Where Penn State ranks in way-too-early top 25 projections for 2024 season
The 2023 college football season has come to an end and many have already turned the page to the 2024 season. That includes those who have begun to put out their early top 25 rankings heading into the new season.
With Penn State landing at No. 13 in the last AP top 25 poll of the season, let’s take a look at where Penn State has landed in early projections.
Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus — No. 8
Chadwick has Penn State the highest among the top 25s, citing Drew Allar and the new offense as potential reasons for optimism.
“The sophomore’s 87.1 PFF grade was a top-20 mark among FBS quarterbacks while the Nittany Lions finished outside the top-55 teams in both receiving (81st) and pass-blocking (60th) grades this year,” Chadwick wrote. “ ... The Nittany Lions also have a new offensive coordinator in Kansas’ Andy Kotelnicki to help Allar fully unlock his potential.”
While most sites used one person to rank, 247Sports had a panel. The Nittany Lions were ranked at No. 9 or No. 10 on every ballot, with Allar and the offensive talent as a reason for optimism under James Franklin.
“He’s got a pair of former elite running back signees returning for their junior campaigns, has made significant signings in the transfer portal and hopes Drew Allar, in Year 2 as QB1, blossoms into a feared threat at the position,” 247Sports’ Brad Crawford wrote.
Schlabach has the Nittany Lions just outside of the top 10 and said the program missed an opportunity to beat Michigan and Ohio State this year, citing their passing game as a pitfall this year. He added that the team’s two new coordinators, Kotelnicki and defensive coordinator Tom Allen, could help next year.
“There are some nice pieces coming back in quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and tight end Tyler Warren,” Schlabach wrote. “Both starting offensive tackles will have to be replaced, and the receiver room needs a serious upgrade. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz left to become Duke’s head coach and was replaced with former Indiana coach Tom Allen. The Nittany Lions will miss their two departing lockdown cornerbacks, but there’s enough talent returning for Allen to be successful in his first season.”
Paul Myerberg and Erick Smith, USA Today — No. 15
Myerberg and Smith have Penn State outside of the top 12, but gave reason for optimism, pointing to the offense as the side of the ball that will dictate how 2024 goes for the Nittany Lions.
“The factors that will determine Penn State’s offense in 2024?” they wrote. “What the Nittany Lions will get (if anything) at WR, how well they break in a rebuilt offensive line and whether QB Drew Allar will blossom under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who worked wonders in the same role at Kansas. If all goes right, Penn State could win the Big Ten or at least land an at-large playoff bid.”
Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports — No. 16
None of the rankings had Penn State lower than Dodd, who questions the impact Kotelnicki will have on Allar.
“There have been six offensive coordinators in the last 10 years for James Franklin,” Dodd wrote. “The talented Andy (Kotelnicki) is the latest. One issue? (Kotelnicki) is a master in squeezing most out of dual-threat QBs; Drew Allar is not that.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 1:35 PM.
