With less than two weeks until Penn State kicks off against Nevada at Beaver Stadium, the PSU is are putting the finishing touches on what’s expected to be a memorable season.
A big reason pertains to the number of stars back on the roster after decisions to enter the draft or the transfer portal ultimately fell on deaf ears.
On Wednesday, ESPN ranked its top 100 players in college football. Penn State was well represented.
Four players on offense and three on defense comprise the players who made the cut, put together by five ESPN insiders.
Running back Nicholas Singleton (No. 15) is the highest-rated Penn State player, followed by quarterback Drew Allar (No. 17) two spots later.
Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry during his junior year and scored 17 touchdowns. He ranked No. 80 on ESPN’s 2024 postseason rankings after helping PSU reach the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Allar is 23-6 the past two years and was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List earlier this week.
A projected first-round pick next spring, Allar threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, and improved his running abilities. Allar rushed for career bests in yards (302) and touchdowns (six) in 16 games.
Edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, No. 26, is the highest-ranked defensive player. He doesn’t have the luxury of Abdul Carter on the opposite side, but the end of 2024 proved a breakout campaign for the No. 1 pass rusher.
Dennis-Sutton had two sacks against Notre Dame and 4.5 total in the CFP. He finished the year with 42 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. 6.5 of Dennis-Sutton’s sacks came in the final seven games and has a chance to take another big step in Jim Knowles’ defense as one of the main leaders on defense.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The other half of the two-headed monster in the backfield comes in at No. 34. Kaytron Allen led Penn State in rushing with 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. Allen and Singleton have a chance to finish as the top two leading rushers in program history, each rushing for over 2,800 yards to date.
Allen averaged 7.9 yards per carry against Boise State and is a downhill runner not afraid to barrel over people. The duo is the best backfield in college football and will be relied on in year two of Andy Kotelnicki’s offense to carry the lumber with Allar.
Defensive tackle Zane Durant (No. 72) made a name for himself in 2024 and was the first Penn State player to announce his return following the semifinal loss to Notre Dame. Durant, another senior, registered 42 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and three sacks. Of all returning d-linemen in the Big Ten, Durant recorded the most pressures (26) of any the last two seasons.
Guard Vega Ioane cracks the top 75 and is the sixth Penn State player to be regarded as in the top three quarters of the ranking. Ioane, No. 74, didn’t allow a sack last year in more than 900 snaps. Ioane showed his versatility throughout the season, including pullout blocks against UCLA pancaking defenders and electrifying the Beaver Stadium crowd.
Senior safety Zakee Wheatley is the last Penn State player to make the countdown at No. 85. Wheatley totaled 95 tackles, four passes defended, and three interceptions in his first full year as a starter.
He earned VRBO Fiesta Bowl Defensive Player of the Game honors in the CFP quarterfinals thanks to an interception and fumble recovery.
Surprisingly, junior corner A.J. Harris didn’t make the list. Harris is projected to be a first or second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
Singleton and Allar were the only Penn State players listed in the 2024 postseason rankings.
Penn State opens the season hosting Nevada on August 30.
