Penn State announced its team captains for the 2024 season on Saturday. Junior quarterback Drew Allar, redshirt senior offensive lineman Nick Dawkins, redshirt junior linebacker Dominic DeLuca, redshirt junior linebacker Kobe King, junior punter Riley Thompson and junior safety Kevin Winston Jr. will lead the Nittany Lions this fall.
In 2023, Coach James Franklin announced a trio of captains in the spring, but held off this year until it was clear and obvious who all the team’s leaders were. With just two weeks until Penn State’s Aug. 31 season opener at West Virginia, the program appears confident in the leadership abilities of these six players.
For the most part, there aren’t many surprises on the list. DeLuca was voted a captain for a second consecutive season, and every other player has defined themselves as vocal and significant on-field members of the roster.
However, there is a name likely more intriguing than any other. That’s Allar, who should be a shoe-in as a captain in his second year as a starter, but questions regarding his vocal presence made it unclear if he’d be selected. If Allar’s captain title says anything, it’s that the teammates who voted him in feel he’s worthy of it.
“I want to be that vocal leader for the team. I want to be on the same page as all the players and then be that communicator between the players and coaching staff and coaching staff to players, relaying whatever message I need to,” Allar said at the team’s media day on Aug. 3.
Allar has spoken with more confidence and conviction since the conclusion of last season. And so have a handful of Allar’s offensive teammates, one of whom — Dawkins — will serve as a captain alongside him.
Dawkins hardly saw the field over his first three seasons, but appeared in all 13 games in 2023. Whether he’s played or not, he’s always been a significant voice in the facility. Now projected to start at center, Dawkins will have an opportunity to lead from the field.
“I will say this about Nick Dawkins. He is one of them. And I have coached long enough to know when you’re interacting with a special person that’s in their early 20s or late teens, and he is a special one,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said.
Then there’s Winston, DeLuca and King to lead things on defense, and Thompson on special teams. All are anticipated to start for second consecutive seasons, and all have garnered great reviews as both players and leaders this offseason.
Franklin will next meet with reporters on Tuesday, and should give some more insight into the selection process of all six of the team’s captains.
