Four Penn State Football Players Named To Watch Lists

Penn State football players Drew Allar, Abdul Carter, Vega Ioane, and Dvon J-Thomas were all named to preseason watch lists Thursday afternoon.

Junior quarterback Allar was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Manning Award watch lists. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award recognizes the top upperclassman quarterback. The Manning Award, created by The Allstate Sugar Bowl, recognizes the top quarterback in the country. This is the only award that also judges postseason performances. Allar was already named to the Davey O ‘Brien Award and Maxwell Award watch lists for the upcoming season. He finished his first season as the starting quarterback with 2,631 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, while only throwing two interceptions.

Junior defensive end Carter was selected for the Lombardi Award watch list. The award was established in 1970 to be presented to a lineman who best represents the values of leadership, courage, performance, and discipline. Carter was already named to the Bednarik A ward , Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bronko N agurski Trophy , and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award watch lists. He tallied 104 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception, and nine pass breakups his sophomore season.

Ioane, an offensive lineman, and J-Thomas, a defensive tackle, were both named to the Polynesian Player of the Year Award watch list. The award is presented by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. With Ioane’s help last season, Penn State was able to rush at least 200 yards in five games. J-Thomas enters the 2024 season with 59 career tackles, including one forced fumble and two sacks.

The Nittany Lions will start their campaign for these awards at noon on Saturday, August 31, at West Virginia.