Six Penn State Players Poised to Take the Next Step in 2024

Who are the rising stars of the Nittany Lions' roster? Let's meet a few.

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Omari Evans runs for a touchdown during the 2023 Blue-White spring game at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

As Penn State’s season opener at West Virginia draws closer, James Franklin is polishing off his initial depth chart for the 2024 season. While Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton and Abdul Carter enter the year as household names with clearly defined roles, others have the potential to reach star status soon.

With freshmen awaiting an opportunity and veterans on the rise, the Nittany Lions have plenty of players who could break out this fall. Here are six rising stars who could take a substantial step forward for Penn State football this season.

Omari Evans

Last season wasn’t nearly the breakthrough many expected from wide receiver Omari Evans after his stellar showing in the 2023 Blue-White game. Evans has big-play potential if he can regain his speed and burst, which he lacked throughout his sophomore year until scoring a 60-yard touchdown in the regular-season finale at Michigan State.

Evans should be a favorite to crack the starting lineup alongside Harrison Wallace III and Julian Fleming and, in turn, could be in for a promising 2024.

Cooper Cousins

The closer a player is to the ball typically means the longer it takes to see the field. In Cooper Cousins’ case, those rules may not apply. At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Cousins isn’t built like most freshmen and should see veteran playing time this fall behind starter Nick Dawkins. Cousins might even get some snaps at guard, where he started during the Blue-White Game. 

Cam Wallace 

Trey Potts’ exit has created an opening for Penn State’s No. 3 running back behind Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Redshirt freshman Cam Wallace, despite entering the season without a registered snap, could replace Potts after a spring in which he earned rave reviews from coaches and teammates. 

With Singleton and Allen inching closer to NFL eligibility, Wallace and freshman Quinton Martin Jr. will be tested in 2024 as potential successors. 

Penn State running back Cam Wallace (26) avoids a tackle attempt while carrying the ball during the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tony Rojas

Penn State’s linebacker corps will take on a different look this fall with Abdul Carter playing defensive end. Luckily for the Nittany Lions, Tony Rojas is bulked up to 6-2 and 239 pounds and should be ready for a starting workload after appearing in all 13 games as a freshman in 2023. 

Zakee Wheatley

Franklin made it clear on numerous occasions that safety Zakee Wheatley was “playing his best football by far” this past spring. But impressive offseasons aren’t anything new for Wheatley, who earned the team’s “Takeaway King” title before the 2022 season. 

Wheatley has played a consistent role on Penn State’s defense the past two seasons. And with a chance to start alongside Kevin Winston Jr. and projected ‘Lion’ Jaylen Reed, 2024 could be the year he earns a greater workload and showcases his true potential.

Jameial Lyons

Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac have left for the NFL and reliable role-player Zuriah Fisher could miss time with an injury. Defensive end Jameial Lyons, who burned his redshirt after appearing in eight games as a freshman in 2023, is likely to be one of the first names called to give projected starters Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton a breather.

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Seth Engle has covered Penn State football and men’s basketball for the past four years, most recently serving as the football editor of the Daily Collegian. His work has appeared in the Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennLive, Centre Daily Times and more. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @bigsengtweets.