Who will break out for Penn State? Will they win the Big Ten? Our 2025 season predictions

It’s officially game week, with Penn State kicking off its season Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium against Nevada.

Who will be the most valuable players this year? Who will break out? How far will the Nittany Lions go?

Let’s take a look with our season preview roundtable.

Offensive MVP

Jon Sauber: Offensive line

Yeah, yeah I know everyone else picked one player. But it’s impossible for me to ignore the identity of this team. The Nittany Lions are going to win offensively by being the more physical unit. Yes, that does mean Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are set to have big seasons on the ground, but there’s a reason for that — this offensive line might be the best in the country. From left to right, Drew Shelton, Vega Ioane, Nick Dawkins, Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci is just about as good as it gets. Then you add in Cooper Cousins, who can play anywhere along the interior, and now you’re cooking with gas. This group has six starter-level players and all six of them could find themselves playing in the NFL soon enough. It shouldn’t be a surprise when they keep quarterback Drew Allar’s jersey clean and pave the way for Singleton and Allen to have monstrous 2025 seasons.

Josh Moyer: QB Drew Allar

Sometimes, the obvious pick is the right pick. With a two-headed monster at running back and no clear No. 1 receiving threat, the opportunity for Allar to stand out is unlike anywhere else on this team. It’s now or never for Penn State — but it’s also now or never for Allar. I tend to think he cements his status as a first-round NFL draft pick and all-conference quarterback. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is too creative, and Allar too talented, for this passing game to be grounded.

Bret Pallotto: RB Nick Singleton Not counting quarterbacks, no other active college football player has more career touchdowns than Singleton. With 41 to his name, the senior has a legitimate chance to bypass Saquon Barkley’s 53 total touchdowns. Better yet for the Nittany Lions, he’s been a bigger threat in the passing game every year. When they need a big play, look for No. 10 to get the ball.

Defensive MVP

Sauber: CB A.J. Harris

There are four really good choices here, between defensive linemen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant and defensive backs Zakee Wheatley and A.J. Harris. They should all have a chance to be — and could end up being — All-Big Ten first team players come December, but I’m going with Harris. He’s in his second year with the program after transferring in from Georgia and continued to improve as the 2024 season went on. Harris has been effusive with praise for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and I think Knowles is the perfect candidate to take the cornerback to the next level. In fact, I’d anticipate Harris being in the conversation for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation’s top defensive back.

Moyer: CB A.J. Harris

I fault no one for choosing DE Dani Dennis-Sutton or DT Zane Durant, but I’m taking a different tack here. Harris is one of the country’s best defensive backs and, unlike those on the defensive line, teams can’t limit his impact with double-teams. Harris has the ability to shut down one side of the field, and he reportedly allowed just one touchdown over nearly 400 snaps last season. He’ll impress fans even more this year. One analyst from Pro Football Focus already named him the top corner in next year’s NFL draft, and it’s difficult to overestimate his importance to this team.

Pallotto: S Zakee Wheatley After selecting Wheatley as the team’s defensive breakout player last year, I’m doubling down. He played in all 16 games, tied for first in interceptions (three) and finished third in tackles (96). Looking for more reason to believe? In the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, he racked up 16 tackles, an interception and a sack. That’s your MVP.

Breakout player

Sauber: DE Chaz Coleman

Going with a true freshman who didn’t even enroll early is probably an eyebrow-raiser, but I think that says more about just how good Coleman can be. He wasn’t a heralded recruit, but the Nittany Lions still had to fend off Ohio State late because of his immense upside. And he’s already tapped into that upside, even impressing Knowles, who nicknamed him the “Chaz-manian Devil.” Coleman should have a role as a situational pass rusher at the very least this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s discussed as one of the best players on the defense by the time the 2026 season rolls around.

Moyer: TE Luke Reynolds

Hey, Tyler Warren was my pick here last season — so I’m sticking with the tight end position group. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki plays up to his team’s strengths, and there’s reason to believe the Nittany Lions will play with a lot of 12 personnel this season. Because Reynolds is largely seen as the team’s best receiving tight end, he’ll have an opportunity here. The 40-yard dash for the 6-foot-4 target was reportedly clocked in the 4.5s in high school, and Reynolds presents a lot of matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. If anyone can exploit that, it’s Kotelnicki.

Pallotto: K Ryan Barker Is Barker going to be banging five field goals a game? Probably not. But could he become one of Penn State’s most reliable kickers in program history — the type that could be the difference between winning or losing a game or two? Possibly.

Season prediction

Sauber: 11-1 (CFP berth, Big Ten title berth)

This is going to be a common projection for Penn State — 11 regular season wins with the Nittany Lions splitting their matchups at Ohio State and at home against Oregon — but it’s all about what happens after that. I have them losing to the Buckeyes in the regular season, but avenging their loss in the Big Ten title game to earn a first round bye in the College Football Playoff, before earning a win in the second round over South Carolina. That’s when a semifinal rematch against Notre Dame goes Penn State’s way, setting up an all-Big Ten national title matchup between Ohio State and Penn State — where the Buckeyes win the rubber match.

Moyer: 11-1 (CFP berth, Big Ten title berth)

The Nittany Lions boast one of the strongest rosters in the country but, as ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum so eloquently noted, James Franklin is still the head coach. I see the Nittany Lions making waves this season and even knocking off Ohio State on the road, but I see them coming up short when it counts — in both the Big Ten title game and in the CFP. My prediction is Penn State again falls in the CFP semifinal, as it’s just tough to trust a track record littered with missed opportunities and blown chances.

Pallotto: 11-1 (CFP berth, Big Ten title berth) If you’ve made it this far, you don’t need me to tell you all the things Penn State has going for it: Talent, experience, a pair of well-regarded coordinators and a top X coach (You pick a number, I’m not here to get yelled at). But Franklin’s record against top 10 teams is so abysmal it’s hard to ignore. Things change, of course, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Time will tell — 147 days to be exact.

This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 9:12 AM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.