While the 2023 college football season is a while away, there is a lot to look forward to with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State will have a young team in 2023, with a new quarterback taking the mantle, as well as two second-year running backs. The team lost numerous defensive players to the 2023 NFL draft and will need to work on making sure those holes are filled. This is the final season of the Big Ten format everyone is used to as well. Here is a look at the top five things to watch for Penn State next season.
1: Penn State Quarterback Drew Allar
The projected starter for the Nittany Lions at quarterback in 2023 will be Drew Allar. Allar spent the 2022 season on the bench but did get a decent amount of playing time when the Nittany Lions were up by a lot. Of course, last year, the starter was Sean Clifford, who is now with the Greenbay Packers after being picked in the 2023 NFL draft. It is time for Allar to take the mantle as the Penn State quarterback, which fans have been excited for.
Allar was able to play in ten games in 2022; of course, he did not start in any. In those ten games, he had 35 completions for 344 yards and four touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. He also did not throw any interceptions. Allar also has 52 rushing yards and one touchdown. While he went in the game when the team was up by a lot, this is still good. The best part about this is that he now has game experience before becoming the starter. Everyone should watch for Allar in 2023.
Penn State QB Drew Allar (15) – Matthew OHaren/USA TODAY Sports
2: The Cornerback Position Without Joey Porter Jr.
Former Penn State cornerback, Joey Porter Jr., was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2023 NFL Draft. With the hype Porter got, it would seem that the cornerback position for the Nittany Lions may not be as good. While yes, that still needs to be determined, it will be important to watch the position because there are some solid players. This position may be pretty underappreciated based on who is still here.
The top two guys will most likely be Kalen King and Jonny Dixon. King was a starter last season, and Dixon played while Porter was out. Without Porter in 2022, the team did just fine, and now these two players have experience playing together on game day. King has played two seasons with the Nittany Lions. In 2022, King had 30 combined tackles, 23 of which were solo, and three tackles for loss, according to Sports Reference. King also had 16 pass deflections, three interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
King will definitely be a player to watch in 2023. He will be in his third year, and those interested in the NFL draft should definitely keep track of him throughout the season. As for Dixon, he has also been with the Nittany Lions for two seasons. He did play in all 13 games in 2022, but fewer minutes. Last season, Dixon had 23 combined tackles, 17 of which were solo, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks, according to Sports Reference. Dixon also had ten pass deflections, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. Dixon is expected to make a big jump next year and will be important to watch.
Penn State WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (1) – Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports
3: New Wide Receivers With a New Coach
The Penn State Nittany Lions parted ways with their wide receivers coach following the 2022 season and hired Marques Hagans. The university also had Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley enter the 2023 NFL draft. Now the team will have a new wide receivers coach and new receivers. Also having a new quarterback means the offense will look pretty different. Of course, the running backs and offensive coordinator are the same, but the receiving game will still be something to watch for.
Hagans was most recently the wide receivers coach for Virginia and has been in that position since 2013. Virginia ended the season with an average of 221 passing yards per game in 2022, according to Sports Reference. It will be interesting to see how this translates to Penn State, who had an average of 252.5 passing yards per game, according to Sports Reference. Between Hagans and Allar, the wide receivers are expected to do well next year.
The team still has KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who will be entering his fourth year with the Nittany Lions, and he will be the most experienced receiver. In 2022, Lambert-Smith had 24 receptions for 389 yards and four touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. He did play in all 13 games and had a great Rose Bowl appearance. Next will be to see which receivers step up with Lambert-Smith.
4: Can Singleton and Allen Both Reach 1,000 Rushing Yards?
The Penn State Nittany Lions had a big run game in 2022, and it was a surprise. The reason there was a shock is because the top two running backs were both true freshmen. The way they played, it would have been assumed they were in their final years with Penn State. With that being said, one thing to watch in 2023 will be if they can both individually reach 1,000 rushing yards. If both Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen remain healthy, it is very much possible.
In 2022, Singleton did manage to rush for over 1,000 yards. In total, he rushed for 1,061 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. In year two, there is no reason to believe that he could not do it again. Allen did not quite get there, but he can next year. In 2022, Allen rushed for 867 yards and ten rushing touchdowns, according to Sports Reference. If there were just one more game, Allen would have gotten the 1,000 yards. That being said, next season, everyone should watch for both players to reach that mark.
Penn State RB Kaytron Allen (13) – Joe Hermitt
5: Can the Defensive Line Dominate?
While Penn State has a strong defense, their defensive linemen actually had fewer sacks than the other positions. The player on the line who had the most sacks in 2022 was Demeioun Robinson, who had 5.5 sacks, according to Sports Reference. The pressure that the line puts does help the other position, but it would be better if the defensive line could get more hits on the quarterback.
It will also be year two with Manny Diaz as the defensive coordinator for Penn State. Diaz did a standout job in 2022 and is expected to do even better next year. Maybe he will draw up plays that will help the defensive line look even better in 2023. The line will be something to watch next year as the defense will try to dominate opposing offenses.
The season for the Penn State Nittany Lions will begin September 2nd against West Virginia. Be sure to watch for these top five aspects of the season to happen.
