Penn State Football: 3 Players with Most to Gain During Fall Camp
Penn State Football opened fall camp this week ahead of a pivotal season for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State opens the 2025 season in less than a month, with many analysts believing the Nittany Lions are one of the top teams in the country.
While many of Penn State’s starting positions for the season are already decided thanks to an “all-in” effort to bring back many of Penn State’s stars from the 2022 recruiting class for their respective senior seasons, there are still a number of positions to figure out before the season kicks off against Nevada.
Here are 3 players with the most at stake for the Nittany Lions in fall camp.
Penn State Players with the Most to Gain During Fall Camp
Offensive Tackle Nolan Rucci
Nolan Rucci began the 2024 season locked in a battle with Anthony Donkoh for the starting position at left tackle.
However, a few games into the season, Rucci found himself on the losing end of the battle and relegated to a reserve role for the majority of conference play.
Rucci’s luck turned toward the end of the regular season when Anthony Donkoh went down with an injury that forced Rucci into a vital starting role throughout Penn State’s playoff run.
Rucci made the most of the opportunity, becoming one of Penn State’s best offensive linemen down the stretch playoff run and putting himself back into the conversation for the starting position heading into 2025.
After transferring from Wisconsin after three seasons with the Badgers, Rucci only has one more season of college eligibility remaining. That puts even more pressure on Rucci to win the job this time against Anthony Donkoh.
The 2025 season will be the former five-star’s last chance to impress NFL scouts with the improvements he showed to the end of last season and make a push for the 2026 NFL draft.
Defensive end Enai White
Enai White continued the trend of former top Pennsylvania prospects returning to play for Penn State after years away at another college program. The Texas A&M transfer is now in his fourth year of college eligibility with relatively nothing to show for it. Unlike Rucci, White does have another year of eligibility available after this season. That does not make this camp any less vital for White, however.
Penn State is looking to fill a massive void at defensive end this season after the number three overall pick, Abdul Carter, heads to his rookie season with the Giants.
To further the Nittany Lions’ issue at the position, Max Granville, who was expected to push for a starting spot or major role in the rotation, was lost to a long-term injury earlier this year.
This will put pressure on sixth-year senior Zuriah Fisher to make a major step up after an injury cost him the 2024 season. It will also put pressure on other players like White and the cohort of freshman to step up.
For White, it is pivotal that he uses fall camp to keep himself above the freshman Jaylen Harvey, Yvan Kemajou, and others. Even with another year of eligibility, if White is passed by the younger players on the roster, it will be uphill battle to salvage the remaining part of his college career and make a case for the NFL.
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Wide Receiver Liam Clifford
Liam Clifford carved out a nice role in the wide receiver room after following his brother Sean Clifford to campus.
Although he has never been the best athlete on the field, Clifford used his consistency to carve out a role and start on the offense for most of the 2024 season.
However, now that Penn State brought in three new transfer receiver to revamp the production of the receiver room, Clifford is at risk of falling out of the rotation and seeing his playing time disappear in 2025. Not only does Clifford have to show why he should earn targets over the three transfer receivers, but Clifford is also facing stiff competition from Penn State’s freshman and redshirt freshman, who are a bit more athletic than Clifford.
A strong fall camp could see Clifford remain in the rotation at wide receiver and potentially carve out a role on the offense in 2025. However, if Clifford does not have a strong camp, he could find himself buried on the depth chart below the transfer receivers and up-and-coming younger players.
With Penn State’s schedule in 2025 set with a soft non-conference schedule to begin the season, many of the position battles for starting spots or playing time could bleed over into the first three games.
However, with Oregon coming to town in late September for the White Out, Penn State will want to shake off any rust and be ready for a major test within the first month of the season.
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Micah Parsons Makes Stunning Trade Request: Best Fits for Former Penn State Star
Predicting Penn State Football’s Top 3 Position Battles of Fall Camp (and the Winner of Each)
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