Projecting Penn State football's 2024 starting lineup and depth chart

Penn State starting lineup in depth chart have all the makings of a college football playoff team you are locked on nitty Lions your daily podcast on the Penn State nitty Lions part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day let's take an inside look at Penn State starting lineups and depth chart for the 2024 college football season this is lockon nney Lions I'm your host Zack s and thanks so much for making us your first listen and watch every single day we are free and available wherever you get your podcast including YouTube and today's episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use promo code locked on college for $20 off your first purchase terms apply download game time today what time is it game time I'd greatly appreciate it if you left a like on this episode but more importantly be a part of the discussion which players do you think will be key for Penn State this season anywhere on the depth chart that's the starters all the way down to who you think will be key contributors in a backup role but by all accounts yes I have my concerns the only concern I have about Penn State's depth is that linebacker but this roster has the makings of a college football playoff team it absolutely does so we'll go through the starting lineups first and then go through position by position on the depth chart so that you get an all-encompassing look at Penn State so starting with quarterback this is the starting lineup for Penn State quarterback's going to be Drew Aller he was the starter a season ago he is back and will be the starter once again both prula will will cycle in and why I mention him right now with the starting lineup he is going to play more frequently than he did a season ago and they'll have special Wildcat designs for him as that true dual threat quarterback then you go to running back Nicholas Singleton or KRON Allen consistent for the the past two years right when they were true freshman true sophomores now as true Juniors they truly split reps it is a 5050 time share between the two of them they are co-starters Singleton or Allen will be the running backs here they could start on any given day but they rotate in so much that they're essentially co-starters then wide receiver is where it gets interesting and wide receiver Trey Wallace is going to be your number one wide receiver and then Liam Clifford has stepped up a lot in the Intel and what the coaches had led have led us to believe is that Liam Clifford is starting to separate himself as one of the better wide receivers in the room so that's going to be your slot receiver your number one your outside boundary receiver Trey Wallace Julian Fleming isn't a guaranteed to start week in week out it's kind of similar to Dante sephus who came in last season as a transfer and we I I know what happened with Dante cus but Julian Fleming different circumstances and will contribute heavily to this Penn State offense but Amari Evans has a case in this new look Andy cotal Nikki offense to be that third starting wide receiver when it is 11 personnel Julian Fleming will contribute a lot I wouldn't be surprised if it's a listing of Julian Fleming or Amari Evans but I think Amari Evans is going to get that first nod since he's been with the program for quite some time now he is a veteran and he offers that explosive overthe toop ability that Julian Fleming doesn't exactly but in is the better run blocker graded out very well at Ohio State that was the kind of system he was in in high school as well he blocked a lot when he played High School football but Amari Evans does give you that explosive playability that Penn State had been lacking on the offensive line actually we should go tight end shouldn't we we should go tight end and then offensive line Tyler Warren is going to be your starter was essentially a co-starter but probably more so the backup a season ago when Theo Johnson was there he is the true number one tight end in this case on the depth chart and then on the offensive line from left to right Drew Shelton is going to be the left tackle at left guard vanga Yuan your Center is going to be Nick Dawkins Your Right Guard is going to be Sal Wormley and your right tackle we still actually don't have word if it's going to be Anthony Dono or Nolan Ruchi so that's another instance of Penn State might have a co-starter here at that right tackle spot danco or Ruchi I mean and again that's good to see I've said this already that the competition for it to be this close is a good thing because you'd rather have more guys that are capable of playing down to down in in a game of college football rather than a clear a clear Gap in this case especially when you have so many new faces on Penn State's offensive line compared to 2023 older fashion new Hunter NORAD Caden Wallace were all NFL type of players but that's going to be your starting offensive line and JB Nelson I want to mention him even though he's not a starter at the moment James Franklin described him as a Swiss army knife he is essentially that sixth man that will play a backup role to Nick Dawkins at Center both the guard spots either of the tackle spots because I don't think everyone's starting spot is guaranteed on the offensive line just yet maybe in the case of a Nick Dawkins or a s Wormley because they've been with the program for so long but if there's any question marks there JB Nelson can slide right in and take over if need be again James Franklin words Swiss army knife let's flip it over to the defense starting lineup on the defensive line I'm going with Deni Dennis Sutton as that left end Abdul Carter as that right end and at defensive tackle Devon J Thomas and Zane Durant any of those four at the defensive tackle spot could absolutely start but it's going to be Jay Thomas and zann Durant CU a isard ande Beaman could absolutely be starters I just think Devon day Jay Thomas and Zayn Durant offer a little more there but they those guys are starting caliber and this is with respect that Penn State is going to run a 425 defense your first three linebackers in a 4-3 would be Tony Roos as your will Kobe King as your Mike linebacker and then Dom Duca as your Sam strong side linebacker with what is most likely going to be a 425 base defense with Tom Allen's new system system because they have more safeties expect them to run Kobe King and Dom Duca to start with Tyler ell in and Tony Roos to cycle in as well but I I think Dom Duca and Kobe king would be the first two linebackers up if you had to pair them together and then you move to the secondary at the secondary is going to be very interesting because there's so many new faces Penn State loses three starters that moved on to the NFL in Penn State's case this time around I think your number one boundary corner is going to be AJ Harris AJ Harris you brought him in with the intention that he be becomes that Joey Porter Jr type where he can lock down a number one wide receiver or shut down one side of the field you're Penn State likes to do this for that second Corner Spot they like to almost have co-starters it was Johnny Dixon and kin King Once Upon a Time right when Joey Porter Jr was doing that was the number one cornerback for Penn State now it's going to be a combination of Cam Miller and Jaylen Kimber in this case I think that's what it's going to be for that number two quarterback spot and they'll rotate in pretty frequently with each other again Penn State really likes to do that co-starter spot running back cornerback offensive line it doesn't matter Penn State uh really has additional starters in this case and then that safety position gets very intriguing because of that 425 defense and it's because they're going to have three safeties on the football field KJ Winston is going to be that strong safety they're the hybrid lion position which is strong sa safety additional safety the the slot cornerback SL additional linebacker that will be Jaylen Reed and then your true free safety over the top will be Zack key Wheatley the the light switch has flipped on according to James Franklin for zachi Wheatley and he is just too good to keep off of the football field at this point where he is in his Penn State Career so that's your starting offense and defense now let's go to special teams your punter is going to be Riley Thompson he started a season go no no no questions there Place kick Place kicker gets intriguing because they have a three-man competition oh it was supposed to be Sanders toak in that transfer from Tulsa Chase Meyer no Ryan Barker made this interesting and I would not be surprised if whoever they Trot out first doesn't ultimately keep the job the pressure is going to stay on at Place kicker like it was a season ago and I with when it was Alex Falcons and Sanders aex and now Sanders aex similar situation again has to do it all over with Ryan Barker I I think it's going to be down to those two the word from Camp is that there wasn't a clear distance but it was Sanders aak Ryan Barker and then Chase Meyer I think it's going to be Sanders aak because he is the veteran Barker is only a red shirt freshman but I would not be surprised if Barker ends up being the starting Place kicker as well if Sanders aaha cannot hold down the job your starting Long Long Snapper is Tyler danzansky he's going to be the starter once again as he should be very good and then at punt returner and kick returner Kaden Saunders is going to be your starting punt returner status quo again a kick returner Penn State likes to have runningbacks returning kickoffs Nicholas Singleton will be your main returner with KRON Allen as your upback don't be surprised if Cam Wallace and Quinton Martin rotate in as well and then on kickoff just for for the sake of it right everybody cares about kickoff I think you'll see a rotation of guys like Gabe wosu and Sandra aak handling kickoff duties because they did that last season and they they return as well and of course holder it could be a rotation as well Riley Thompson is going to be your starting holder but don't be surprised if they try to work in BO prula the backup quarterback just to offer some interesting trick plays out of the special team spots so that is your 2024 starting lineup for Penn State football now let's take a look at the depth chart a little further that's coming up next here unlock on nitty lions and today's episode is brought to you by game time you got to download the game time app because buying tickets to your favorite events should not be stressful game time has just introduced a new feature it's called Game Time picks and that's going to make getting tickets to your favorite Live Events even easier game time picks filters out all of the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets so for example if you look at pens I have Penn State 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bet them over at fanduel.com again that is FanDuel America's number one sports book I'll break up the remaining two parts of the show into offense and defense and go a little rapid fire here through the depth chart starting with quarterback again mention that Drew Aller is the starter Bo perb is going to be his backup and then true freshman Ethan gruny is going to be the third string quarterback he's had a really good summer he's had a really good spring season and parlaying all of that into a great training camp as well Ethan gruner has impressed me I think you know I don't I don't want to see a scenario like this but Ethan gramy gives me a lot of confidence if he were ever to have to enter the game in a serious situation that he could at least manage the offense in his first year both fora as I know he's the backup quarterback but you will see him consistently enough that you will think of him uh to a point where he is a starter he's going to rotate in quite a bit with the new wild cat wild cat type looks with Andy codal Nikki as the offensive coordinator running back gets interesting because after Nicholas Singleton and KRON Allen there's been competition for that number three running back spot cam Wallace is going to win the job jay1 cider the running backs coach has spoken highly of him James Franklin has alluded to that as well Wallace has been dealing with some bumps and bruises throughout training camp but he is going to be the number three back and his development has been off the charts for somebody that was just a three star committed late to Penn State's program in in that respective recruiting cycle in for the class of 2023 Penn State's been very impressed with him he will be the third running back behind the two of them then Quinton Martin will most likely be the fourth I think you're going to have Quinton Martin and Corey Smith both the true freshman split reps as that number four running back which isn't really that big of of a deal but because of the red shirt rules and everything you can get these players experience without burning their red shirt so you're almost going to have them if Quinton Martin had is starting to push that the bar for his eligibility you have Cory Smith come in so this is more about development as opposed to True usage that Penn State's not going to try to push a number four running back into the game unless you know again it allows them development to that point going over to wide receiver I mentioned the starters again your first five that you should really anticipate when everybody's healthy is going to be Trey Wallace Amari Evans Julian Fleming Liam Clifford and Kaden Saunders tyer Denmark I think is going to be a candidate to eventually burn his red shirt I think there's an opportunity here if there's an injury and just timeline I I think he has a lot of untapped potential as a true freshman and there're just still is a lot of there's just a lot of other unproven names on this list so why not tyer Denmar to actually push the push up through the depth chart to become one of those receivers that is consistently in the rotation uh Makai flowers Tyler Johnson Anthony ivy have progressively uh they they've also impressed in training camp at points in time but we don't hear rave reviews like we do about other players so that's just something to keep an eye on here tyer Denmark is one of those players that has been creating a buzz at training camp and I think he will be in the consistent wide receiver rotation uh not too far far down the road other true freshman Josiah Brown he was injured for his Senior High School season he's still kind of recovering from that and getting up to speed and Peter Gonzalez does have a significant injury as well and he is anticipated to miss quite a bit of time back over to tight end four tight ends could factor in for Penn State so Tyler Warren is the clear-cut starter where it's been a time share whether it was Warren and Theo Johnson then brenon strange Theo Johnson Tyler Warren now this is Tyler Warren's gig but between Andrew Raper Luke Reynolds the true freshman khil Dinkins Penn State has options where if Warren needs a breather or he's unavailable you can turn to khil denkins the true freshman Luke Reynolds who has a lot of who has a lot of potential and Andrew raple a similar situation and you still feel pretty comfortable with what you have at that tight end position and that's not to say that Jerry Cross or a joey schlafer couldn't do the same thing Penn State this this position group might in fact be the deepest right next to defensive tackle when we talk about the defense itself but when you when you think about it from Penn State's point of view it's an embarrassment of riches for Tai how who's running the show uh for the tight end position group that any of these guys at that number two number three tight end spot you will see similar production out of those guys behind Tyler Warren Warren's an NFL Talent right now he could have gone into the NFL he decided to come back to bolster his resume for few for the 20 25 NFL draft but the guys behind him you put any of them in at this point in time and you're really not going to see much of a difference out of that number two number three tight end spot and with Andy cotal Nikki the way that Penn States traditionally run offense the past couple of Seasons they're going to run the football they're going to need they're going to factor in tight ends to the game plan pretty frequently uh so expect those names to pop up quite a bit then when you look at the the offensive depth chart again I named the starters I talked about how JB son is essentially that Sixth Man on the offensive line guys like Javin Williams have been moving around from tackle to guard so he could factor in Cooper cousins was somebody that James Franklin had talked about in his latest press conference saying that he is not on the scout team he is going to be a part of the true active roster for Penn State and not be on the scout team offense itself so Cooper cousins most likely will be one of the true freshmen to eventually burn his red shirt and factor into playing time here chimney Ono somebody else who's a red shirt freshman could see some playing time if necessary but those are the immediate names to to think about when Penn State uh has its offensive line depth chart out there so out of all these position groups here tight end is obviously the the one stacked with with players that can come in and give you meaningful reps right out of the gate I like what Penn State has a quarterback because remember not too long ago it was Shan Clifford and taquon Roberson and that was just a dumpster fire when Clifford got hurt right but now you have that security I'm talking about a true freshman quarterback and saying you know what this guy can come in and manage a game if he needed to Bo prula is going to get a lot of meaningful snaps as the backup but you can utilize his talent in so many different ways Penn State feels confident in what it has if they had to turn to cam Wallace and if they had to play Quint Martin or Cory Smith even though ideally they don't want to do that for red shirt and eligibility purposes Penn State why I said they have a cfp caliber roster depth chart is here right in front of you with all the players that I just named that could contribute wide receiver offensive line certainly have the question marks but those are the names and the layout of the depth chart that you need to know now let's flip it over to the defense and take a look at them outside of linebacker defensive end defensive tackle the secondary those groups might even be better than what Penn State had last season I'll tell you more about it next on the other side of this break today's episode is brought to you by 5H Hour Energy do you want to get in shape but are you having trouble staying motivated believe me I've been there for sure but you can make 5H Hour 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again that is code locked on CFB for 20% off your order so go to 5H hour energy.com today aside from Lineback which is the weakest link I think overall in terms of depth on this team I think there're certainly star power I don't think Kobe King gets enough credit I think eventually Tony Roos will break out I think it's going to be gradual though all the talent is there the coaches say you know he he he jumps out at you but it is going they've alluded to that it's probably going to take some time so anticipate that Turning Point week five week six because he is this is only his second year within the program but I do want to start with the defensive line go to the linebackers and then finish up with the secondary there at defensive end I mentioned how Deni Dennis Sutton and Abdul Carter are going to be your starting defensive ends that's a pretty great and that is a great dynamic duo it's not a pretty great it is a great dynamic duo in one of the best in the Big 10 one of the best in the country I think right next to Ohio State's tandem of Jack Sawyer Jack Sawyer and JT tuy maloa I really think that's the 1 a and 1B you you pick I'll let the result speak for itself because it's hard to say in preseason but all all four of those players are high-end NFL Talent behind them Amin vanover and Smith vilbert red shirt super seniors in the program now all the veteran experience you could ever ask for will cycle in as the backup defensive ends now remember J Lions is no longer with the team I anticipated a larger role for him but since he's off the team you kind of have to look to those next players there Zariah Fischer is still going to be out and Miss time with injury we don't know the extent of that Penn State anticipates him to be back at some point this season but is that going to be week four is that going to be week eight is that going to be at the end of the season into a college football playoff right Penn State James Franklin had reiterated this again that a season ending injury they they don't like to say that because the season's not over until it's over and technically yes a Zarah fiser if the injury is that bad to an extent could return week 12 or week week 13 in a college football playoff so we don't know the actual Intel as far as when he will be back just that he will be back but to look at the other defensive ends Mason Robinson and Joseph mapo have come on uh further for them in in their red shirt freshman campaigns and and that's good to see that that there there's not a stark drop off as you move down the defensive end depth chart it would have been nice to have Jal Lions this season I saw him as a future NFL draft pick maybe somebody that could have been selected day two round two round three type of pick he's not there and Penn State has to adapt I've already I've already hyped up the interior of the defensive line though I I think this is this group because of the first four that they have I said Jay Javon J thas and Zan Durant are going to be your starters but the the backups and they will rotate in frequently it's a time share on the interior defensive tackles just to keep legs fresh cuai isard and Hakeem Beaman are essentially just like starters so even though they are going to be on the bench first and won't be in the starting lineup they will play a lot of snaps Alonzo Ford remember him transferred in from Old Dominion and didn't play last season because of injury well now he's back and he's come on strong as well so that's your third defensive tackle Alonzo Ford as a second string player feel very confident in Caleb Aris is now in his third third year with the Penn State program those are your third defensive tackles and then you have a guy like High Blanding as the as the red shirt freshman uh down the list the the true freshman DeAndre cook ta Cunningham Liam Liam Andrews probably won't play that probably won't play at all you'll see them in games just to get them that experience but don't anticipate them to burn their red shirt they have to add the weight so that they can get adjusted to expanded Big 10 play in college football overall now we'll go to the linebacker address the linebacker group and address the elephant in the room because this is my biggest concern there is star power here offensive line can be a concern too but at least they have depth at least they have options that if a player were again needs a break needs a breather happens to be injured the offensive line can at least have a next man up here I don't think Penn State can afford to lose any of its linebackers whether that is Kobe King who is your number one true linebacker he's going to be out there 99% of the time if he is available Tony Roos with star potential down the road Dom Duca who just got voted as a two-time captain you lose any of those guys you have to turn to Tamir Robinson who there's optimism for but he's a second-year player like Tony roas and there's still that development to be had Tyler ellon at times criticized him on this show a good bit last season how much progress has he made as well he's going to be a backup Keon wy's already injured I mentioned how Jal Lions is not with the team anymore Kavon Keys same thing not on the team kicked out of school along with lions even if Keys was on the team I've mentioned this before I still have my concerns about the linebacker depth because after that it it's all true freshman K Jackson Anthony specka just Penn State really want to do that now they did move darari Nelson down from safety to linebacker to help out but that's a work of Pro work in progress as it as it is he's 6'3 217 lbs I don't think Penn State wants its linebackers to weigh 217 lbs if ideally he needs to add at least 13 PBS that's going to take a few weeks so he's almost still in a developmental phase he's almost in a red shirt kind of season with a position change if he can add the weight quickly that's great but there's still the technique element of it too just red flags are going to go up here of Penn State you can't afford to lose Kobe King Tony Roos and Don deuca especially but even a Robinson or Tyler ston really I those are your first five and you can you and you hope to get Keon Wy back he's not out for the season there is anticipation that he will return this season and I had high hopes for Keon Wy myself I was actually really looking forward to him replacing Abdul Carter when they did announce the move that he would go to defensive end Keon Wy I think was setting up nicely at that will linebacker spot in a traditional 4-3 but that's why Penn State is going to a 425 base defense because your you're lacking at linebacker but you have a lot of depth in that secondary so let's talk about the secondary here Penn State's secondary was a question mark a major one going into the off season but then they get reinforcements they get AJ Harris from Georgia they get Jaylen Kimber from Florida cam Miller is returning and then Zion Tracy and and other players like Elliot Washington are developing nicely and then they got they got Antoine belgrave shorter and John Mitchell to enroll early to practice with the team through the spring football season these are these are just the quarterbacks and I didn't even mention odavi and Collins progressively you ask a player you ask a position coach and say hey who has really impressed you throughout camp that isn't exactly getting a lot of playing time right right now nine times out of 10 for the past for the past year and some change it has been aavan Collins your first four rotation of cornerbacks I mentioned how it's going to be AJ Harris and what I expect to be co-star starters between cam Miller and Jaylen Kimber because of that veteran experience but aavan Collins can see playing time just as much in in a rotational role as well even though he won't be a true starter and then the safety spot Penn State's going to play three safeties in its base defense probably as much as it can because KJ Winston is a future first round no later than a second round pick Jaylen Reed I think is a future draft pick as well that is your quote unquote lion who acts as that hybrid between a strong safety and a linebacker in this case and KJ Winston's just kind of an everything you know safety linebacker whatever you need him to be on a given play he's just that star kind of caliber player hasn't missed a tackle yet in his collegiate career but then zacki Wheatley comes in as your true free safety so Penn State could run a lot of cover three with zacki Wheatley covering a lot of ground in center field and then AJ Harris or a combination again of a Jaylen Kimber a cam Miller an aavan Collins right cycling through the boundary Penn State is in a really good spot with its secondary so I'm almost kind of saving the best for last here and what gets really interesting is now who is backing up the three safeties that are going to have a lot of responsibility here between Winston Reed and Wheatley dejon Lane the true freshman I talked about how Cooper cousins James Franklin had said that Cooper cousins was going to have the green light and not be on the Scout offense and be a part of the active the the start the the main roster if you will throughout practices with the anticipation that you will burn your red shirt dejon Lane is in the is in a very similar spot now and could be that fourth safety for Penn State that is very impressive again Penn State is already seeing development right out of the gate the fact that they anticipate Cooper cousins and a player like Lane to contribute early as true freshman true freshman is very telling another safety Lamont pay has had a really I I I think that he is another player who's come on strong certainly will continue to develop which is why they felt confident in moving a darari Nelson away from safety flipping over a maai flowers who was formerly a safety to wide receiver to help that position group if they didn't have that confidence in these five safeties they wouldn't have made these kinds of moves so even though Lamont PL Lamont Payne isn't going to play often he provides you necessary depth that again Penn State doesn't make these moves if they said you know what sa safety the the backup safeties aren't going to be able to help out Winston and Reed and Wheatley they make these moves based on the backups truly so Lane and pay wow that rhymes there Lane and pay uh provide a lot of value for Penn State's depth chart in that safety room that's going to do it for this edition of locked on nitty Lions a little more of an informational one as the starting lineups and and the depth chart I think fully encapsulated here in this episode again let me know down in the comments be a part of the discussion the key players that you are looking forward to the most for Penn State in this 2024 season I'd greatly appreciate it if you left left a like on this episode and if you're not already be coming everyday or subscribe to lock on nit lines on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast for the latest conversations around your favorite Penn State sports teams again thank you so much for making lock on nney lions your first listening watch every single day for your second listen you got to check out locked on college football hosted by Spencer mlin I've been a guest on the show many times and I know you will enjoy it as much as I do as now college football is back we are truly in college football season and Spencer McGloin is getting you ready for all of it game previews game recaps analysis all of the latest news broken down in locked on college football and it's available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast part of the locked on podcast work your team each and every day