No matter the “why” Penn State’s last two seasons have not gone according to plan. There is a lot to blame for this really – bad play, mistakes, injuries and the fact the Nittany Lions weren’t always the better team. That said, there was reason for optimism. Quarterback Sean Clifford played better, Penn State nearly beat Ohio State on the road and the Nittany Lions continued to be absolutely stellar on the defensive side of the ball.
But it is winning time for many fans looking to see James Franklin make good on his new and massive contract. Is 2022-23 the time to get back to winning at a high level? It might be a step in that direction but a difficult schedule and a young team in some areas could mean Penn State is still a year or two away. Then again, nobody saw 2016 coming either.
In any case Penn State will need to improve in every area in order to improve its record at the end of the day. Sure it will need some luck and a bit of help on the injury front, but control the controllables and the rest can take care of itself.
Today we continue our summertime look at each area of the team special teams.
The Ones to Miss:
Jordan Stout is without a question, one of the best punters and kickers in the history of the program. While Stout was not an exceptional field goal specialist relative to his predecessors, Stout’s ability to pin players deep with his punts and almost entirely negate kickoff return with his booming kicks made him an extremely valuable asset to Penn State each and every week. Away from Stout, long snapper Chris Stoll might not be a household name, but years of solid snapping was certainly no small part of the reason why Stout was so successful. Penn State’s return game hasn’t been overly special in a long while, so even the loss of Jahan Dotson is more a loss of catch consistency than anything else.
The Ones to Watch:
From a returning standpoint you can really take your pick here as just about any speed and hands specialist could see time in the return game this year. That being said, Parker Washington could possibly take on a similar role that Jahan Dotson did last year while just about anyone in the running back room could be an option there as well. As for the punting and kicking, Jake Pinegar – the once high profile kicking prospect – will get a chance finally to become Penn State’s regular long and short field goal specialist and what likely appears to be their kickoff specialist as well. Freshman punter Alex Bacchetta has gotten some early rave reviews prior to camp starting so time will tell if he finds himself taking over punting duties this year. If he doesn’t it could Barney Amor by virtue of his veteran status on the team or the 6-foot-6 giant Gabriel Nwosu.
The New Ones:
As mentioned Alex Bacchetta is the most notable new name when it comes to kicking the ball, and maybe freshman wideout Kaden Saunders finds a role in the return game, but this group is almost entirely full of new names and faces aside from Pinegar.
The Bottom Line:
After two straight runs of high quality punters and kickers, Penn State enters some uncharted waters with Jake Pinegar finally in the driver’s seat but a lot of uncertainty of how that will unfold. Penn State will hope it goes well because there are mostly question marks all around him.
Previously
