Trimmings: A closer look at Penn State’s position battles in camp on offense

Penn State are almost two weeks into preseason camp and the Nittany Lions are still fine-tuning a number of positions throughout the depth chart. Most position battles are far from completion at this point. As we’ve tried to hammer home, it’s still pretty early in camp.

Today we’re going to look at how some of the higher-profile position competitions are shaking out on the offensive side of the ball.

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Third Running Back

Penn State’s first two up at running back isn’t disputed, as Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are slated to get the bulk of the (expected) heavy workload ahead of them in 2024. But the Nittany Lions have done this before, so the staff is keeping both in check during camp for wear-and-tear purposes.

The open spot behind them, with Trey Potts moving on after last season, is focused on redshirt freshman Cam Wallace and true freshman Quinton Martin . This will be a theme throughout the piece, so keep in mind the best ability is availability. Wallace has been sidelined for a stretch of practices with an injury that doesn’t sound to be serious.

That’s given Martin the chance to step in and do some nice things. He had the offensive play of the day on Saturday with a big run and he’s coming along well. The talent is there, the consistency is still what they’re striving for with Martin. Of course, with every freshman running back, pass protection is a huge hurdle. There’s no doubt that he can run and catch the ball, but more consistency on a down-to-down basis is needed. Again, that’s to be expected.

Where things stand: Right now this one is still up in the air. Wallace had the edge early in camp, but his absence has opened the door for Martin to get some quality reps. Freshman Corey Smith has done some good things as well, but he’s still getting up to speed.

Second Tight End

Penn State’s search for depth at tight end doesn’t seem to be much of a gray area. Tyler Warren is first, Khalil Dinkins is second and Andrew Rappleyea is third. We think that all three will play. Dinkins and Rappleyea are fairly complementary pieces, so that’s not a surprise. Dinkins is a good football player who can be utilized in a number of ways. Personnel groupings will determine how many reps each can pull in.

Where things stand: There’s not much drama here, sorry. Dinkins looks to be the guy behind Warren, who is going to play a ton this fall. Rappleyea has done some good things, but the order seems pretty set right now. Freshman Luke Reynolds has been good as well, but there’s likely too much traffic in front of him to make that move.

Right Tackle

Penn State’s tackle situation continues to be a bit overlooked in general, but it’s something that we’re keeping an eye on. Saturday was a bit of an eye-opener, as Penn State’s pass rush was all over the quarterbacks during the scrimmage. Granted, going against Abdul Carter , Dani Dennis-Sutton and others is a good way to sharpen iron, but the group of tackles will have to continue its improvement.

On the right side, Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci continue to jockey for reps. Donkoh has been dinged at times and has been in and out of the lineup. That has kept this one close. Rucci has struggled with speed at times, but otherwise has been pretty steady.

Where things stand: Coming into camp, it seemed like Donkoh had a solid hold on this one with Rucci rotating in a decent amount. It still seems like Donkoh is the favorite, but he needs to stay available and on the field. If he can do that, the prior prognostication will likely be the case. The bottom line is that both need to keep getting better in the next few weeks. That’s a spot that needs to turn a corner.

Wide Receiver

Penn State’s wideouts have improved. We’ll say that upfront. That said, what’s that worth right now? The Nittany Lions are still trying to figure things out from a rotation standpoint.

Right now there are a few tiers. Trey Wallace and Liam Clifford have gotten a bit of separation and sit at the top of the list. Then there’s a little space between the next batch, which consists of Omari Evans and Julian Fleming . As Nate noted, Fleming had a good day on Saturday.

After that, it remains up in the air. Kaden Saunders was expected to be a part of one of those groups, but he’s banged up right now and has missed some time. Freshman Peter Gonzalez is in that category as well. Tyseer Denmark does some good things, but consistency is key for him. The same can be said for relatively young guys Anthony Ivey and Tyler Johnson .

Where things stand: Penn State continues to strive for consistency from top to bottom. It’s pretty clear that Wallace is the Nittany Lions’ No. 1 option at this point and he continues to flash. Clifford has been, as James Franklin would say, “steady Eddie,” and he’s elevated himself throughout camp. Evans and Fleming are lumped in that next gap even though they are nothing like each other. We could call them complementary pieces, but that’s kind of irrelevant at that position. Evans gives you more of a big play threat and could come into play in the short passing/running game. Fleming can still get open and be consistent. Not having Saunders hurts, as he did some good things in the first week of camp. Outside of a young guy making a leap, these look to be the four right now for the heavy usage.

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