All the attention will be on Penn State’s headliners at Saturday’s Blue-White game. Fans will want to see Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming suit up in the blue and white. They’ll want to see Abdul Carter after his move to defensive end. And, naturally, new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and defensive coordinator Tom Allen will be looked at closely.
But Fleming, Carter and several veteran Nittany Lions will play limited reps or not play at all in the annual scrimmage at Beaver Stadium. And if I had to guess, Kotelnicki and Allen will keep things pretty vanilla so opposing coaches don’t have too much to work off of.
Still, there are plenty of Penn State players to watch on Saturday. Let’s take a closer look.
QB Ethan Grunkemeyer (No. 17): Drew Allar is the starter, and backup Beau Pribula will have a role in Kotelnicki’s offense. Unless both get hurt, Penn State shouldn’t need Grunkemeyer to play meaningful reps in 2024. But in the interim with Jaxon Smolik’s “significant” injury, the four-star early enrollee will be the team’s No. 3 QB. Grunkemeyer could also be the Nittany Lions’ starter as early as 2025. This is our first look at what he can do.
OL Cooper Cousins (No. 50): It’s rare for first-year offensive linemen to compete for reps, but Cousins will have that opportunity. That’s how impressive he’s been so far. Cousins, a four-star from Erie McDowell, is every bit of 6-foot-6, 320 pounds. He’s beginning his collegiate career at center but can play anywhere up front. Keep an eye on Cousins, who James Franklin believes will “put himself in position” to compete for a role in fall training camp.
OT J’ven Williams (No. 74): Let’s stay in the trenches. We didn’t see much of Williams last year; Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace manned the left and right sides with Drew Shelton operating as a swing tackle. Now, Fashanu and Wallace are off to the NFL, and Shelton — though he’s expected to start — missed all of spring ball with an injury. That has afforded Williams, the redshirt freshman five-star from Wyomissing, more reps at left tackle.
TE Andrew Rappleyea (No. 87): How about another highly-touted member of the 2023 recruiting class who was stuck behind veterans? Rappleyea was a top-50 recruit nationally, per on3, but appeared in only three games last year. Theo Johnson, Tyler Warren and Khalil Dinkins held it down. With Johnson off to the NFL and Warren not expected to play much on Saturday, expect to see plenty of Rappleyea, a smooth route-runner at 6-foot-4, 249 pounds.
Third-string running backs: Penn State has had fortunate injury luck with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen; neither of the bell-cow backs have missed significant time the last two years. But there needs to be a third tailback ready to go. Quinton Martin (No. 25) is the explosive early enrollee freshman who could be featured as a receiver. Cam Wallace (No. 26) and London Montgomery (No. 24) are the redshirt freshmen who didn’t see the field last year. I’ll have my eyes on all three this weekend with Singleton and Allen unlikely to be featured much.
WR Kaden Saunders (No. 7): Fleming can’t do it all by himself. At least one of Penn State’s young receivers has to emerge between now and the end of the season. Perhaps the spring game can be a launching off point for Saunders, who saw a decent amount of work out of the slot last year. The former top-100 prospect is now entering his third season.
DE Jameial Lyons (No. 19): Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton will replace Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac as the first-team defensive ends. But don’t forget about the talent behind them. Zuriah Fisher and Amin Vanover are quality pass-rushers while Lyons is a star in the making. The sophomore from Philly showed flashes of brilliance last year in games and on the practice field, enough for coaches and teammates to rave about him throughout the offseason.
LB Kaveion Keys (No. 48): Kobe King is a nailed on starter, and Tony Rojas, a breakout freshman this time last year, is pegged to start alongside him in what is expected to be a heavy 4-2-5 nickel defense under Allen. But Keys, despite playing in only two games last year, is another second-year player who could secure a rotational role with his speed and burst.
S Zakee Wheatley (No. 6): Wheatley had a promising 2022 season, living up to his “takeaway king” reputation with two interceptions and a forced fumble. Last year, Wheatley became more of a background figure as Jaylen Reed and KJ Winston established themselves as the team’s top options at safety. Well, according to Franklin, Wheatley is back making plays this offseason. If someone secures a pick or forces a fumble on Saturday, my guess would be Wheatley.
CB A.J. Harris (No. 4): Wisconsin tackle Nolan Rucci and Florida corner Jalen Kimber are worth keeping close tabs on this weekend. But the transfer not named Fleming I’m most intrigued by is Harris. The former five-star recruit comes to Penn State by way of Georgia, where he played in seven games as a true freshman. Harris, one of the top players in the portal, has showcased his athleticism and aggression this spring and could start come the fall.
