The memories of Penn State’s 2024 season have not exactly faded into oblivion, but the pages are already being turned to focus on the upcoming 2025 season. Winter workouts have been underway, although with a modified approach following Penn State’s longest season in program history. Before you know it, spring football practices will begin and the Blue-White Game will welcome fans to Beaver Stadium for a live preview of the 2025 Nittany Lions. There will be plenty of familiar faces in key roles for next year’s team, but the spring will welcome some fresh storylines for a program with heightened expectations.
Here are a few key spring football storylines to follow as Penn State shifts its focus to the 2025 campaign.
1. Finding new targets in the passing game for Drew Allar
Starting quarterback Drew Allar made the decision to return for another season with the Nittany Lions rather than take his chances with the NFL draft. Allar returns with something to prove after a costly mistake at the end of the College Football Playoff semifinal helped lead to the demise of the postseason run against Notre Dame, and he also is looking to establish some new primary targets following a massive offseason of changes in the passing game.
Gone is All-American tight end Tyler Warren, and a number of wide receivers hit the transfer portal in search of new opportunities since the end of last season. Two transfer additions at receiver include former USC receiver Kyron Hudson and former Troy receiver Devonte Ross. Both should quickly be Penn State’s leading receivers in 2025. As for the tight end position, there should be some good opportunities for Luke Reynolds and Khalil Dinkins after each got some time on the field last season in relief of or as alternatives to Warren.
Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will focus on getting the passing game to be more consistent and having a second year to work with Allar and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien (and new assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley) could pay dividends for Allar and the entire passing game.
2. Jim Knowles taking over Penn State defense
Penn State made big headlines this offseason by hiring Jim Knowles away from Ohio State to lead the defense. After losing Tom Allen to a lateral move with more money at Clemson, Penn State called its shot and lured Knowles away from Ohio State following the national championship run by the Buckeyes. Penn State made like John Hammond and Jurassic Park and spared no expense to make the hire. Penn State backed up the Brinks truck for Knowles with an average yearly salary of $3.1 million, a value Penn State has never paid for a coordinator before.
Knowles inherits a defense that brings back some good quality pieces across the field including Dani Dennis-Sutton returning to the edge, a rising star linebacker in Tony Rojas, and emerging star safety Zakee Wheatley. Despite losing one of its best players on the entire roster, the Penn State defense should be more than capable of being among the best the Big Ten has to offer in 2025.
3. Stan Drayton take over the running game
While not quite as notable a staff change as the addition of Knowles, Penn State did have to replace a high quality assistant coach position this offseason when Ja’Juan Seider decided to leave for Notre Dame. Filling the running backs coach position on the staff is former Temple head coach Stan Drayton, who brings a reputable track record in developing running backs and allowing them to reach their full potential.
Drayton will get to work with a powerful running back duo with the returns of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Getting both backs to commit to coming back in 2025 is a massive development for Penn State in the age of the transfer portal and potential discussions about entering the NFL draft this year ongoing at the end of the season.
4. Healthy Zuriah Fisher taking over for Abdul Carter?
We can dive into a number of position battles as we get into the spring practice swing of things, but one position that is clearly in the spotlight will be the edge position opposite of Dani Dennis-Sutton. That is the spot previously held by Abdul Carter, who is heading off to the NFL to be a potential top draft pick. The most likely candidate to fill his shoes as best as possible in 2025 will be Zuriah Fisher, who is looking to make up for lost time after losing the 2024 season to an injury. Fisher was expected to be a big contributor to the defensive line last season, but the injury put those expectations on the shelf.
All indications this winter have suggested Fisher is ready to get back into the mix and be a defensive leader on the edge in the fall. That is a terrific sign after what transpired last year. Nobody on this roster may be on the level of Carter, but Fisher has potential to be a significant factor in the defensive efforts this season.
5. Sending the right message and setting the tone for 2025
Head coach James Franklin has been on an ongoing mission to elevate Penn State into the elite status in the sport since his arrival. The program got a taste of that life in 2016 with a surprising run to a Big Ten championship and continued that high level of play the next couple of seasons, but that had been the height for the program for a number of years. But last year gave this program another taste of the good life college football has to offer. Penn State played for a Big Ten title and took advantage of the new College Football Playoff format to advance to the semifinal round and come within a few points of playing for a national championship. The bar has been set but has not been cleared.
It can be dangerous to go all out on a national championship mission in spring, but now is also the time to learn from the previous season and improve where needed to give the best possible chance to take the next steps next season. For Penn State, the ingredients for a big year are being stirred right now, and the national expectations for Penn State have been raised. But as has so often been the case over the last decade, it is up to Penn State to prove it belongs in the conversation with the true national title contenders.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Penn State football spring football this year
