Penn State cracks Athlon Sports preseason Top 25

Athlon Sports has kicked off rankings season in college football and Penn State just made the list. Released last week as part of a full Top 25, and again Tuesday with a complete team preview, the Nittany Lions check in at No. 25 on the initial rankings from the national college football publication.

Unsurprisingly, much of the attention is focused on Penn State’s offense. Or, maybe more specifically, the attention is focused on the inefficiency of the Nittany Lions’ offense through the course of the 2022 season.

Citing “urgency to get back on track” following an overall .500 record of 11-11 over the past two seasons, Athlon puts fixing the offense at the top of the list of the program’s priorities.

From the Top 25 rankings:

“Improvement on offense is a must for Penn State to challenge for double-digit wins this fall. This unit averaged only 22.8 points a game and 4.9 yards per play in Big Ten matchups last year. 

“Subpar play from the offensive line was a driving force in the struggles on offense, as the Nittany Lions generated just two rushes of 40-plus yards and averaged 2.96 yards per carry in Big Ten games. Also, no running back eclipsed 100 rushing yards in a game in ’21. Quarterback Sean Clifford also has room to improve after averaging 6.5 yards per attempt in conference play and ranking ninth in completion percentage (57.9).”

The prognosis for the Nittany Lions isn’t necessarily of a pessimistic nature according to the outlet, though.

Highlighting the talent on Penn State’s offense, specifically in the form of Parker Washington, Mitchell Tinsley, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the receivers room, Athlon said that, along with improvement from the offensive line, success could be unlocked.

Athlon’s full season preview and prediction for Penn State

The complete assessment of the Penn State team that will battle through the 2022 season goes further in-depth on those offensive deficiencies.

Laying out the pros and cons of quarterback Sean Clifford as a sixth-year senior, having had a career with plenty of highs and lows, the bigger focus is laid at the feet of the Nittany Lions’ lack of a running game. Paying special attention to the lack o a single 100-yard rushing performance last year, the potential of Keyvone Lee, Nick Singleton, and Kaytron Allen is there.

But, the piece continues, much of that success will be dependent on improvement along the offensive line.

From the story:

“Of course, any improvement here will require a better performance from the offensive line. The Lions will be relying on some players with little game experience at PSU, notably guards Hunter Nourzad and Sal Wormley, guard/tackle Landon Tengwall, and tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu. Among them, those four players have started one game at Penn State, and at least three of them figure to be in the starting lineup this fall. 

“If that unit can give Clifford some time, though, he’s got a couple of sure-handed receivers in Parker Washington and WKU transfer Mitchell Tinsley.”

Meanwhile, the outlet takes an even-handed assessment of the Nittany Lions’ defense. Despite losing several starters to graduation and the NFL, the secondary is considered a highlight, with questions to be answered at the defensive end position and among the linebackers.

The bottom line analysis, though, is that Penn State’s future will be dictated by improvements necessary in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

The rest of the Athlon Top 25 is as follows:

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. Georgia

4. Clemson

5. Texas A&M

6. Michigan

7. Notre Dame

8. Utah

9. USC

10. Oregon

11. Baylor

12. NC State

13. Oklahoma

14. Michigan State

15. Cincinnati

16. Wake Forest

17. Oklahoma State

18. Tennessee

19. Wisconsin

20. Miami

21. Kentucky

22. Arkansas

23. Pitt

24. Houston

25. Penn State