What We Learned About Penn State Football at Media Day

The Nittany Lions are under construction, as is their stadium. Here's what stood out about both.

Penn State football James Franklin takes a question during a press conference at football media day in Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State continues construction of its football team and its stadium as the 2024 season approaches. Both projects are moving quickly. The Nittany Lions conducted practice No. 3 on Saturday, their first in pads, while sections of Beaver Stadium continued to undergo a summer expansion and renovation.

The Nittany Lions have less time than Beaver Stadium to be ready, as their season opens Aug. 31 at West Virginia, with the home opener scheduled for Sept. 7 against Bowling Green. How are the projects going? Penn State offered a glimpse at its progress on both fronts during preseason media day Saturday. Here's a roundup.

Reacting to the loss of two defensive players

Defensive end Jameial Lyons and linebacker Kaveion Keys no longer are enrolled at Penn State or on the football roster. Penn State has not addressed the situation specifically, and a team spokesperson said before media day began that head coach James Franklin would not discuss it either. However, Franklin did discuss Penn State's depth at the former players' positions, notably defensive end.

Lyons, who played in eight games last season, was expected to be part of a rotation at defensive end. But Franklin pointed to veterans Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert as key players off the edge with projected starters Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, In particular, Franklin said Vilbert is a player "a lot of people aren't talking about." Vilbert made three sacks against Arkansas in the 2022 Outback Bowl but has played in just one game since. He missed last season due to an injury.

"Smith Vilbert is a guy that we have a lot of confidence in as an organization and as a program," Franklin said. "He's missed, obviously, a lot of football, so [fans] haven't had a chance to see him the way we have. But you talk about [being] big, strong, physical, experienced and mature."

Drew Allar takes control of the offense

Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have spoken occasionally since spring drills about their natural rapport and shared passion for film nerdery. As a result, Kotelnicki is giving Allar more ownership of the playbook, specifically veto powers over certain plays.

Allar said that he has spoken with Kotelnicki and quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien (another "film dork," the coordinator said) about whittling the playbook to those calls he feels best about running.

"I have to love every single play," Allar said. "That's one of the big things I'm really taking to heart: experimenting in practice, and if I don't feel right with the footwork, the timing of the route, the depth of the route or just the protection in general, then being open and honest [about it]."

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar talks with reporters during football media day in Holuba Hall. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Singleton and Allen share bigger stake in the passing game

Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 40 receptions last season. Singleton (26) actually returns more catches than any Penn State receiver and ranks second only to tight end Tyler Warren in returning receptions. And they're going to play a larger role in the passing game this season.

"My challenge to them has been, let’s diversify ourselves," Kotelnicki said. "Let’s figure a way that you can touch the ball without just having to take a handoff, and they’ve done a really good job of embracing the mental side of things and the technical side of things that need to occur."

Tom Allen loves the defensive tackles

Once again, defensive coordinator Tom Allen raved about Penn State's interior linemen. Allen previously has called the Nittany Lions' tackles different than any he has coached previously. On Saturday, Allen continued, saying that the tackles jump out "and rightly so."

Penn State is blessed with veteran tackles in Dvon J-Thomas (formerly Ellies), Zane Durant, Hakeem Beamon and Coziah Izzard. They're going to set a foundation for Allen's defense.

"That’s a deep, deep group," Allen said. "You can’t have enough big, physical guys who have good lateral movement as well. And we’re not a team that just sits there. We’re going to be very aggressive in attacking in our style. All the positions are going to play a huge, huge role in that, but it starts up front."

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen listens to a question from a reporter during an interview in Holuba Hall. / Dan Rainville/USA Today Network - PA / USA TODAY NETWORK

Safeties will oversee the defense

Penn State normally places its defensive operation in the linebacker's hands, and middle linebacker Kobe King will play a significant role there. However, Allen (who loves linebackers and coaches them) said he's going to lean heavily on the three-safety group of KJ Winston, Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley.

Partly because, as Allen said, "They're as good a group [of safeties] as you have in the country." He added that Winston and Reed "truly run the defense."

"In today's game, with the way the offenses have evolved where they spread the field, and the teams we’ve added from the West Coast, and with Wisconsin adding the Air Raid offense, it’s going to be very necessary for us to be able to match that," Allen said. "Having multiple guys at the safety position who are big, athletic in space and can make tackles in space, those three guys all fit the bill."

A three-kicker competition

Special teams coordinator Justin Lustig said Penn State has a "good problem" at kicker, where three players are vying to replace Alex Felkins. They include veteran Sander Sahaydak, who won the starting job last season before Felkins took over; redshirt freshman Ryan Barker; and Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer, who actually made the Lou Groza Award watch list.

Both Franklin and Lustig said that experience will matter, of which Meyer has the most. He was third-team all-conference at Tulsa last season. However, Sahaydak has won the Penn State job once. So the competition will continue through camp.

"We're in a really good spot right now," Lustig said.

A Beaver Stadium update

Work continues around Beaver Stadium, notably along Curtin Road, where two gates are under construction and the South end zone scoreboard is getting upgraded. Penn State is expanding entry gates and concourses, adding escalators in areas of the stadium and performing winterization work to ensure Beaver Stadium can host a potential College Football Playoff game in December.

In addition, Penn State is upgrading video technology on both scoreboards and adding new ribbon boards. Athletic Director Patrick Kraft wasn't sure when the escalators and ribbon boards would be operational but assured that Beaver Stadium will be "ready to go" for a possible playoff game.

A view of the ongoing construction at Penn State's Beaver Stadium ahead of the 2024 football season. / Mark Wogenrich/Penn State on SI

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.