Snyder: Penn State has reason to believe it's on cusp of a ‘special’ run (2024)

PASADENA, Calif. — This fall, as Olu Fashanu debated whether or not to leave for the NFL Draft, the Penn State left tackle kept coming back to a few key details. He’s still young, having just turned 20 last month. Fashanu said his family always viewed him getting to the NFL as a bonus. The educational piece was huge, and despite being a projected first-round pick before announcing plans to return to the Nittany Lions in 2023, there was something else that helped Fashanu make his decision.

He didn’t want to experience next season from afar.

The momentum for the 2023 season is already building both internally and externally. Penn State exceeded expectations at 11-2 with a Rose Bowl win in 2022. With a strong nucleus set to return and freshman quarterback Drew Allar waiting in the wings, many already have high hopes for the 2023 season swirling in their minds.

“With the team we have right now and the team that we’re going to have going into next year, I personally think that we have the potential to be even better than we were this year,” Fashanu said. “At the end of the day, I just want an opportunity to be a part of that too. I do think that we can be really special next year.”

Fashanu isn’t alone. The word “special” came up countless times in the past week during various media availabilities before and after Penn State’s victory against Utah. For a program that’s always harped on blocking out the noise of outside expectations and going 1-0 each week, this much is true about 2023: Penn State should enter the season as a top-10 team, and there’s good reason for optimism about what’s ahead. Monday night might’ve marked the start of a special run for this program.

The 2023 and 2024 seasons — when the likes of Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and linebacker Abdul Carter will be sophom*ores and juniors — has long been circled by fans. The fact that Penn State exceeded expectations while getting a young roster valuable experience this season only adds to the excitement.

But don’t just take my word for it.

“I’m expecting big things from Nick and (Allen) and Drew Allar, everybody,” center Juice Scruggs said Monday night in the bowels of the Rose Bowl stadium. “The Nittany Lions will be in the Playoff next year.”

Scruggs isn’t one to normally make bold statements like this. But before heading to EXOS training center in Florida in the coming days to begin NFL Draft prep, he didn’t hold back what he feels about the group he’s leaving behind. Scruggs said bypassing a sixth year, knowing that he could be part of a team with a strong Playoff shot, weighed heavy on his mind. He called it one of the hardest decisions of his life for that reason.

“We have all the talent in the world to do it,” Scruggs said. “We just got to put it all together and I think we’re ready to take that next step. I feel like next year would be that year.”

Inside Penn State’s celebratory locker room Monday night, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich reflected on KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s 88-yard touchdown reception. It’s the kind of play that could be the ultimate confidence boost for a player who has a chance to become the No. 1 receiver next season. A few feet away from Yurcich was running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. The ace recruiter whose unit is overflowing with talent grinned when asked about 2023.

“It’s scary because they’re just tapping in to it,” Seider said. “I already hear them talking about what they want to work on, about running routes and wanting to be better at that. Kaytron wants to work this offseason on his speed to be even faster than he is now. That’s what you want to hear. They still feel like they’re growing and now we really know how to use them too as coaches — that’s the scary part.”

He’s right. Penn State’s coaches entered this season believing Singleton and Allen would jumpstart a run game that flatlined in 2021, but the freshmen still had to go out and do it. They passed the test with flying colors. Singleton’s breakaway speed is eye-popping. Allen’s contact balance and patient running style make him a perfect complement to his co-starter and classmate.

The Penn State roster does have an abundance of talent on both sides of the ball. Though final NFL decisions have yet to be announced from linebacker Curtis Jacobs, defensive end Adisa Isaac and tight end Theo Johnson and roster surprises could still arise, Jacobs said the success of this team this season could factor into his decision.

“We set the blueprint,” Jacobs said. “It’s only up from here.”

As it pounded Indiana, Rutgers, Maryland, Michigan State and pulled away from Utah in the second half, Penn State showed it found a winning formula down the stretch. The offense was explosive again with Singleton, Lambert-Smith, Allen and Johnson all stepping up against the Utes. The defense continued creating takeaways as it did all season. Even with Joey Porter Jr. having a chance to be Penn State’s first first-round cornerback ever, there’s still so much talent returning to the secondary, as Kalen King showed on his interception.

There’s also defensive end Chop Robinson, the Maryland transfer who couldn’t wrap his head around how crazy this year was for him. He went from moving on from the Terrapins to opting to transfer to Penn State, where he’s emerged as the type of disruptive linemen the Nittany Lions needed.

Standing outside the locker room in his uniform, Robinson cracked a smile when asked what’s next for this program. The confetti was still on the field, the equipment truck not even loaded, when Robinson became the latest player to say that magic word.

“We’re looking at next year like, ‘OK, we made it this far now, next year we can really like take it to another level, a national championship,’” Robinson said. “That’s what we want, of course. If everybody keeps their head down, we work extra hard like we did this year, we’re going to be a special team.”

(Top photo of Nick Singleton: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Audrey Snyder has covered Penn State since 2012 for various outlets, including The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Patriot-News and DKPittsburghSports. Snyder is an active member of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) and is the professional adviser for Penn State’s student chapter. Follow Audrey on Twitter @audsnyder4