthony on just about all fronts. He arrived on campus a few years after I graduated and finally won an NCAA basketball championship for our school during his freshman season....
Penn State student killed during hazing incident will be focus of A&E series’ next episode
A series on A&E will feature an episode dedicated to a hazing at Penn State which left one student dead. Episode three of “Houses Of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life” will focus on the story of Tim Piazza, a 19-year-old freshman at Penn State who was pledging at the...
Penn State notebook: Despite injury, North Allegheny’s Khalil Dinkins expected to play key role in offense
James Franklin offered some positive news on Penn State’s wide receiver room a few days back. A couple of fourth-year players have emerged in August. There have been other interesting revelations with the West Virginia opener two weeks away. Here are a few updates on the progress of Penn State...
Returning DB Cam Miller confident in Penn State’s new-look cornerback room
Cam Miller had to wait 24 games to make his first start at Penn State. His next start could be only a couple weeks away. The Nittany Lions will unveil a revamped cornerback room against West Virginia on Aug. 31 in Morgantown. Johnny Dixon, Kalen King and Daequan Hardy, Penn...
Penn State WR Julian Fleming embraces leadership role after transfer from Ohio State
STATE COLLEGE — For Julian Fleming, this feels somewhat like a dream come true, even though he could have lived it for the past half decade had he chosen to do so. While the recruiting process out of high school gave him an opportunity to pursue another set of goals,...
More big hits expected from Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant in 2024
If you ask Zane Durant about last year’s Northwestern game, there’s a good chance he will smile. Penn State’s third-year defensive tackle produced arguably his best game, collecting three tackles for loss. One of them, a sack of Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant early in the fourth quarter, ended any hope...
Veteran wide receivers step up for Penn State with Central Catholic’s Peter Gonzalez sidelined
STATE COLLEGE — The news is mostly good concerning Penn State’s wide receiver room with the Nittany Lions a little more than two weeks away from their season opener at West Virginia. Mostly. Coach James Franklin singled out the play of a couple of fourth-year wideouts following the team’s practice...
Penn State freshman lineman Cooper Cousins pushing for early playing time
Penn State coach James Franklin, as measured as he always tries to be when discussing young players, had a hard time holding back when asked about freshman offensive lineman Cooper Cousins. Cousins — a 6-6, 320-pound behemoth and former No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania — has impressed at just about...
Safety Kevin Winston Jr. ‘totally locked in’ after leading Penn State in tackles last season
As the game continues to slow down for Kevin Winston Jr., it is fair to wonder how much better the Penn State safety can get in his second year as a starter. Year 1 was impressive. Now a third-year junior, Winston led the Nittany Lions in tackles with 61 (34...
Georgia No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25, Ohio State No. 2 as expanded SEC, Big Ten flex muscles
Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the superconference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top 10 of the rankings. The Bulldogs received 46 first-place votes and 1,532 points in the Top 25...
Former Penn State wrestler Zain Retherford withdraws from Paris Olympics
Penn State alum and U.S. Olympian Zain Retherford has withdrawn from competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a “medical precaution,” ending his opportunity at a bronze medal, USA Wrestling announced Saturday. According to USA Wrestling, the former Nittany Lion suffered a concussion while training prior to the Olympics and...
