Penn State football is just weeks away from opening fall camp ahead of its August 31 season opener against West Virginia. We have already explored players with the most to gain from fall camp, but there are a number of players that have a lot to lose during fall camp as well.
Plenty of players on Penn State’s roster are heading into their final years of eligibility and are competing with younger players for playing time and starting positions.
If these players want to finish their careers strong and potentially earn themselves a shot at the NFL after Penn State, they will need to hold off the push of young talent with a strong fall camp.
Tive Penn State players who need a strong fall camp
1. Running back Cam Wallace
After listing running back Quinton Martin on the list of five players with the most to gain in fall camp, it should be no surprise to see Cam Wallace’s name on this list.
Even though Wallace is only a redshirt freshman in 2024, Wallace finds himself as the third most senior scholarship member of the Penn State running back room this season.
Wallace did not record any stats during his true freshman season, along with now departed teammate London Montgomery, as starting rising junior tandem Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen carried the load for Penn State and Trey Potts held the third running back position.
Heading into 2024, with Potts off to the NFL, the coveted third running back position will be vitally important for both Penn State in 2024 and for the winner of the position heading into 2025 where Penn State could be looking to replace both Singleton and Allen if they choose to leave for the NFL draft.
Fall camp is vitally important for Wallce this season as he risks being passed up by Martin or other freshman Corey Smith on the depth chart ahead of next year’s potential starting running back battle.
If Wallace wants to have the opportunity to compete for the starting spot next season, it is vitally important that he keeps ahead of Martin and Smith this fall.
Center Nick Dawkins
Nick Dawkins is one of the best personalities and a respected leader on the Nittany Lions 2024 roster. However, on the field, Dawkins will be pushed hard for the starting position at center this fall by both redshirt sophomore Vega Ioane and true freshman Cooper Cousins.
In his redshirt senior season, Dawkins must have a strong fall camp if he wants to earn a starting role and hold off his younger teammates ahead of the 2024 season.
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Cornerback Jalen Kimber
Cornerback Jalen Kimber enters 2024 as the most experienced member of the Penn State cornerback room, albeit with all of his experience coming at different SEC programs.
Even though Kimber enters the 2024 season with the most experience in the room, however, Penn State’s cornerback room is full of high-potential players with varying degrees of experience and recruiting hype of their own. With three starting positions open and plenty of playing time to be decided on, fall camp will be vitally important for Kimber to use his experience to hold off younger corners AJ Harris, Cam Miller, Zion Tracy, and Elliot Washington to finish his college career strong in the blue and white.
4. Kicker Sander Sahaydak
Kicker Sander Sahaydak came to Penn State as the number one kicker in the 2021 class, Sahaydak is now a redshirt-junior with very limited experience over the past three seasons.
Despite winning the starting kicking battle in 2023, Sahaydak missed on his first two attempts against West Virginia last fall, relegating him to number two on the depth chart behind Alex Felkins. Sahaydak converted all seven of his extra points on the season in limited action in relief of Felkins.
With redshirt freshman Ryan Barker and Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer involved in this fall’s competition, Sahaydak is running out of time to earn and keep the starting position now as a redshirt junior.
Wide receiver Omari Evans
Yes, wide receiver Omari Evans appears on both this list and the list of the players with the most to gain during fall camp.
This is because fall camp could be the difference between Evans earning a starting role at wide receiver this fall or being buried on the depth chart by younger players.
After a strong set of spring practices in 2023, wide receiver Omari Evans disappeared for much of the fall for whatever reason. After Mike Yurcich was let go as Penn State’s offensive coordinator, Omari Evans flashed his potential in Penn State’s final two regular season games, catching two long passes for 25 yards and 60 yards.
With offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki now running Penn State’s offense, Evans once again has the opportunity to prove he belongs on the field for the Nittany Lions in fall camp.
If Evans does not have a strong camp, summer enrollees Tyseer Denmark and Peter Gonzalez could push Evans on the depth chart and Evans could find himself buried behind younger options.
In just a few weeks, many of our questions surrounding Penn State’s 2024 roster will be answered during fall camp. However, some battles could continue through September. Nittany Central will keep you updated with all of the intel coming out of fall camp ahead of the season.
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