With Penn State entering the opening stages of the summer, it’s never too early to start off a great offseason tradition of projecting, predicting and postulating. Picking players who might break out this upcoming season is a tale as old as time, so in the interesting of keeping up with the tradition, here are five players who might make a name for themselves in 2024.
Linebacker Tony Rojas: Like a few options on this list, the idea that Tony Rojas is poised for a breakout season isn’t exactly a shocker. While Rojas isn’t the only reason, he’s definitely one of the reasons Penn State felt comfortable with Abdul Carter making the move to defensive end. James Franklin has handed out plenty of praise in Rojas’ direction between this spring and last, so it’s only going to be a matter of time until Rojas is getting significant reps at linebacker. Time will tell if he can live up to the hype, but there’s no real reason to think Rojas won’t be a difference-maker this season.
“I think you see, physically, he looks different,” Franklin said this spring. “I wanted to make sure that he’s not putting on too much weight. But I think he’s a guy that can literally play both positions. He’s intelligent enough to play [middle linebacker]. And he’s physical enough and got enough instincts to play the boundary backer. And he can run. He’s had a lot of production early on in his career. Obviously, we expect it to skyrocket this year, especially with Abdul moving to defensive end.”
Receiver Trey Wallace: A lot like Rojas, picking one of Penn State’s primary receivers from last year to be a breakout candidate isn’t really a stretch, but Wallace only played in eight games and registered 19 receptions totaling less than 230 yards. So it’s also not as though he’s coming off a particularly wonderful year either. Wallace is smooth, looks the part and, if nothing else, somebody is going to need to catch passes. It’s hard to know what exactly to expect from Penn State’s offense in 2024, but Wallace will be a big part of it, if the offense is successful.
“I think getting Trey (Wallace) back is a huge piece of the puzzle,” Franklin said last season.
Defensive End Jameial Lyons: Getting into things a little less certain, Lyons seems like a safer bet to make a leap in 2024. Named the coaching staff’s Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Week this past September, Lyons is hitting the scales at an impressive 6-foot-5 and 252 pounds. The combo of Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton will put some depth in front of Lyons, but Penn State’s approach to rotations across the defensive front will give him and others plenty of opportunities to make an impact while Carter and Dennis-Sutton are off the field. (This is, of course, assuming that Carter is starting, but the positional switch suggests that’ll be the case given the fact Carter is too talented not to regularly be on the field.)
“I’ll start by saying Jameial has been a great surprise,” strength coach Chuck Losey said last year. “I always knew Jameial was talented coming out of high school. Obviously, that’s why he’s here. But his strength, his overall strength, his total body strength is surprisingly very, very good for his build…[I’m] really happy with Jameial in all areas. [He’s] super mature; handles his business. Comes in the building, loves to train. I’m excited to have an offseason with him after the year. Because I think he’s going to absolutely explode.”
Safety Zakee Wheatley: The former spring football takeaway king, Wheatley was an option for this list going into last season but didn’t quite live up the expectations some may have had for him after posting two interceptions, a forced fumble and 27 tackles in 2022. Depth across the board didn’t help his cause, and 24 tackles isn’t nothing for a player fighting for snaps, but it’s safe to say that Wheatley has shown too many flashes not to make good on them given more opportunities. If he can make the most of his chances this year is to be determined.
“Zakee Wheatley is a guy that we’re expecting to take a big step,” Franklin said this spring. “Zakee’s had, by far, his best offseason. Not even close. That also allows us to maybe use [Jaylen] Reed in the nickel position, that we’re going to call the ‘Lion’ position.”
Linebacker Keon Wylie: For having somewhat limited action last season, Wylie still managed to rack up five tackles for loss, three sacks and a quarterback hurry. With Abdul Carter making the aforementioned switch to defensive end, there are going to be plenty of chances for less established players to step up to work alongside Dom DeLuca, Kobe King, Tony Rojas and company. Wylie is as well equipped as anyone to start making that charge up the depth chart. Would be a long time coming for the Philadelphia native who verbally committed to Penn State back in 2021.
“He’s a guy that could factor in. He’s starting to put on some size which was a bit of an issue when he showed up.” Franklin said last year.
