Tag: Alex Felkins

Penn State kicker Alex Felkins declares for 2024 NFL draft

After one successful season with Penn State, Alex Felkins is ready to kick his way to the NFL.

Penn State is looking to send another player off to the NFL draft this spring. Kicker [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] announced on his social media account on Friday that he has declared himself eligible for the 2024 NFL draft, officially moving on from his time in college football following a career with Columbia and Penn State.

“I am entering the NFL draft as I have exhausted my NCAA eligibility,” Felkins said in a statement shared on his account on X (formerly known as Twitter). “I am excited to chase my biggest dream.”

Felkins cited exhausting his NCAA eligibility following his redshirt senior season with the Nittany Lions in 2023, however, he would have been eligible for one more year of eligibility if he chose to use it. Felkins would have been eligible for one extra year by the NCAA due to being impacted by the 2020 COVID season. While at Columbia, Felkins missed an entire season after the Ivy League postponed the entire 2020 season.

Felkins was a standout kicking specialist at Columbia from 2019 through 2022. He then transferred to Penn State for the 2023 season and proved himself worthy of being the team’s primary placekicker.

Felkins moving on was to be expected, and Penn State has already taken measures to provide some stability at the kicking position on the roster in 2024. Penn State has used the transfer portal to add Chase Meyer from Tulsa, and he figures to compete for a leading role in the kicking game next fall. Penn State also returns Sander Sayhaydak next season.

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Peach Bowl dud ends Penn State’s season with 38-25 loss to Ole Miss

Penn State’s frustrating season ended with a blowout loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.

A year after celebrating a bowl victory in a shower of rose petals, Penn State’s end to the 2023 season was anything but peachy. Penn State was dominated by Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl and ended the year with a stinker in a 38-25 loss in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions defense was shredded by Ole Miss, which took advantage of favorable matchups in the passing game all afternoon in Atlanta.

Penn State struck first with a field goal by [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] from 26 yards on their first offensive series of the game. That came after the defense forced a quick three-and-out against the Ole Miss defense to start the game, which led to Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart heading to the medical tent at the end of the brief possession.

Penn State may have caught some breaks on the ensuing Ole Miss possession. After the Rebels entered the red zone, officials blew dead what could have been a live ball for an Ole Miss touchdown due to a whistle for an offside penalty on Penn State. The Rebels had to settle for a field goal after officials missed another potential penalty on Penn State on the following snap.

Both teams scored twice in the second quarter with Penn State scoring a pair of touchdowns with a touchdown pass from [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and a [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] pass to [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag]. But the half ended with Penn State trailing by a score of 20-17 after giving up 340 yards of offense to the Rebels. And of the 115 passing yards Allar had at the half, 75 of them came on one play at the end of the first quarter when [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] caught a pass and ran for a big gain.

Dart had gotten in a rhythm with his passing and gashed a Penn State defense playing without its top two defensive backs and top defensive end, and a defense that took some injuries at linebacker in the first half to [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. Dart connected six times in the first half with tight end Caden Prieskorn, twice for a touchdown and three times for a first down, and five times with star wide receiver Tre Harris, each time for a first down.

The third quarter was a disaster for Penn State. The offense went three-and-out on all three third-quarter possessions. Meanwhile, the Rebels just continued to take advantage of its tempo to leave the Penn State defense scrambling and unable to catch up. Ole Miss added 10 points to its halftime lead and took a 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter. At that point, the game was all but decided as Penn State’s threat of a comeback was thwarted with a blocked field goal that led to an Ole Miss touchdown run by Dart to put the game well out of reach at 38-17. A late touchdown pass from Allar to [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] cut into the Ole Miss lead, but was too little, too late.

Penn State played the Peach Bowl without some key players who opted out of the game with an eye toward their NFL futures. Penn State was without offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], and cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. All three could be potential first-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft. Penn State was also without [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], who left his position as defensive coordinator to become the head coach at Duke. The defense looked disorganized, which should have been expected given the absences from what was rated one of the top defensive units of the season. But the offensive struggles were nothing new for the roster, and there was no evidence of finding ways to change things up in the bowl game.

Penn State will now look forward to the 2024 college football season, which will be quite an interesting year for the Big Ten and the entire college football landscape. Penn State will open the 2024 season on the road at West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. The Big Ten will also welcome four new members in Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, and Penn State will face each of them except for Oregon. The College Football Playoff will also expand to 12 teams next season, making it easier than ever for the Nittany Lions to get into the playoff mix in the playoff era. Well, if they can patch up the offense at all between now and next fall.

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13, 2024.

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Olu Fashanu named Big Ten offensive lineman of the year

The return of Olu Fashanu paid off for Penn State in 2023. Now he’s adding some hardware to his collection.

When offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] announced he would be returning for another year at Penn State, it was a bit of a shock. Expected to be a potential first-round draft pick had he declared for the 2023 NFL draft, Fashanu gambled on a return for one more season of college football before turning pro. It seems that gamble has been paying off quite nicely.

On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced Fashanu had been named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was also a consensus first-team All-Big Ten player according to Big Ten coaches and media.

Fashanu is the second Penn State player to win the Big Ten’s top offensive lineman award. [autotag]A.Q. Shipley[/autotag] received the award in 2008. Fashanu remains a clear first-round draft pick prospect, and he could be one of the earlier picks in the draft after his performance this season.

Here is a look at how the Big Ten coaches voted for the conference’s top players on the football field in 2023. Penn State was well-represented across the board this year.

All-Big Ten selections by Big Ten coaches

  • OT Olu Fashanu (first-team)
  • DE [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] (first team)
  • LB [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] (first team)
  • DE [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] (second team)
  • RB [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] (second team offense, honorable mention special teams)
  • DB [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] (second team)
  • C [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] (second team)
  • DL [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] (third team)
  • DB [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] (third team)
  • DB [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] (third team defense; second team special teams)
  • RB [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] (third team)
  • TE [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] (third team)
  • K [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] (third team)
  • OL [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • OL [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • OL [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • TE [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • WR [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • QB [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • P [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] (honorable mention)

 

Penn State dominates Michigan State, 42-0, for 10-2 regular season

Penn State kept its hopes for a New Years Six bowl game within reach wiht a decisive victory over Michigan State.

Penn State wasn’t about to have any Thanksgiving hangover in its regular-season finale on Friday night. [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]’s big night through the air and an aggressive defense was far more than Michigan State could handle in a 42-0 victory by the Nittany Lions in Ford Field in Detroit.

Allar was 17-of-26 for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns without an interception. That included a pair of passes that traveled over 40 yards with running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] taking a pass for 53 yards and [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] getting his hands on a deep ball for a 60-yard gain to set up a touchdown.

Singleton ended the night with 118 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, and 68 receiving yards. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] carried the football 15 times for 137 yards. It was the first game all season where any Penn State player rushed for 100 yards.

Penn State was a bit slow out of the gates with a field goal by [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] in the first quarter and an early miss from Felkins on a later drive. Penn State led by a score of 13-0 at halftime before putting the game away in the second half.

Penn State’s defense recorded 6 sacks and 11 TFL on a night with constant pressure in the backfield. [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1.5 TFL), and Abdul Carter (2 sacks, 2 TFL)all had some big plays as they never allowed Spartans quarterback Katin Houser to feel comfortable. Houser passed for just 87 yards with 1 interception.

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Penn State’s victory is the first shutout in series history against the Spartans. It is the fourth shutout in the all-time series with Penn State being shutout in 1945, 1949, and 1965.

This is Penn State’s second-straight season with at least 10 wins. Penn State went 10-2 in the regular season last year and ended the year with a victory in the Rose Bowl for an 11-2 record. Penn State will get a chance to get to 11 wins with their upcoming bowl game this bowl season. This is also the fifth season with at least 10 wins under James Franklin.

Penn State’s regular season is now in the books and the waiting game begins to learn which bowl game will be the next destination for the Nittany Lions. At 10-2, Penn State sits in a favorable spot for a potential at-large spot in a New Years Six bowl game, although a lot could happen in the final week of the regular season and in next week’s conference championship games to impact the final bowl projections.

Michigan State will now focus on turning the page as a program with a new head coach being hired. There are reports the Spartans could name a new head coach in the coming days as the coaching carousel is about to spin wildly out of control.

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Penn State defense not enough to overcome Ohio State in 20-12 loss

Penn State’s offense was lost and outclassed once again by Ohio State in first loss of the season.

Penn State’s defense showed up to play at a championship level on Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Unfortunately, Penn State needed an offense to have a pulse for any chance of rewriting the narrative against Ohio State. Penn State came up short in a 20-12 setback in a massive Big Ten contest, its first loss of the season.

Penn State’s offense was a horrific 1-for-16 on third down conversions against a stuffing Ohio State defense. Penn State was also 1-for-3 on fourth down, with its lone fourth-down conversion coming late in the fourth quarter. It was a truly horrendous day for Penn State’s offense, which has become a running theme over the years against these Buckeyes.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed just 18-of-421 attempts for 191 yards, his third tough outing on the road this season. While he continued to avoid a turnover, Allar could never get in sync with his receivers. The running game also struggled in this one with just 48 rushing yards for [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and 26 yards for [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag]. Penn State was also shutout in the first half with just a pair of [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] field goals to show for in the first half.

Penn State’s offense was outgained by Ohio State 367-167 until Penn State’s final possession of the game.

Penn State’s defense allowed big numbers to Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., but allowing just 13 points on the road against Ohio State is about as good as it gets. Penn State’s defense came up with a huge goal-line stand in the third quarter to keep things within reach, just begging the offense to do something to take advantage.

Special teams miscues played a role in the outcome as well. A few short moments after Penn State’s goal line stand against Ohio State, the offense was forced to punt the ball away. But the football hit an Ohio State player and Penn State recovered around midfield to retain possession. But the offense could do nothing with the golden opportunity with the game still just a four-point game.

Penn State’s [autotag]Daquan Hardy[/autotag] also had a moment he’d like to have back. A week after returning two punts for touchdowns, Hardy misplayed a punt from the back of Ohio State’s end zone. After letting the ball drop, the football bounced and dribbled nearly 25 more yards behind him for a 72-yard punt, wasting a terrific defensive effort at the other end of the field.

Penn State’s defense nearly scored the only touchdown of the game by the Nittany Lions. After forcing a fumble by Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] picked up the loose ball and returned it for what could have been a touchdown if not for a defensive holding penalty on [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] while covering Harrison Jr. Ohio State kept possession and went on to score the first touchdown of the game to go up 10-3 for what would end up being the game-winning score.

Penn State lost defensive star [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] in the first half to an injury. His status moving forward has not been updated.

Penn State will look for a rebound next week at home against Indiana. The loss to Ohio State is a crushing defeat for now, but Penn State can still remain on the radar for a spot in the College Football Playoff and still can get a shot at the Big Ten East as long as it doesn’t drop another game. But this puts Penn State behind the curve at the moment.

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Penn State defense forces 5 turnovers in 30-13 win at Illinois

Penn State 30, Illinois 13: Penn State defense carries Nittany Lions to Big Ten-opening win at Illinois

Taking the road for the first time this season proved to be a bit of a challenge for the Penn State offense. Fortunately, the offense didn’t make the trip to Illinois alone this weekend. The Penn State defense was dominant in a 30-13 victory over the Illini with five forced turnovers in the game. Although Penn State struggled to gain control on offense, the Nittany Lions scored 20 points off the five Illini turnovers.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had a rough outing in his first road start for Penn State, but he had some big moments to help lead the team to a win. The biggest moment of the game came late in the first half for Allar as he ran for a first down, hurried to the line, and delivered a dime down the field to [autotag]Liam Clifford[/autotag] for a big gain to set up a late field goal just before halftime. That gave Penn State a 16-7 lead but the offense could not carry over any momentum at the start of the second half.

Penn State’s quarterback ended his afternoon completing 16 of 33 pass attempts for 208 yards without a touchdown, but he also did not turn the football over despite being under consistent pressure by an aggressive and well-schemed Illinois defense.

Allar also did not get some help from his wide receivers. Allar made some good throws that simply were dropped by his intended targets, including a pair to receiver Malik McClain. But Allar did miss a few open looks and couldn’t quite connect with a couple of his passes. Overall though, Allar seemed to handle the pressure of his first start out of Beaver Stadium well enough to pick up the win, and there is clearly room to improve.

But this game was all about the defense. Penn State allowed just seven points for the second straight game and has yet to allow an opponent to score more than 15 points. On a day when Penn State’s offense needed an assist, it was the defense that set the tone and shut down nearly every threat by the Illini. It started right from the start with three interceptions of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Penn State managed just 13 points off of those early turnovers, but the defense made plays when it was needed the most.

[autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] came up with a massive interception in the second half immediately after a big passing play by the Illini with the game still very much in question. Or so it seemed. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag], and [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag] also got their hands on an Illinois pass attempt. Linebacker [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] also recovered a fumble forced by [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag].

Head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] will be able to look at many self-inflicted wounds by his team in the coming week as well. Poor penalties on took Penn State’s offense out of favorable positions, including a poor unsportsmanlike penalty on receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the first half that turned a 3rd-and-2 into a 3rd-and-17. Allar smacked his hand on a defender’s helmet on the following play and [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] had a 52-yard field goal blocked. Illinois followed up with its first touchdown of the game on the ensuing possession to cut the Penn State lead to 13-7. Penn State was flagged for six penalties in the game, costing Penn State 65 yards.

Penn State will be home next weekend for a primetime matchup with Iowa. It will be the official whiteout game for the Nittany Lions.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 91 Alex Felkins

This Ivy League transfer could be the answer to one of Penn State football’s biggest questions faced in 2023.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is a look at the special teams unit and one of the newest members of the program from the transfer portal, kicker Alex Felkins. Felkins comes to the Nittany Lions from the Ivy League and he is expected to step right into handling the main placekicking responsibilities for the team this season. But he could just be one of the kickers used this fall. Here is a snapshot look at Penn State’s new kicker heading into the 2023 college football season.

Penn State kicker Jake Pinegar heading to NFL

Penn State kicker Jake Pinegar announced he is chasing his NFL dream.

Penn State kicker [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] has kicked his last football for the Nittany Lions. Pinegar announced on Saturday that he will move on from Penn State and take a chance at playing at the next level in the NFL.

“The last five years at Penn State have been nothing short of spectacular,” Pinegar said. “Through the highs and the lows, I have learned so much and I wouldn’t want my path to be shaped any other way.”

“With that being said, I think it is time for the next chapter in my career. I have decided to chase a childhood dream of mine of playing in the NFL.”

Pinegar ends his five-year career at Penn State with 342 points scored with 195 extra point attempts and 49 field goals.

Pinegar leaving for a shot at playing in the NFL leaves the door wide open for a big role to be filled on the roster in 2023 for Penn State’s special teams. This will certainly be something to watch in the spring, with [autotag]Sander Sahaydak[/autotag] being a top candidate to be the team’s featured kicker. Penn State has also added [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] form the transfer portal as a potential option.

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