Tag: Nick Dawkins

Nick Dawkins earns the Wuerffel Trophy for community service

Penn State’s Nick Dawkins awarded the Wuerffel Trophy for his community service efforts.

Penn State saw a pair of student-athletes honored as national award winners at the annual College Football Awards. Tight end Tyler Warren landed the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. Redshirt senior offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] was also recognized with the Wuerffel Trophy, considered college football’s premier award for community service.

Dawkins became the first Nittany Lion in program history to earn the Wuerffel Trophy and was Penn State’s second finalist for the award all-time, joining Stefen Wisniewski in 2010. The trophy embodies Wuerffel’s commitment to humanitarianism while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and positively impact society.

After starting several initiatives, Dawkins was a worthy recipient of this year’s top community service award. He founded the Dawkins Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering communities through youth engagement. The foundation awarded three scholarships to high school seniors and collaborates with local Pennsylvania YMCA’s. Dawkins is also the president of Penn State’s chapter of Uplifting Athletes, which raises funds for rare disease research.

Dawkins was an All-Big Ten honorable mention this season and has earned four Academic All-Big Ten honors. Throughout his career as a Nittany Lion, Dawkins appeared in 39 games and started 13.

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Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser named Wuerffel Trophy finalist

Jack is an award finalist for the second time this season.

Jack Kiser has had a fantastic graduate season for Notre Dame both on and off the field. The linebacker already has been named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, which honors players for on-field performance, academic performance and community service. Now, he can add being a finalist for another trophy to his resume.

Kiser has been named one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy alongside Penn State offensive lineman Nick Dawkins and Washington State kicker Dean Janikowski. This award is given to the player “who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field”. The winner will be announced live on ESPN on Dec. 12 and be invited to the Heisman Trophy festivities.

If Kiser were to win this award, he would be the second Notre Dame player to be so honored after fellow linebacker Drue Tranquill in 2018. Here’s the video the Irish released after he became a semifinalist:

Best of luck to Kiser as a finalist for both trophies he is up for.

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Penn State names team captains for 2024

Penn State will have these six players serve as team captains for this season.

As the days inch closer to the start of a brand new Penn State football season, team captains for the 2024 season have been officially annoucned. Penn State will have six team captains for the upcoming college football season with two offensive players, three defensive players, and a special teams player.

Penn State head coach James Franklin annoucned his team captains for 2024 will be quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] and [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag], safety [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag], and punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag].

Of the six team captains, DeLuca is the only player who served as a team captain in 2023. DeLuca is a former walk-on player who has worked his way up the ranks within the program from special teams contributor to starting linebacker.

Penn State will open the 2024 season with a road game at West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31. You can see the full Penn State schedule here and download a schedule wallpaper for your smartphone.

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Penn State offensive lineman named on community service award’s watch list

Penn State has never had a Wuerffel Trophy winner. Could Nick Dawkins be the first in 2024?

Penn State offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] joined several of his teammates by appearing on watch list for one of the many college football awards this upcoming 2024 season. Dawkins was named on the watch list for this year’s Wuerffel Trophy.

The Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to a college football player who shows the best combination of community service leadership and athletic and academic excellence.

Dawkins is entering his redshirt senior season. He has been an Academic All-Big Ten player the past three seasons and was the recipient of Penn State’s public service award in 2023.

The Wuerffel Trophy was first awarded in 2005 to Rudy Niswanger of LSU. Last year’s recipient was Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey. The last Big Ten player to win the award was Ohio State defensive tackle Joel Penton in 2006. USC quarterback Matt Barkley won the award in 2012, 12 years before USC became a Big Ten member.

Other notable Wuerffel Trophy winners include Tim Tebow of Florida (2008), Sam Acho of Texas (2010), and Gabe Ikard of Oklahoma (2013).

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Veteran lineman pushing for Penn State’s starting center role

Nick Dawkins could be the next big thing for the Penn State offensive line in 2024.

Entering the offseason workout programs, Penn State will be searching to find a starting center replacement for the second year in a row.

After [autotag]Juice Scruggs[/autotag] went to the NFL, [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] stepped into that role last season.

With Nourzad graduated, it seems like another veteran on the offensive line unit is looking to step up and take over the starting center job.

According to just about every teammate that talked to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, everyone can agree that [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] is a hard worker and great leader (subscription required).

He was once being considered for a team captain role despite being a backup on the offensive line.

Now, it seems like he’s ready to finally get the starting reps throughout an entire season that’s he worked for. This will be his fifth year within the program and he’s yet to record a start.

That hasn’t stopped him from being a tireless worker and leader behind the scenes.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Phil Trautwein[/autotag] told Donohue that when Dawkins talks, everyone listens. All-American tackle, [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], says the veteran lineman is one of the hardest-working people he knows and puts a ton of time into getting better at his craft.

Dawkins will have a chance to earn it.

He has gotten game reps at center even if it hasn’t been as a starter.

This should give him the edge over his internal candidates that are likely a much more raw product based on lack of experience at the position.

Dawkins got off to a good start during winter workouts, being recognized by Trautwein as one of their “competitors of the day.”

It will be up to the fifth-year senior to determine if he can finally take control of that position this offseason and go into 2024-25 as the firm starter.

Best photos from Penn State’s win over Indiana

Here are the best photos from Penn State’s home win against Indiana in Week 9.

Penn State had to dig deep in the final minutes of a rough outing to find a way to a victory on Saturday afternoon against Indiana. Despite being a 31-point favorite, Penn State needed a long touchdown pass and a defensive safety to help seal the fate of this particular home game, a 33-24 victory.

Penn State’s defense gave up more points in a game than it has all season long, and the offense had their rough moments for a second consecutive week. But in the end, the Nittany Lions managed to come out on top and toss aside quite a gritty effort from the visiting Hoosiers.

Here are some of the best photos available from Penn State’s win over Indiana.

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 53 Nick Dawkins

A snapshot look at Penn State OL Nick Dawkins heading into the 2023 season.

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.

Today is a look at [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag], the son of Daryl Dawkins, a former NBA standout for the Philadelphia 76ers and the cousin of one of the NFL’s best all-time safeties, Brian Dawkins, and NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns. It is safe to say Dawkins carries some good genes with him as he prepares to be a part of a solid offensive line unit for Penn State this upcoming season.

Two Penn State athletes sign NIL deal with WWE

Will either of these Penn State athletes be the next big WWE superstar?

Two Penn State athletes, wrestler [autotag]Greg Kerkvliet[/autotag] and football player [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] signed a NIL Deal with WWE, announced Thursday by the world’s largest professional wrestling promotion.

Kerkvliet and Dawkins will be part of the company’s Next in Line initiative. The point of the program is for the WWE to find its future talent while they are still competing and allows them to monitor their growth as athletes. Upon graduation, both men will have a chance to go to Florida to train at the WWE’s Performance Center located in Orlando, Florida.

Kerkvliet and Dawkins’s involvement with Next in Line won’t impact their college eligibility due to it falling under the NIL regulations set by the NCAA.

Dawkins is the son of NBA legend Daryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins, who has a history in the WWE as well. He has been part of Penn State’s football program since the 2020 season and while he hasn’t played in any games yet he has stayed on the team in a reserve role.

As for Kerkvliet, he could be the latest in a long line of Big Ten wrestlers to make their jump to WWE, several having great success in the past.

The second-ranked heavyweight wrestler in the country hopes to join the likes of Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin, both wrestled for Minnesota. Lesnar will go down as one of the legends of professional wrestling and Benjamin has turned it into a 20-year career.

Other wrestlers include both Rick and Scott Steiner who hailed from Michigan.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ offensive line preview

Here’s a look at the offensive line depth for Penn State heading into the 2022 season.

Penn State has lost a couple of more veteran players on the offensive line leaving them with a more young and promising group. With just three seniors listed on the roster, a lot of young talent is going to be asked to grow up very quickly.

[autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu,[/autotag] who will be protecting the blindside of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], has a chance to become a keystone on this offensive line. The Maryland native has the size and speed at the tackle spot to really turn into something special this coming season.

Outside of Fashanu, there are a bunch of guys looking to earn their keep. Getting to know the vast depth of names on that young line may seem daunting but this list should help sort things out. A lot of these faces are going to be ones fans will see for the next two to three years.

Penn State reveals new uniform numbers for new and returning players

Penn State revealed updated uniform numbers for some new members of the program and three returning players

Penn State officially welcomes some of its newest members f the program to campus recently as the academic calendar moves from the spring semester to the summer. So naturally, that led to some players getting their first jersey numbers with the football program.

On Monday, Penn State revealed the uniform numbers for its newest members joining from the transfer portal or the Class of 2023.

Here are the numbers six new players will be wearing with the Nittany Lions in 2022;

  • 5 – [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], cornerback
  • 8 – [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag], wide receiver
  • 13 – [autotag]Christian Driver[/autotag], safety
  • 64 – [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag], offensive lineman
  • 66 – [autotag]Drew Shelton[/autotag], offensive tackle
  • 97 – [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag], punter

Penn State still has some uniform numbers to distribute as a few more additions will be joining the program later this summer as well. In addition to these new numbers for new players, Penn State also updated the uniform numbers for three returning players.

Quarterback [autotag]Christain Veilleux[/autotag] is now wearing No. 11, [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] is wearing No. 1, and offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag] will wear No. 53, the number his father Daryll Dawkins wore in the NBA.

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