Nittany Lions: 2025 Season Position Breakdown

Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is well aware of the expectations and the hype regarding the second-ranked Nittany Lions.

He’s heard the criticism of their non-conference schedule and head coach James Franklin’s poor history against elite opponents.

He’s ignoring it all.

“Put the ball down and play,” Kotelnicki said. “People see rankings and all that stuff, but they don’t matter. You gotta go play. Our opponent is us. It’s always going to be us. Whoever we line up against, however good or bad that opponent is perceived to be, it doesn’t matter.

“If we don’t play to our potential, we’re ticked. We’re not happy as a program if we don’t play like we’re capable of. Are we good enough to play to our capabilities?”

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the 2025 Nittany Lions:

Offensive Breakdown

Quarterback

Drew Allar could wind up his career as Penn State’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, completion percentage and pass efficiency.

He’s expected to be one of the very best quarterbacks in the country in his second season with the creative Kotelnicki and with the best set of wide receivers he’s had since he became the starter in 2023.

Allar has led Penn State to a 23-6 record as a starter the last two seasons, its first Big Ten title game since 2016 and its first two College Football Playoff wins. He has been everything that the Lions expected when they recruited him.

He’s improved his physical condition, dropping 10 pounds, and has put the Orange Bowl interception behind him.

Ethan Grunkemeyer edged Jaxon Smolik to be the No. 2 quarterback going into the season.

Bottom line: Allar has all the tools to be the best quarterback in the Big Ten and one of the top ones in the country.

Running back

Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen begin their senior seasons as the best 1-2 combination in the country with a chance to finish as Penn State’s top two all-time leading rushers.

The speedy Singleton has rushed for 2,912 yards and 32 touchdowns in his career. He has a chance to join Evan Royster and Saquon Barkley as the only backs in school history with three 1,000-yard seasons.

The powerful Allen has run for 2,877 yards and 24 TDs in his career. He led the Lions with 1,108 yards last season, 9 more than his running mate and roommate. They became the first Lions teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

They were especially effective in the postseason, combining to run for 776 yards and eight TDs and average 6.9 per carry against Oregon, SMU, Boise State and Notre Dame. They’re expected to be used in a variety of ways in Kotelnicki’s offense.

Cam Wallace, Corey Smith and Quinton Martin Jr. have been competing to be the No. 3 running back.

Bottom line: Expect Singleton and the lighter Allen to be very productive on the ground and through the air.

Offensive line

Penn State has talent, experience and depth with four returning starters and one other lineman who played very well in his six starts last season.

Left tackle Drew Shelton (22), left guard Vega Ioane (21), center Nick Dawkins (16), right tackle Anthony Donkoh (10) and right tackle Nolan Rucci (6) have combined for 75 starts.

Donkoh will shift to right guard because Rucci has been so effective at tackle since replacing him after an injury. Ioane, who has lost about 15 pounds, is considered one of the best guards in the country.

Shelton is an underrated blocker who has the most experience and who allowed just two sacks in 16 games last season. Dawkins, the emotional leader of the offensive line, has improved a lot in the last year.

Cooper Cousins and T.J. Shanahan, a transfer from Texas A&M, are expected to be in the mix, along with Wyomissing product J’ven Williams.

Bottom line: This is arguably the best offensive line that Penn State has had and one of the best in the country.

Tight end

Replacing Tyler Warren, his school-record 104 catches, 1,233 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches will be difficult. He set the bar for Penn State tight ends.

Rest assured, though, that the position is in good hands with Khalil Dinkins, Luke Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea in the first three slots.

The unheralded Dinkins is one of the best blocking tight ends the Lions have had. He’s also been a red-zone weapon with five of his 23 career catches going for TDs.

He’s very athletic. At 6-4 and 251 pounds, he ran a 4.50 in the 40-yard dash, a school record for tight ends.

Reynolds is an emerging star whose 32-yard run on a fake punt in the fourth quarter helped seal Penn State’s win at Minnesota last year. He’s bulked up to 250 pounds, so he’s more prepared to block Big Ten defenders.

Rappleyea suffered a season-ending injury in the opener last year after seeing time as a true freshman. Former Exeter star Joey Schlaffer also has increased his weight to 252 pounds and was productive during spring practice.

Bottom line: Dinkins and the other tight ends won’t see as many passes as Warren did last year, but they will be effective.

Wide receiver

Penn State feels better about this position group than it did the last two seasons because of the addition of three transfers.

Kyron Hudson (USC), Trebor Pena (Syracuse) and Devonte Ross (Troy) all have impressive credentials, combining for 23 TD catches last season. They can add more balance to the offense and improve the passing game in general.

Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans had the most catches among the wide receivers last season, but they didn’t have a reception in the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame. Both transferred after the season, Wallace to Mississippi and Evans to Washington.

Dependable fifth-year senior Liam Clifford will alternate with Ross. Redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark and freshman Koby Howard will be in the rotation, Denmark behind Pena and Howard behind Hudson.

Bottom line: They could make a difference for Allar and the offense and open room for Singleton and Allen.

Defensive and Special Teams Breakdown

Defensive line

Even though No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter is with the New York Giants and several others used up their eligibility, the Lions always find a way to restock the front four.

With Zane Durant returning at tackle and Dani Dennis-Sutton back at end, the defensive line will be strong again. Both have received preseason All-American recognition.

Alonzo Ford Jr., who transferred from Old Dominion in 2023, likely will start next to Durant. Their backups will include Xavier Gilliam, Enai White, Owen Wafle, Ty Blanding and freshman Randy Adirika.

Injury-plagued Zuriah Fisher is expected to start at end with Denni-Sutton, who was dominant in three playoff games last season. Fisher missed last season with a lower-body injury, but coaches and teammates have said they expect him to have a big year.

The reserves behind Dennis-Sutton and Fisher are talented but young: redshirt freshmen Jaylen Harvey and Mylachi Williams and freshmen Chaz Coleman and Yvan Kemajou.

Bottom line: The Lions remain strong up front. Expect the pass rush to be more active under new coordinator Jim Knowles.

Linebacker

Under Knowles, Penn State will continue to mostly use two linebackers and five defensive backs.

Dominic DeLuca, Tony Rojas and North Carolina transfer Amare Campbell have separated themselves from the other linebackers. DeLuca will split time between the middle and weak side, Rojas will be on the strong side and Campbell mostly will be in the middle.

DeLuca or Campbell will wear the green helmet dot and receive the play calls from Knowles.

DeLuca and Rojas were the stars of Penn State’s win over SMU in the CFP, returning interceptions for touchdowns. They both have a knack for being around the ball and making big plays.

Campbell made 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last season for the Tar Heels, forced a fumble, broke up two passes and had five quarterback hurries.

Bottom line: Although depth might be an issue, Campbell’s addition considerably strengthens the position.

Secondary

Despite losing starters Jaylen Reed and Jalen Kimber, the Lions are expected to again have one of the better secondaries in the country.

A.J. Harris, Elliot Washington II and Audavion Collins are outstanding cornerbacks, especially Harris, a possible first-round draft pick next year. Freshman Daryus Dixson is a future star who has been impressive since spring practice.

At safety, Zakee Wheatley returns and will be joined by Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, who won the job with an outstanding training camp. Dejuan Lane and King Mack, who transferred back to Penn State from Alabama, also will see plenty of time.

Zion Tracy likely will be the nickel back  after he made four starts and 30 solo stops last season. Kenny Woseley Jr. is behind him.

Bottom line: 24 DAILY NEWS projects the secondary to make a significant improvement with Knowles after dropping to 26th nationally in pass defense efficiency last season.

Special teams

Penn State returns all of its key pieces: kicker Ryan Barker, punter Riley Thompson and long snapper Tyler Duzansky.

Barker became the regular in midseason last year and made 15-of-18 field goal tries, including the memorable 36-yard game-winner in overtime against USC. He also made 48-of-49 PATs.

Thompson is back for his third season as the Lions’ punter. He saw his average dip from 45.8 per kick in 2023 to 42.8 last season. He’s adept at avoiding touchbacks, finishing with just three in 51 attempts.

The return game needs to improve after a lackluster performance in 2024. Penn State finished 46th nationally in kickoff returns with a 21.2 average and 96th in punt returns with a 5.9 average.

Singleton will return kickoffs for the fourth straight season after he averaged 24.2 yards the last three seasons. Mack also will be used in some capacity.

Tracy, Pena and Ross are all experienced punt returners and might be alternated. Ross averaged 17.0 yards last season at Troy.

Bottom line: Coordinator Justin Lustig hopes there’s a big improvement in his second season.