NFL
By: Courtney Walsh
Penn State football is here. Fall camp has begun on college campuses across the country, with the sounds of football in the air and fans being hype on social media and the local bar. For this year’s Penn State Nittany Lions, a return to glory is the expectation with James Franklin entering his 10th season. With major changes coming to the Big10 this deep and talented roster might be the best one Franklin has had in his time at Happy Valley. With a star in the making at QB and one of the best defenses in the country, things are lined up for an exciting fall. But some questions remain, and the weight of a starved fan base is heavy. With memories of the Rose Bowl win over Utah still in our heads the 2023 season is upon us.
Defense:
The heartbeat of the team without questions and they will be the reason most games will be close and also shut down opponents. How do they overcome the losses of star cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Ji’Ayir Brown? Kalen King will step into the spotlight at the position and Penn State brings back its two top pass rushers along with talented freshmen. Johnny Dixon is another DB whose name you need to know and the safety tandem of Zakee Wheatley and Keation Ellis will clean up messes in the backend and seek turnover opportunities. Once again Chop Robinson will have Big10 quarterbacks running for their lives and bring his edge rushing buddy Adisa Isaac along with him. If the ball doesn’t come out fast these two will be hunting and looking to be on not just conference award watch lists but national ones as well. With studs at defensive tackle, the front four is solid and will be looked upon to set the tone. Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz has to like his linebackers like Curtis Jacobs and company. This unit is set up to play against today’s type of college football which is pass-happy but can be thrown off track by a good pass rush and good defensive play. What is the weakness? Run defense as shown during the Michigan game has to improve, the tackles need to eat up space and allow the LB to attack and sure up things. To reach the goals they want to this aspect of defense has to get better quickly and all season long.
Offense:
Not different from any other team it starts with quarterback play and for Penn State Drew Allar is the man. The sophomore is being looked at to lead the offense along with a WR group without at the moment a true number 1. Names like Tre Wallace, Omari Evans and Kaden Saunders will have a shot along with KeAndre Lambert-Smith who must be more consistent. Tight end Theo Johnson is huge, and I expect him to be a beast in the redzone and key third downs. Another name to remember is the Kent State transfer Dante Cephas who will have an opportunity to level up the wide out group. Offensive line keeps up with the rest of the roster with it being deep and full of talent left tackle Olu Fashanu is the best tackle in the Big Ten and I will argue with anyone in the nation. With the amount of experience, they have as a group this will pay off as the year goes on. At running back Nicholas Singleton and Kayton Allen are back. Singleton did what you expect from a 5-star recruit getting 12 touchdowns and almost breaking the school record for rushing yards. The duo plays well off of each other and can carry the offense when needed. They give off vibes of those dynamic SEC duos of the late 2000’s, think Georgia. Watching this group grow week after week will be one of the highlights of the season.
Outlook:
In the east it starts with Ohio State and, but this team has what it takes to at least make things interesting. The parts are in place to make this a special season and also shake up the college football playoff. I predict 10-11 wins with us pulling off a major upset at home versus Michigan. There are so possible trip up games like the trip to Illinois along with Iowa at home but wins are possible. Depending on the defense to hold up things and the Drew Allar led offense this fall in Happy Valley will be one for the books. WE ARE!
