Another Penn State Football season nears, the 11th under James Franklin. There’s a bit of a buzz growing, and for good reason.
New seasons bring new opportunities and the chance to see the Nittany Lions erase the memories we harbor of that Peach Bowl loss to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Conversations about the 2024 version of this team involve incoming transfers like Julian Fleming (Ohio State), Jordan Mayer (Wisconsin), Jalen Kimber (Florida). and A.J. Harris.
Those conversations also include discussions about what needs to happen to overtake Ohio State and Michigan.
Over these next two weeks, we’ll also see 16 preseason watch lists announced for postseason awards. Without looking we would have assumed that several Nittany Lions would find their way into a few discussions.
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Abdul Carter and Sal Wormley land on preseason watch lists.
As we close the book on July, the National College Football Awards Association hasn’t disappointed. Two Nittany Lions have been mentioned on two of the more notable preseason watch lists.
Defensive end Abdul Carter earns his spot as a potential Nagurski Trophy winner. 75 defensive standouts from 56 schools were named as contenders. Sal Wormley gets the nod as a candidate for the Outland Trophy.
The former award has been given annually since 1993 to outstanding NCAA defensive players. The latter has been awarded since 1946 and is given to the nation’s top interior offensive lineman.
Though both are worthy, if history is any indication, their path to their respective honors won’t be easy.
The last Nittany Lion to land on a preseason watch list and take home a trophy was the great Saquon Barkley. He captured the Paul Horning Award way back in 2017.
Hope springs eternal though. Fingers are most certainly crossed this way.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club and FWAA will announce finalists for the 2024 trophy on November 20th. The winner will be crowned on December 9th in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet. Outland Trophy finalists will be announced on December 3rd, and the winner will be announced on December 12th during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.
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