The Nittany Lions are heading into fall camp and there are still a few important position battles to be settled that will put a lot of pressure on these five players.
Penn State’s Week 1 matchup in Morgantown, West Virginia is just over a month away, and on Wednesday, the Nittany Lions will kick off fall camp for the 11th time under head coach James Franklin. This year’s team faces familiar challenges, particularly with Ohio State, but with the expanded Big Ten and College Football Playoff, there are new hurdles to navigate, along with a renewed belief that Franklin can steer his team to the CFP.
On offense, many key players from last year’s 10-3 team that lost to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl return, with Drew Allar and the Lawn Boyz expected to be central under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. However, the wide receiver corps has seen changes, with Julian Fleming stepping up as the new primary target, and the offensive line has lost Olu Fashanu, Caedan Wallace, and Hunter Nourzad to the NFL.
The defense, now led by coordinator Tom Allen, also has several prominent players to replace, including Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac in the front line and Kalen King and Johnny Dixon in the secondary. The dynamics of this new defensive unit will unfold over the coming month of preseason, and these five Nittany Lions will face significant pressure to establish their roles within it.
At Big Ten Media Days, James Franklin seemed to clarify Abdul Carter’s transition to defensive end, saying, “We believe (Carter) has the potential to make a significant impact. Each week will determine where he can help us the most.”
However, Carter won’t be playing as a full-time inside linebacker as he did in 2022, which means more opportunities for true sophomore Tony Rojas. Rojas, who logged 122 defensive snaps and recorded 20 tackles as a true freshman, has shown promise since arriving in Happy Valley. With Keon Wylie’s offseason injury, Rojas is well-positioned to start alongside Kobe King at inside linebacker.
Although expectations are high for Rojas in his second year, Penn State also has experienced veterans, Dom DeLuca and Tyler Elsdon, ready to take on a starting role if Rojas struggles in fall camp.
It’s clear that Julian Fleming, the former five-star senior transfer from Ohio State, is expected to be the top wide receiver for Penn State this season. However, Andy Kotelnicki is also relying on Trey Wallace to stay healthy and productive as a redshirt junior.
Wallace’s season was cut short after he made only 15 receptions for 161 yards due to an injury he sustained against Indiana, which kept him out for the remainder of the regular season. Even before the injury, his production was not stellar, and he did not stand out in the Peach Bowl, finishing with four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Throughout the season, Wallace averaged 1.41 yards per route run, ranking seventh on the team, significantly behind KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who frustrated fans as the primary outside receiver before being benched against Ole Miss and transferring to Auburn.
For Allar to succeed, he needs a dependable option alongside Fleming, who has yet to prove he can be a solid No. 1 target in a top-tier offense. If Wallace doesn’t improve significantly in the new system, Kotelnicki might have to quickly develop Liam Clifford, Omari Evans, or possibly even a freshman like Tyseer Denmark.
Nolan Rucci, like Fleming, was once the top recruit to come out of Pennsylvania and he left for another Big Ten school. Yet, Rucci could never get on the field at Wisconsin, only playing 70 career snaps over two seasons with the Badgers. Rucci returned to PA for a fresh start, but he’s entered fierce competition for the starting tackle spots.
Despite losing Fashanu and Wallace to the NFL this offseason, offensive tackle may still be the deepest position on Penn State’s depth chart, at least from a talent perspective. like Alex Birchmeier, J’Ven Williams, and Chimdy Onoh don’t have much experience, they could all be in the mix for the starting right tackle spot, opposite Drew Shelton who is the presumptive starter on the left side. Even Anthony Donkoh, who replaced Wallace at right tackle in the second half against Ole Miss could win the job.
If Rucci loses out again, he could be forced to head back into the transfer portal, cut his losses, and drop down to the G5 level to finally get onto the field. This is a make-or-break fall camp for the former five-star’s football career.
This could be a breakout year for Dinkins, who had just five receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns last season. With Theo Johnson gone, it seems like the perfect time for him to shine. However, Tyler Warren is expected to be the TE1 and a primary target in Penn State’s offense this year. If Dinkins doesn’t bring his best during fall camp, five-star freshman Luke Reynolds could take his snaps and his chance for a breakout.
James Franklin has had difficulty bringing in top wide receiver talent to Penn State, but the standout of the 2024 recruiting class is Reynolds, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end from Connecticut, who has the potential to be the best at his position since Mike Gesicki.
Cam Miller faced a daunting challenge in the Peach Bowl, often left alone to defend Tre Harris, who nearly surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in the SEC. Unfortunately, Miller really struggled against Ole Miss’s receivers, consistently being overpowered at the catch point. His performance was so lacking that Franklin decided to recruit two SEC cornerbacks, AJ Harris and Jalen Kimber, through the transfer portal.
With these two new additions, Miller has already fallen significantly on the depth chart. If he continues to struggle during fall camp, he risks being completely sidelined, which would be a major setback for the junior who was anticipated to be the CB1 after King, Dixon, and Daequan Hardy moved on to professional careers.
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