Ranking Penn State’s position groups on offense from most to least stable (2024)

With much production gone and preseason camp on the horizon, Penn State has an offense that will look a lot different than the one fans grew accustomed to seeing.

The Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders eras ended in the winter, and in their place is a quarterback competition and a running back job that has four challengers all looking for carries. The receiving corps, headlined by KJ Hamler, is young, and the projected starting left tackle has zero career starts.

Transition is inevitable in college football. Good recruiting can help minimize the impact of changes, and the offense has no shortage of personnel adjustments to keep working through. So, which offensive position group heads into camp with the most and least stability? I outlined them below and will dig into the defense and special teams on Monday.

1. Tight ends

Projected starter: Pat Freiermuth

Backups: Nick Bowers, Zack Kuntz, Brenton Strange

Overview: Freiermuth caught 26 passes for 368 yards and eight touchdowns last season as a freshman. His production was impressive, and if he takes the next step, the 6-foot-5, 256-pound standout could make a big impact for the new quarterback. Between Freiermuth and his backup, Bowers, this position group is proven. It also has added intrigue as Kuntz, a former four-star prospect, should be in line to take on a significant role. At 6-7, 243 pounds, Kuntz could bring a different dimension to the offense. Strange, the freshman who enrolled in January, will likely get his feet wet thanks to the redshirt rule, but with all the talent ahead of him, it’s difficult to envision him playing more than four games.

Best-case scenario: Freiermuth continues his upward trajectory and Kuntz takes on a bigger role, which leads to long-term stability for Tyler Bowen’s group. Bowers is a fifth-year senior who has helped solidify this group since he has been healthy, and the future is still young and bright beyond him. Getting Kuntz involved and Strange action when the game warrants it will help to develop depth.

Worst-case scenario: Bowers’ medical history kept him buried on the depth chart for years, and last season he was finally able to make that leap into a more consistent contributing role. This position has the depth to handle an injury, but nobody wants to see what this offense looks like without the safety net that is Freiermuth. Freiermuth is continuing to develop as a blocker, and the Bowers-Freiermuth combination needs to stay as healthy as possible.

Why the position is ranked here: James Franklin went as far as calling this group one that “jumps out.” There was no other position group on offense that he described with such a phrase at Big Ten Media Days. In a year of transition for the offense, the familiar face and returning production of Freiermuth has to be a welcomed sight.

2. Running backs

Projected starter: Ricky Slade

Backups: Journey Brown, Noah Cain, Devyn Ford

Overview: Penn State will use more of a committee approach than the past three years. With Brown not on campus this summer because of a violation of team rules, Slade is even more likely to get the first crack at the starting job. Still, all three of the top backs will play. The returning production is minimal, but these back’s skillsets are different. Brown has the speed that shattered state records in the 100-meter dash. Cain, who enrolled early, made it clear when he signed with the Nittany Lions that he didn’t plan on sitting around and showed in the spring he could push for carries. Ford, who enrolled this summer, won’t simply sit back, either. This group could be one of the most competitive on the team.

Best-case scenario: Slade, a former five-star recruit, take the reigns and looks like the next big-time Penn State back. Slade will need to have fewer fumbles than he did during his sporadic usage as a freshman, but if the depth continues developing here — and by the sounds of it and given the pedigree of players they have here, it should — a loaded group could return with everyone back and high expectations in 2020.

Worst-case scenario: It’s unclear if Brown will face any additional discipline for his violation of team rules once he returns to campus on Aug. 1. Should he miss any time in the season opener, what could be a setback for him could be a boost for Cain and maybe Ford, too. The most difficult scenario here is going to play out in the future if all four of these backs develop like they seem capable of. It’s a deep group, and it helps that Slade and Cain especially have experience sharing the load, but can Penn State keep everyone happy?

Why the position is ranked here: The entire offense is full of transitions, adding to the complicated nature of this exercise. But Penn State has recruited this position very well during Franklin’s time. Throughout the spring, seemingly whichever back they put in was productive. Slade and Brown have some game experience and some special teams experience, so they’re not entirely new, although they’ve never had roles this big.

3. Offensive line

Projected starters: LT: Rasheed Walker; LG: Steven Gonzalez; C: Michal Menet; RG: CJ Thorpe or Michael Miranda; RT: Will Fries

Backups: OTs Des Holmes, Anthony Whigan, Caedan Wallace; G: Bryce Effner, Saleem Wormley; C: Hunter Kelly, Juice Scruggs

Overview: The redshirt freshman Walker is expected to step in and lock down the starting spot at left tackle. Because of Walker’s familiarity with the left side, they plan to keep Fries at right tackle. Menet and Gonzalez lead the group as veterans on the interior. The right guard competition will be a focal point during camp and likely throughout the season. Penn State won’t rely on just five linemen and likes what it has with its top six. There’s quality depth here with the drop-off between starters and reserves not as drastic as it’s been in the past. Still, Franklin wants to see this group take a leap forward and wasn’t shy about saying so at media days.

Best-case scenario: The top six stay healthy all season with the backups picking up experience along the way. Of course, that’s usually not how this goes, as all it takes is one injury to throw this or just about any line out of whack. Walker’s development at left tackle is the most critical part of all this. If he’s fine, the rest of the line could be better than it’s been. In fact, it should be, with three players who have seen significant time returning.

Worst-case scenario: In a Big Ten loaded with quality defensive ends, Walker and Fries have their work cut out of them. If Walker struggles, it has the potential to greatly impact the rest of the offense. The former four-star prospect has been praised for his work behind the scenes, but he’s appeared in just four games to date and remains a relative unknown.

Why the position is ranked here: A new starter at left tackle is a challenge for any team. A new starter at right guard — even though both Thorpe and Miranda aren’t considered new or inexperienced players — adds to the challenge. Gonzalez, Menet and Fries give this group a solid foundation, but the line has been criticized a lot in recent years and will again have plenty of eyes on it.

“On the offensive line, I still think we’re going to be dependent on some young, some inexperienced players,” Franklin said. “We just need to take a next step there as a program. … We’ve gotta be more dominant and more consistent on both of our fronts and specifically on the offensive line.”

4. Quarterbacks

Projected starters: Sean Clifford or Will Levis

Backups: Michael Johnson Jr., Ta’Quan Roberson

Overview: Penn State heads into camp with a position battle between the redshirt sophom*ore Clifford and redshirt freshman Levis. Yes, this group is loaded with plenty of questions: What will Clifford’s improved athleticism look like? How quickly will the new quarterback be able to run the entire offense? What types of in-game adjustments can they make and how quickly can they do it? Plus, how well-equipped is the backup quarterback should they need to turn to him for any amount of time?

Would the Lions love to have Tommy Stevens still here whether to start or as added security? Absolutely. Their quarterback security blanket left, and Clifford had seven passing attempts last season. Levis has yet to appear in a game. But even though there are a lot of unknowns, there also isn’t much sense of panic coming from Penn State about this position.

Best-case scenario: Clifford lives up to the four-star billing and showcases his big arm and improved mobility. The best thing for Penn State is to have Levis right on Clifford’s hip, pushing him to be better and showing that the separation between the two isn’t much. With two true freshmen at the position, the meeting room is much younger than it’s been in the past, but these are all quarterbacks Ricky Rahne recruited. Because Clifford took the No. 1 reps this past spring and the No. 2 reps two springs ago, there is reason to believe the ultra-competitive QB makes this a seamless transition.

Worst-case scenario: Regardless of how Clifford and/or Levis plays this season, the worst scenario is that Penn State’s quarterback struggles while the one who got away, Stevens, lights it up at Mississippi State. There will be plenty of eyes on Stevens in Starkville. Should he secure the job running Joe Moorhead’s offense, the curiosity around why he transferred when he did and what he could have accomplished at Penn State will linger.

Why the position is ranked here: What the Lions lack in experience here they seem to make up for in confidence. By all accounts, Clifford has prepared like he’s the starter since he arrived on campus, so it’s possible that the moment isn’t too big for him. He’s learned behind Trace McSorley and stood up and told teammates after Stevens left that he wasn’t going to let them down. That sounds like a leader who believes he the right player for the job. Still, losing Stevens, regardless of where he was going to be on the depth chart, caused this position group to go from very stable despite the loss of McSorley to unstable with one trip through the transfer portal.

5. Wide receivers

Projected starters: KJ Hamler, Jahan Dotson, Justin Shorter

Backups: Daniel George, Cam Sullivan-Brown, Dan Chisena, Weston Carr, Mac Hippenhammer, Isaac Lutz, TJ Jones, John Dunmore

Overview: Hamler, a redshirt sophom*ore, is the veteran of a group that has a lot of potential with the former five-star Shorter and the sophom*ore Dotson. There is talent, but this position group as a whole faces a big-time remake. Plagued by drops last season, the receivers get a fresh start with a new position coach in Gerad Parker, and they could skyrocket from unstable to stable within a matter of a few games. The youth at this position makes it unknown how they’ll adapt, and they will have to do so with a new quarterback. Chisena and Carr, the latter a graduate transfer, will have roles, too, but to this point they haven’t done it in a regular season game here.

Best-case scenario: Shorter matches his recruiting ranking as the top receiver in his recruiting class and turns his big frame into big-time production. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Hamler, Dotson and Shorter all have strong seasons. Penn State needs to find ways to better utilize Hamler, and based on how it moved him around this spring, it will. If that carries over into the fall, this group could be fine.

Worst-case scenario: Nobody in the receiving corps wants to relive last season. Truly that had to be the worst-case scenario, as the drops were a big reason for killing drives and losing the quarterback’s trust. The jeers could be heard at the spring game when a ball hit the ground, so making sure that’s squashed early on would be a big confidence boost for those on the field and those in the stands.

Why the position is ranked here: If the head coach thinks this group is a question mark heading into camp — and he did — then it definitely is. The entire offense is littered with new faces and new contributors, and Penn State’s willingness to pursue the graduate transfer Carr made it clear that it needed a veteran in this group and that it had a hole to fill. There’s a lot of upside here, but how quickly potential turns into production will be key for the entire offense.

(Top photo of Pat Freiermuth: Abby Drey / Centre Daily Times / Getty Images)