With all the hype surrounding Penn State football’s offense under second-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and the reported $3 million used to sign defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State, the special teams unit will play a large part in the 2025 season.
Justin Lustig enters his second year as special teams coach with established players at every position.
Punter Riley Thompson is back for his senior year. Ryan Barker stepped in as the starting kicker against UCLA and made 15 of 18 kicks as a redshirt freshman. Long snapper Tyler Duzansky secures a clean sweep of returnees.
But what about at kick and punt returner? Those jobs are a little less clear.
Nick Singleton was Penn State’s primary kick returner last year, and fellow back Quinton Martin Jr. factored in the return unit.
“Right now, we’ll look at kick return and we’ll rotate Singleton and King Mack,” James Franklin said at his weekly press conference Monday. “We’ll rotate those two guys.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Mack transferred back to Penn State after a year at Alabama, a move Franklin referred to during the summer as a lesson for players to realize the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
“At punt returner, we’ve got a number of guys that we feel good about. Obviously, Zion (Tracy), Trebor Peña and Devonte Ross, those three guys. See how that goes,” Franklin said. “But I see all those guys getting touches and opportunities.”
Tracy became PSU’s main punt returner in 2024 and returned 15 for 87 yards (5.8 average). It was a drop off from Daequan Hardy’s 2023 campaign. The Penn Hills, Pa, native tied the school record with two punt returns for a touchdown in the same season.
While at Troy, Ross returned a 77-yard punt vs. Iowa and went untouched into the end zone. Peña returned punts at Syracuse and is a shifty receiver who could make an impact with field position.
Penn State hosts Nevada at 3:30 Saturday on CBS.
