Penn State football's Blue-White Game stars show potential

James Franklin was intentional about the structure of this year’s Blue-White Game. Straying from previous iterations in which Penn State’s first- and second-team performers would take on all other Nittany Lions, the one-sided approach was abandoned in favor of something more competitive.

“It used to be the starters versus everyone else. This year, it wasn’t that way. I tried to mix it up,” Franklin said. “In years past, it was typically ones and twos versus everybody else, going to the stadium hoping to put up big numbers. Everybody’s excited, the offense has 7,000 yards and scored 90 points. But this was more about making it as competitive as we possibly can.”

One of the casualties of the approach was the nearly annual emergence of a standout walk-on performer, even if only for the scrimmage itself. 

Instead, Penn State’s three stars on Saturday were all just-below-the-surface stars the program is counting on to deliver the same goods this season. Here’s a look at the players who burst into the consciousness of Nittany Lion fans with their Blue-White Game performances on Saturday:

Penn State three stars on Saturday

Omari Evans

Omari Evans’ second catch of the afternoon was the game’s only touchdown, a 28-yard connection from Drew Allar midway through the first quarter. And, for our purposes, we’re going to take the lead of Saturday’s officiating crew and overlook the push that sent Storm Duck flying backward. 

Evans is a young player who is starting to see the game click in his second season in the program. He finished with five receptions for 80 yards on seven targets. And, three of his catches went for 19-or-more yards. 

Part of a bid to join KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Harrison Wallace in the group’s top tier, Evans made strides to that end within the final 10 days of the spring session. According to KLS, the performance on the field was a reflection of the overall progress he’s made this offseason.

“I’ve seen Omari grow a lot from his maturity, just holding yourself accountable more, doing more, getting better habits. I feel like that’s a testament to the guys in the room. They’re all trying to perfect your craft and push everybody in the room,” Lambert-Smith said. “And I feel like it was a big day for him. As we’ve seen, he had a lot of big plays. And I feel like it’s a confidence boost for him and that’s helpful going to camp.”

Dani Dennis-Sutton

The Blue and White teams weren’t stacked in either direction, Franklin said, Dani Dennis-Sutton as his prime example. And although Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson were the two “starters” for the Blue team, Dennis-Sutton’s place as a starter for the White team served as a demonstration of how talented and deep the Nittany Lions are at the position this spring.

That manifested itself on the afternoon in the form of four tackles for DDS. That included a pair of sacks and a quarterback hurry. Franklin came away from the effort raving about the second-year end’s potential for the season ahead. 

“Defensively, I thought Dani was unblockable out there,” Franklin said. “He’s going to have a big year for us. I couldn’t be more excited about him.” 

KJ Winston

Like Penn State’s abundance of talented defensive ends, the same holds at safety coming out of the spring. So while Zakee Wheatley and Keaton Ellis were the Blue team starting safeties, with Jaylen Reed out of action still taking precautions from off-season surgery, KJ Winston had an opportunity to shine as the White team centerfielder on Saturday afternoon.

And he did exactly that. He finished with six tackles and appeared in or around seemingly every defensive play made. 

Building upon a true freshman season in which he immediately turned heads, but ultimately saw limited action, Winston’s continuation of that trajectory is something his teammates have expected and foresee more of in the weeks and months ahead.

“KJ is impressive. And the reason that stands out to me is his work ethic and how he goes about his business,” Ellis said this spring. “He’s mature for a kid coming into his second year. I’m excited about KJ. He’s a great player. His ceiling is so high. I don’t even know if he has a ceiling, to be honest. He’s a great player.”