Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) carries the ball during Penn State football's game against Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 33-24.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford (14) catches the football as he prepares to make a play during the annual Blue-White game in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
Running back Keyvone Lee (24) rushes for a touchdown in the first half during Penn State football's Stripe Out game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The Nittany Lions shutout the Hoosiers 24-0.
Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) scores a touchdown during Penn State football's game against Villanova at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 38-17.
Tight end Theo Johnson (84) smiles during Penn State football’s White Out game against Auburn at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Tigers 28-20.
The No. 10/12 Nittany Lions celebrate after defeating no. 22/20 Auburn, 28-20 in the White Out game on Saturday night September 18, 2021. Photo by Mark Selders
Villanova’s quarterback Daniel Smith slides as linebacker Kobe King (41) pursues him during Penn State football’s game against Villanova at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 38-17.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (9) dives at Indiana’s Stephen Carr during Penn State football’s Stripe Out game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The Nittany Lions shutout the Hoosiers 24-0.
Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) carries the ball during Penn State football's game against Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 33-24.
With Big Ten Media Days officially upon us, football season is inching closer and closer.
The annual mass media event, held in Indianapolis this year, might be good to learn a handful of things about the conference itself (Commissioner Kevin Warren spoke Tuesday), while in all reality, there won’t be much to learn about any of the 14 teams represented in Indianapolis this week.
If we’re being honest, there’s probably a lot that James Franklin doesn’t even know about the team he’ll field in 2022, with plenty of questions still needing to be answered when training camp rolls around on Aug. 1.
That means there are plenty of things to speculate about before the Nittany Lions hit the field against Purdue on Sept. 1.
There’s a high number of returning starters for Penn State this fall, including main contributors like Sean Clifford and Ji’Ayir Brown. But who are the X-factors? If Penn State is going to be successful, who needs to perform well?
“Most important” doesn’t mean the same thing as “best” for Penn State this fall. At a number of positions, the Nittany Lions know what they’ll get from the top guy on the depth chart, but someone a bit further down could be a major difference maker.
Here, we’ll take a look at the most important player at each position for Penn State entering the 2022 season.
It’s the easiest and most obvious answer.
As Clifford goes this fall, so will the Nittany Lions. That’s not to say there aren’t extraneous factors there, as an improved offensive line and run game paired with another stout defense will help the sixth-year signal caller succeed.
However, this is Clifford’s last chance to make good on all of the “this is the year he takes the next step” discourse that has been circulating since the end of the 2019 season.
He passed for a career high with 3,107 passing yards in 2021 and finished with the second-most passing touchdowns of his career with 21. Getting hurt at Iowa derailed Clifford’s and Penn State’s campaign completely. But it’s important not to ignore what Clifford was doing prior to the injury rather than focus on the failures of the second half of the season.
The turnovers and occasional poor decision making was still there, evidenced by the interception he threw deep in his own territory on Penn State’s very first offensive snap against the Hawkeyes. However, Clifford was noticeably more confident as a passer, reading defenses much more efficiently and hitting difficult passes more often.
Having the same offensive coordinator two years in a row for the first time in his career can only help, too.
It’s tempting to put Christian Veilleux’s name in this spot as the fail safe should Clifford falter, but let’s be honest: Clifford is one of, if not the biggest, key to Penn State’s success in 2022.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford (14) catches the football as he prepares to make a play during the annual Blue-White game in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
The people want to see true freshman Nick Singleton, the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year, light it up as soon as he hits the gridiron for the first time. Penn State could use it, too, considering things haven’t been the same since Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders moved on to the NFL.
Singleton may be ready for it. The general consensus among teammates and coaches is that he doesn’t look like a true freshman should, and it’s true, he really doesn’t. It would be a more than welcomed sight if Singleton reached the 1,000-yard mark like Barkley did as a freshman in 2015.
However, Keyvone Lee is the X-factor for Penn State.
Running back Keyvone Lee (24) rushes for a touchdown in the first half during Penn State football's Stripe Out game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The Nittany Lions shutout the Hoosiers 24-0.
Lee doesn’t get enough credit for how good of a running back he really is. He doesn’t have the most top-end speed in the country, but he’s a strong, powerful runner who has enough burst to get to and through holes in a hurry.
The problem? He didn’t have many holes in 2021 or 2020, the year he led Penn State in rushing as a true freshman once Noah Cain went down with injury. Barkley probably would have struggled to run behind the 2021 Nittany Lion offensive line.
It remains to be seen if the offensive line is improved in 2022. The early returns seem to say it will be, but the fact still remains that Penn State needs Lee to realize his potential this fall.
Singleton is the future, there’s no doubt about it. But Lee can be a successful three-down running back, leaving Singleton in an ideal position to see the field as a true freshman but not so much so that he doesn’t have time to develop.
After all, you’d almost always rather lean on a third-year bell cow than a first-year running back.
Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley have and will continue to get most of the headlines as Penn State tries to replace Jahan Dotson in the wide receiver room.
However, Washington has proven on multiple occasions, including the Outback Bowl, that he should have no issues being a No. 1 receiver this fall. Meanwhile, Tinsley finished eight in the nation with 1,402 receiving yards in 2021. Penn State pretty much knows what to expect from those two in 2022.
That’s where KeAndre Lambert-Smith comes in.
Lambert-Smith has been the primary third option for Clifford since his true-freshman season in 2020, but he has yet to put up numbers that truly catch the eye. He caught 34 balls for 521 yards and five touchdowns, including an 83-yarder against Villanova.
Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (13) scores a touchdown during Penn State football's game against Villanova at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 38-17.
In this spring’s Blue-White game, Lambert-Smith looked like he might be ready for that next step. He was explosive out of the slot, ran solid routes and showed off strong hands. He also made a uniform switch from No. 13 to No. 1, which may be some kind of personal statement that he’s ready to fulfill an expanded role in 2022.
If Lambert-Smith can largely stabilize the slot receiver position for Penn State, wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield has a really good group on his hands. That’s without even mentioning the likes of Malick Meiga, who could turn into the Nittany Lions’ best option deep down the field.
Fellow tight end Tyler Warren said last fall that Theo Johnson had been clocked with a 4.51 40-yard dash. That’s an absurd amount of athleticism for a tight end, especially considering Johnson measures at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds.
It’s time Penn State and Mike Yurcich put that freakish level of athleticism to good use.
As a sophomore in 2021, Johnson caught 19 passes for 213 yards and one touchdown. Warren and Brenton Strange had similarly underwhelming numbers from the tight end spot, while the group’s run blocking was a noted deficiency that got slightly better as the year went on.
All three tight ends are good enough to play at just about any school in the country. The tight end room as a whole deserves heavier involvement in Penn State’s offense this fall. But it’s absurd to let a weapon like Johnson go to waste.
Tight end Theo Johnson (84) smiles during Penn State football’s White Out game against Auburn at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Tigers 28-20.
Former Penn Stater and current Miami Dolphins star Mike Gesicki comes to mind, who also stands at 6-foot-6. He’s put together back-to-back seasons with high production, and the Dolphins have opted to line him up as a wide receiver often to maximize his potential. Maybe Penn State can take notes.
The entire offensive line had a rough 2021 season, but Caedan Wallace had an especially tough campaign at the right tackle spot.
He was transitioning from primarily playing guard, and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein admitted this summer that the year was hard on Wallace as he played a full season for the first time in addition to the position switch. To the same token, though, Trautwein highlighted Wallace as one of the most impressive linemen coming out of spring ball.
Considering his struggles in 2021 and two promising young tackles in Olu Fashanu and Landon Tengwall, there was some level of expectation that Penn State may try to switch Wallace back to guard, the position he was recruited at. That didn’t happen, and he’s entering training camp as a lock to start at right tackle.
There are a lot of things that need to go right up front this fall. Fashanu and Tengwall could have starting spots for the first time, while a healthy Sal Wormley and transfer Hunter Nourzad factor into the conversation at both guard spots. Center Juice Scruggs is the only player who doesn’t present a major question mark, as he was solid for most of the 2021 campaign at both center and right guard.
Wallace’s struggles were simply the most notable of all of the offensive linemen in 2021, and Penn State is betting on his improvement by keeping him at right tackle, which makes him the most important player to the group’s success this fall. However, the group as a whole needs to be a major catalyst for the Nittany Lions.
Two players who missed significant time last season with injury, PJ Mustipher and Adisa Isaac, should be back and ready to go by Week 1 this fall. Those are two massive additions for Penn State who will immediately shore up some of the struggles Penn State had in both pass rush and controlling the run.
The No. 10/12 Nittany Lions celebrate after defeating no. 22/20 Auburn, 28-20 in the White Out game on Saturday night September 18, 2021. Photo by Mark Selders
To go along with Mustipher and Isaac, Penn State added blue-chip Maryland transfer Chop Robinson at defensive end, and defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon should be back after last year’s mystery absence. Redshirt junior Dvon Ellies and redshirt sophomore Coziah Izzard gained valuable experience in Mustipher’s absence last season, too.
The defensive line is a very deep room in 2021, but if there’s one concern, it’s pass-rushing depth on the edge. Isaac will perform, and Penn State hopes Robinson can fully develop into his potential after showing flashes in his one year at Maryland.
The Nittany Lions need Nick Tarburton to take a step forward in his second year coming off of the edge. He picked up one sack, four tackles for loss and a notable fumble recovery in Week 1 at Wisconsin last season.
Tarburton was adequate alongside Arnold Ebiketie and Jesse Luketa in 2021 — nothing more, nothing less. The Penn State coaching staff has acknowledged that he needs to improve his pass rush, mixing in some new hand techniques to get to the quarterback at a higher clip.
Past Isaac, Robinson and Tarburton, the defensive end room is a major unknown. Zuriah Fisher is out for the season with injury, while Smith Vilbert came out of nowhere to record three sacks in the Outback Bowl. But is that sustainable throughout the 2022 season?
Tarburton needs to be a force for Penn State in order to ensure depth issues on the outside don’t rear their ugly head midseason.
It’s very tempting to put true freshman Abdul Carter’s name here after Franklin and Penn State coaches have spoken as highly of him as any new names on the roster.
With Luketa, Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks all on their way out of Happy Valley, the linebacking corps is decimated for Manny Diaz’s first season with the Nittany Lions.
Curtis Jacobs is the only guarantee at one of the outside linebacker spots. Penn State hopes Jonathan Sutherland’s transition to outside linebacker helps bring more consistency to his game, too. Meanwhile, the battle between Tyler Elsdon and Kobe King for the middle linebacker spot has been well-documented this offseason.
Villanova’s quarterback Daniel Smith slides as linebacker Kobe King (41) pursues him during Penn State football’s game against Villanova at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 38-17.
There are just 17 games of experience between the pair with varying levels of actual participation. For the first time in a while, “Linebacker U” has some big question marks.
King is younger, but he might be the better option to take over the starting job full time. He’s a block of a human being, filling out his 6-foot-1, 245-pound frame with plenty of muscle. He’s also sufficiently athletic and should do well to make tackles sideline to sideline.
But playing middle linebacker is a hefty job for a youngster, often needing to be the quarterback of the defense in addition to your own responsibilities. Jacobs and Sutherland should help in that area, but still, the lack of experience overall is daunting in this year’s linebacking corps.
Cornerback may be one of the few positions where best and most important overlap. Joey Porter Jr. has all of the potential and physical tools in the world, standing at 6-foot-2 with a lot of first-round grades in 2023 NFL mock drafts. However, he hasn’t put it all together yet, and penalties have been a massive bugaboo through two years as a starter.
This year, Porter Jr. is the unquestioned leader of the cornerback group with Tariq Castro-Fields moving on to the NFL. He’s pulling double duty now to not only succeed on his own but to pull younger players like Kalen King along with him.
King got a ton of playing time as a freshman last year, and he’s a player the coaching staff is extremely excited about. Daequan Hardy was one of the most underrated players on the team last year out of his nickel cornerback spot, too. Johnny Dixon and Marquis Wilson round out the depth in Penn State’s secondary.
It’s a strong group, but Porter Jr. needs to be the lockdown, No. 1 cornerback everyone expects him to be.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (9) dives at Indiana’s Stephen Carr during Penn State football’s Stripe Out game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The Nittany Lions shutout the Hoosiers 24-0.
Brown tied for the nation’s lead in interceptions last year and broke out in a major way. He should easily be an All-Big Ten nominee by the end of the year, and he could even sneak his way into the All-American conversation.
Next to Brown? There’s junior Keaton Ellis and a whole bunch of young or inexperienced players. And there’s a huge pair of shoes to fill in that spot, left by Jaquan Brisker.
It’s probably going to be a committee handling Brisker’s old responsibilities because players like Brisker don’t come around every year. He could cover, play up in the box to defend the run and read defenses with the best of them.
Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter has said this offseason, though, that he has three or four names he’s comfortable with playing alongside Brown. The most likely fits are Ellis, this spring’s takeaway king Zakee Wheatley and Jaylen Reed, who played in eight games as a true freshman and made six tackles.
Reed is a little bit of a bigger body who may do the best job of helping in the box, while Wheatley’s ball skills are becoming undeniable in his transition to safety from cornerback. However, Poindexter made sure people aren’t overlooking Wheatley’s aggressiveness when it comes to tackling.
Brown is a star, but Penn State won’t easily be able to replace Brisker’s production. Wheatley and Reed are both very young, but they’ve shown some serious promise in the defensive backfield. If they can step up this fall, the dropoff after Brisker’s departure may not be as big as it could be.
Who will be the Big Ten’s most feared signal caller this season?
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Max Ralph is the football editor of The Daily Collegian. He is a junior studying broadcast journalism with a minor in sports studies.
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