Notes, photos and observations from Penn State football’s Saturday fall practice

By jsauber@centredaily.com

Updated August 4, 2025 12:15 PM

UNIVERSITY PARK

Penn State football continued fall camp Saturday with its third practice — opening a portion of it to the media.

What did we see on the practice fields outside the Lasch Football Building? Here are our notes, photos and observations four weeks out from the Nittany Lions’ season opener against Nevada in Beaver Stadium.

Penn State running back Katryon Allen and linebacker Dominic DeLuca drill during practice on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com

Practice notes and observations

Wide receiver Devonte Ross was in his helmet and shoulder pads, but did not do sled work when the rest of the receivers did. He did participate in routes on air — meaning routes without defenders — and still looks like he could be the team’s No. 1 option at receiver this fall.
Ross, Kyron Hudson and Trebor Peña are the team’s three new transfer receivers and all three look the part. Consistency will be key with that group and they seem to bring it from drill to drill, with Hudson coaching up younger players at times on Saturday during drills.
Peña should bring a baseline level of play from the slot the team has been missing in the last few years. He’s a smooth route runner, who should be able to reliably get open in the middle of the field.
Freshman receiver Koby Howard will be worth monitoring this fall. He’s one of the players who has a chance to play and potentially burn his redshirt in Year 1.
Tyseer Denmark extended and made a nice grab in the redzone routes on air portion of practice. He should crack the rotation for the Nittany Lions, especially with veteran receiver Kaden Saunders out with a long-term injury.
James Franklin said the backup quarterback job is still up for grabs and it’s easy to see why. Both Jaxon Smolik and Ethan Grunkemeyer looked good throwing on air and are miles ahead of freshman quarterback Bekkem Kritza.
That being said, Drew Allar is miles ahead of those two, as one would expect. He did a nice job of layering his throws to the corner of the end zone rather than trying to fire them in on a straight line. That’s going to be crucial for him this season as he tries to take the next step and solidify himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
When the team separated its running backs into groups to work with the quarterbacks, Cam Wallace went with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen to work with Drew Allar and the top group. That’s a good sign that Wallace is the third back right now, ahead of Quinton Martin Jr. and Corey Smith.
The most important note on the offensive line is that Anthony Donkoh was getting work at right guard. He was originally a guard before moving to tackle late in his freshman year, and his move inside could be a temporary fix to get both him and right tackle Nolan Rucci on the field.
Tight end Khalil Dinkins has been overlooked this offseason after Luke Reynolds’ emergence at tight end as a true freshman, but the veteran is still the best at the position on the roster. Dinkins is a good athlete and a physical blocker who impressed in perimeter blocking drills. That wasn’t the case with all of Penn State’s tight ends, and Franklin has prioritized using all-around tight ends in the past. It would be a surprise if Dinkins wasn’t the starter this fall, even with the high-upside players on the roster behind him.
Because of Franklin’s desire for all-around play, it wouldn’t be surprising if Andrew Rappleyea is TE2 this season ahead of Reynolds. Rappleyea suffered a long-term injury early in the 2024 season but now appears to be at full strength. He’s a big, physical player who uses that to his advantage in the passing game. He needs to refine his run blocking, but has the tools and the want-to to get there sooner rather than later.
Linebacker Amare Campbell is a little undersized but moves really well and has good instincts, taking advantage of some poor leverage by tight ends in perimeter blocking drills. He should be a factor this fall and will have a chance to start alongside Tony Rojas at linebacker. It’ll likely be him, Keon Wylie and Dom DeLuca competing for that spot, with DeLuca having an upper hand thanks to his experience.