Penn State kicks off its 136th football season this week, visiting West Virginia to rekindle a rivalry that dates back to 1904. Despite that history, there’s plenty of new stuff surrounding the Nittany Lions this season. To refresh your memory, here’s a primer on Penn State with 18 things to know about the Nittany Lions this season.
This is the 136th season of Penn State Football The history dates back to 1887, when the program debuted with two wins over Bucknell for a combined score of 78-0. Penn State has an all-time record of 930-409-42, ranking 10th nationally in winning percentage (.689). The Nittany Lions rank seventh in both wins and all-time NFL draft picks (389).
James Franklin begins his 11th season at Penn State as the second-best coach in the Big Ten, with only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz being better. Every Big Ten program, including the four 2024 inductees, has changed coaches since Franklin took over at Penn State in 2014. Franklin is the ninth-oldest FBS head coach at any school.
Franklin beats Penn State 88-39 and can reach two program milestones this season. Franklin needs four wins to pass Bob Higgins (1930-48) for third place on Penn State’s all-time wins list among coaches. With 16 wins (meaning Penn State would be in the CFP title game), Franklin would tie with Rip Engle (1950-65) for second place.
RELATED TOPICS: Penn State’s 2024 season preview
Penn State replaced all three coordinators for the first time under Franklin. Andy Kotelnicki takes over the offense after spending the last 11 seasons with head coach Lance Leipold at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Buffalo and Kansas. Tom Allen joined the Nittany Lions as defensive coordinator after seven years as Indiana’s head coach. Justin Lustig, the new special teams coordinator, spent the last seven years at Syracuse and Vanderbilt.
An assistant coach Remaining from Penn State’s 2014 staff is Terry Smith, who is assistant head coach, cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator.
The Nittany Lions’ schedule for 2024 includes away trips to West Virginia and USC for the first time in more than 30 years. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Penn State’s remaining Strength of the schedule is ranked 32nd nationally. Penn State’s schedule includes two weeks off, including one in mid-September between nonconference games against Bowling Green and Kent State.
Penn State returns Seven offensive players with starting experience, led by quarterback and captain Drew Allar. Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, offensive linemen JB Nelson and Sal Wormley, receiver Harrison Wallace III and tight end Tyler Warren have a combined 66 starts.
The Nittany Lions return defensively seven starters who have made a combined 75 starts: Safeties KJ Winston and Jaylen Reed lead with 25, defensive end Abdul Carter has made 13 and tackle Zane Durant has 12. Others include tackles Hakeem Beamon and Dvon J-Thomas as well as linebacker Kobe King.
Penn State had a net minus of 7 in the NCAA Transfer Portal, with 13 players leaving and six new players joining. The new additions are receiver Julian Fleming (Ohio State), offensive tackle Nolan Rucci (Wisconsin), cornerbacks AJ Harris (Georgia) and Jalen Kimber (Florida), kicker Chase Meyer (Tulsa), defensive end Jordan Mayer (Wisconsin) and receiver Logan Cunningham (Marietta College). Key players who transferred include receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (Auburn), safety King Mack (Alabama), receiver Malik McClain (Arizona State) and defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (Georgia Tech).
Tips and predictions for Penn State 2024
Allar was last season the second FBS quarterback to throw at least 25 touchdown passes with two or fewer interceptions, joining Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. He also set the FBS record by attempting 311 passes without an interception in two seasons to start his career. His TD/INT ratio last season (25/2) was second only to Oregon’s Bo Nix.
Singleton and Allen begin Their junior seasons ranked 20th and 21st, respectively, on Penn State’s career rushing list. Singleton has 1,813 career rushing yards, Allen has 1,769. Singleton also enters the season ranked 20th in career rushing touchdowns (20).
Tight End Tyler Warren needs He broke the school record at his position with five touchdown receptions, which is currently shared with 15 by Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth.
Carter is planned to make his 20th career start for Penn State’s defense at West Virginia, but first as a defensive end. He started his first 19 games at outside linebacker. Carter led the Nittany Lions in sacks and ranked second in tackles for loss as a freshman in 2022. He and Deion Barnes, now his position coach, are the only Penn State freshmen to record 10+ tackles for loss and 6+ sacks in a season.
Penn State will reintroduce the Lion position this season, albeit on defense. Jaylen Reed will likely play the hybrid safety/linebacker position under coordinator Tom Allen. The Lion position used to be an offensive position filled by backup quarterbacks, most notably Will Levis and Tommy Stevens.
Receiver Harrison Wallace III returns to the offense after missing five games last season due to injury. Wallace scored his only touchdown of the season in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss.
Offensive Guard Sal Wormley has started 26 consecutive games for Penn State. He is a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten player.
Punter Riley Thompsonwho earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season, returns with two seasons of eligibility. Thompson, a native of Australia who began his career at Florida Atlantic, received a waiver from the NCAA granting him the additional eligibility.
Penn State’s Beaver Stadium could be currently under construction early in the season as the long-term renovation project is underway. Some key projects include: extended gates and walkways, new stadium boards, more concessions and an extended stadium perimeter along Curtin Road.
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Penn State on SI is the go-to source for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Editor Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, following three coaching teams, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.
