Tag: Nick Dawkins

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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WATCH: Penn State linemen debut new YouTube podcast show

Penn State OL Nick Dawkins shared a great recruiting story on the debut episode of his new YouTube show with Aeneas Hawkins.

If you are looking for a new feed to check out on YouTube, two Penn State linemen have just what the doctor ordered. On Friday, Penn State defensive lineman Aeneas Hawkins and offensive lineman Nick Dawkins uploaded the first episode of their brand new video podcast, Hawk & Dawk Talk.

The two linemen and roommates spent their first episode sharing some background on their individual journies to being a Penn State football player with their looks back on recruiting and more.

Dawkins even shared a fun little nugget about his path to Penn State, saying that his high school game film included highlights of him on the junior varsity team. And apparently, that game film was good enough to catch the eye of head coach James Franklin. Dawkins says he received a scholarship largely based on his JV highlights.

Hey, it all worked out.

Check out the first episode of Hawk & Dawk Talk below. We’ll be waiting for Episode 2, which is going to include a guest that is being hyped as “the face of Penn State basketball.” The two players say the video podcast will be weekly, and the first episode showed some good personality that may just lure you in.

https://youtu.be/in-LOqoEvpg

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