Tag: Riley Thompson

Penn State special teams unit ready to run it back in 2025

Penn State looks like it is set on special teams already for the 2025 season.

The pieces of the Penn State offense and defense appear to be coming together this week with players announcing their respective decisions on their plans for the 2025 season. But what about the special teams? It looks as though there will not be much turnover in the special teams group going into the 2025 season as four special teams cogs all confirmed they will return to the Nittany Lions next season.

Special teams coordinator [autotag]Justin Lustig[/autotag] shared the encouraging news on social media on Wednesday that kickers [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabe Nwosu[/autotag], punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag], and long snapper [autotag]Tyler Duzansky[/autotag] are all confirmed to be back with the program next season, which gives the entire special teams unit a little less to worry about this spring.

Thompson punted 51 times last season for an average of 42.8 yards per punt. Nwosu has become Penn State’s primary kickoff specialist with his strong leg often not giving opposing teams a chance to return the football. Barker, a redshirt freshman, was 15 of 18 on field goal attempts and 48 of 49 on extra point attempts this season.

Barker’s return was expected and could lead to a potential transfer decision by Sander Sahaydak. The status of Sahaydak, who was shaky at the start of the season with just 2 of 5 field goals made in four games, is unconfirmed and his absence from Lustig’s post may not be a coincidence. But nothing has been confirmed either way on what this all means for Sahaydak.

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Penn State will likely have its kick and punt returned back next season as well. Nicholas Singleton has been Penn State’s main kickoff return specialist with 14 returns in 15 games last season. Singleton announced his return to the team earlier in the week and he could continue to handle kickoff returns next fall.

Cornerback Zion Tracy is expected to return next season and could continue to be Penn State’s leading punt returner. Tracy had 15 punt returns last season but never really had a threat of a big return. Penn State has lacked much of a return threat in recent years, but sometimes just holding on to the football and not giving up yards is all you need.

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Penn State punter receives weekly national award

Penn State punter Riley Thompson proved why he is on the watch list for this season’s Ray Guy Award.

Penn State punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] was honored this week for his performance in Week 2. Thompson was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week by the Augusta Sports Council and Ray Guy Award.

In Penn State’s Week 2 victory over Bowling Green, Thompson punted four times with an average of 47 yards per punt. Two of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line to pin Bowling Green’s offense deep on their side of the field. Each of those came in the fourth quarter as Penn State was working to protect a lead in what turned out to be a 34-27 victory.

Thompson launched a 56-yard punt in the first quarter when the Nittany Lions hit a bit of a rut on offense early on in the game.

Thompson currently ranks 15th in the nation with a punting average of 45.5 yards per punt. Thompson is on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which is given to the nation’s top punter. Penn State has never had a Ray Guy Award winner since it was first awarded in 2000, but the Big Ten has a number of winners. The last two winners of the Ray Guy Award came from the Big Ten with Iowa’s Tory Taylor in 2023 and Adam Korsak of Rutgers in 2022. In all, the Big Ten has had five Ray Guy Award winners.

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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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Report: Boise State hires special teams coordinator Stacy Collins away from Penn State

Boise State hires special teams coordinator Stacy Collins away from Penn State

[autotag]James Franklin’s[/autotag] offseason will now include replacing all three coordinators on his staff. He already hired [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] to replace Mike Yurcich and [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] to replace Manny Diaz last month.

It was reported Friday morning by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Penn State’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach [autotag]Stacy Collins[/autotag] will be returning to Boise State. Collins coached at Boise State during the 2021 season before being hired by Franklin.

Based on Rittenberg’s report, it looks as if Collins will receive a promotion once returning to Boise, gaining the title of assistant head coach. The special teams unit stood out this year and seemed to never miss a beat on gameday. His work with the linebackers and recruiting prowess will definitely be missed in Happy Valley. Collins was also a major factor in handing over punter returning duties to nickel cornerback [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] partway through last season. Hardy flourished in his new role and even returned two punts for touchdowns against UMass.

It is now a full-blown turnover for Penn State’s coaching staff under Franklin, with three new hires all in the matter of one offseason. Whoever takes the reigns of Collins’ room has plenty of talent to work with, including star running back and returner [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], along with punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] and Tulsa transfer [autotag]Chase Meyer[/autotag] at kicker.

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Penn State punter enters the transfer portal

Penn State specialist enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining

With the ever-expanding transfer portal opening on Monday morning, there was no shortage of news about many players opting to leave their current programs. For Penn State, that news began with special teams and redshirt freshman punter [autotag]Alex Bacchetta[/autotag] announcing he was entering the portal. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Bacchetta was a redshirt last fall and served as the backup to FAU transfer Riley Thompson. He appeared in only two games during his two-year career at Penn State. The Australian played his senior season last year, so it is unclear whether he would have more eligibility, but Bacchetta’s portal entry seems to point in that direction.

Bacchetta is a Georgia high school product who was a three-time all-state selection at the 3A level and was the third-ranked punter in the Class of 2022. Before deciding on Penn State, he had offers from Arkansas and Virginia.

If Thompson does not gain more eligibility after playing Australian rules football at a college level, Penn State will be in the market for a new punter.

The transfer portal will close on January 2, 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)

 

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s dominant Week 2 win vs. Delaware

Grading Penn State’s performance against Delaware in Week 2

There are some weeks in the course of a college football season where you can probably fill out the postgame report card ahead of time and not have to worry about it. Penn State’s Week 2 matchup against Delaware was one of those games where you hoped things would go as planned and you wouldn’t have to worry about too many issues against an FCS program.

And they did.

Penn State’s offense and defense each took care of business against the Blue Hens in the first all-time meeting between the two schools. Delaware may go on to have a solid season in the FCS championship hunt, but they were overmatched in every facet of the game against Penn State, which is also hoping to set the tone for what they hope will be a playoff push of their own this season.

It may have been a home game against an FCS program collecting a solid check, but Penn State did just about everything you would expect a top-10 team to do in this situation. Here are the grades for Penn State’s performance following its 63-7 victory over Delaware.

Quarterback

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A

After being named the Big Ten offensive player of the week, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] picked up right where he left off a week ago. The touchdown pass count was down but Allar completed 22 of 26 pass attempts for 204 yards with a touchdown pass (and a touchdown run) for a fine outing before getting an early rest in the second half.

Allar showed great vision and patience and just made smart throws that were taking advantage of the holes Delaware’s defense was giving him.

Backup quarterback Beau Pribula played for most of the second half in relief of Allar. Pribula attempted five attempts with three completions for 22 yards and a short touchdown in the fourth quarter. Pribula added to the ground attack with

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Penn State punter Riley Thompson named on Ray Guy Award watch list

Penn State punter Riley Thompson has landed on the Ray Guy Award watch list for 2023.

One of Penn State’s newest additions to the special teams unit is already on the national radar as one of the top punters in the nation. [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag], who transferred to Penn State from Florida Atlantic during the offseason, was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to the nation’s top punter by the Augusta Sports Council and is named after former All-Pro punter Ray Guy. The award was first presented in 1990 to Wisconsin’s Kevin Stemke.

Thompson, a native of Australia, was one of the top punters in Conference USA in 2022 with 61 punts for 2,770 yards and 15 punts of at least 50 yards with 26 punts inside the 20-yard line and just three touchbacks. Thompson averaged 45.4 yards per punt in 2022 for the Owls and was the nation’s 12th-best punter for average punt yardage.

No Penn State punter has ever won the Ray Guy Award, so Thompson will be looking to be the first winner in school history. Last year’s winner of the Ray Guy Award was Adam Korsak of Rutgers.

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Penn State football 2023 award watch list tracker

Penn State football college football award watch list tracker for 2023

Penn State is gearing up for a potentially exciting college football season. With a roster full of talented individuals across the roster, it is no wonder that so many players have been receiving various degrees of preseason hype leading into the fall.

Before fall camps opened up, the watch lists for a number of college football awards were released to help generate some enthusiasm and excitement about some of college football’s top players at every position. Not surprisingly, a number of Penn State players received some recognition from the watch list announcements. But keeping tabs on every single college football award watch list can be difficult if you don’t know when they are being announced. But we’ll help you out by keeping tabs on every watch list we come across and let you know what players are appearing on which list.

And if you don’t know what an award is specifically for, we’ll keep you informed on that as well.

Here is a look at each Penn State player who has appeared on a watch list for the upcoming season, and which lists they have appeared. This will be updated accordingly as watch list announcements continue to be made.

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 95 Riley Thompson

This former FAU punter will look to solidify Penn State’s special teams unit 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.

Continuing this effort is a look at one of the newest additions to the program this year by way of the transfer portal, punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag]. Thompson comes to Penn State as an accomplished punter from Florida Atlabntcio and he could be stepping right into a key role with the Nittany Lions this season. Here si a snapshot look at one of Penn State’s top punting options for the 2023 college football season.