Penn State football among Top 10 in Greg McElroy preseason rankings

Greg McElroy’s Penn State expectations for the 2024 season begin with a look back. The former Alabama quarterback, now a college football analyst for ESPN, discussed as much on his newest “Always College Football” podcast on Thursday.

Laying out his reasoning behind each program ranked in his preseason top 10, McElroy focused on the Nittany Lions’ not-so-distant past to inform the possibilities ahead.

“Think back nearly a decade. In 2016, Penn State won the Big Ten. You know what they had to do in the offseason prior to 2016?” McElroy asked. “They had to replace both coordinators. That’s exactly what they had to do this year as well.”

Within that framework, McElroy shared a detailed analysis of what he’s envisioning for the Nittany Lions, who he ranked No. 8 on his preseason list, on both sides of the ball this year.

Penn State offense evaluation

McElroy’s analysis begins with Kotelnicki and the pieces with which he can shepherd this season. Describing the style of the Nittany Lions’ new offensive coordinator, he laid out an opportunity to creatively improve on an offense that already established success last season against the majority of its opponents.

From the podcast:

“They go out and they get Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas, who does a really good job and creating matchups. He does a really good job of being creative, and for the most part, unorthodox. If you really look at their offense, its triple-option. That’s kind of what it is. Or at least that’s what it became last year when Jalon Daniels got hurt. It became triple option. But the way they get to it, I mean, they have offensive linemen shifting and motioning. They do all kinds of crazy stuff.

“I think Andy Kotelnicki is really creative. And I look at what this offense was last year. They were great against average competition. 36 plus points per game against everyone not named Ohio State and Michigan. Against Ohio State and Michigan, they averaged less than 14 points per game.”

Continuing, McElroy suggested that the personnel is in place for Kotelnicki to cook.

Breaking down the Nittany Lions’ offensive personnel

Echoing the sentiment expressed by head coach James Franklin this offseason, McElroy also pointed out the progress made, and room for growth, still ahead of the Nittany Lions offensively.

“Andy Kotelnicki is going to have to take what I think is pretty good personnel and elevate that personnel with some creativity. The good news is, I think he’s got an excellent one-two punch at running back in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen that combined to run for about five yard a carry last year. Those two should be outstanding. Their tight end, Tyler Warren, I think is an All-American potential player. But, the offensive line does lose a couple pieces up front, most notably Olu Fashanu, who was their left tackle. But I don’t think Olu Fashanu was quite as good of a run blocker as he was a pass blocker. Elite athlete, but he wasn’t a guy who’s going to just plow you off the football.

“The wide receivers I think also need to step up. They did lose a couple guys in the portal, but Julian Fleming transfers in from Ohio State. And he was, by all accounts, a guy that was just kind of lost in the shuffle at Ohio State. So maybe not that dissimilar to Jameson Williams a couple of years ago, who went to Alabama, became an All-American. Maybe that’s what Fleming will be for the Nittany Lions this upcoming year. Drew Allar is really efficient, makes good decisions. But I do think there needs to be maybe a little bit more. 25 to two touchdown interception ratio, that’s ridiculous. We know that’s great. But against the best teams, he’s going to have to be just a little bit better and be a little bit more willing to push the ball down the field and into tight windows.”

Taking a look at Penn State’s defense

Like his evaluation of Kotelnicki, McElroy’s confidence in the Nittany Lions begins with his perspective on new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. Stepping into an arrangement in which the defense was already outstanding, Allen has an opportunity to maintain that trajectory this season.

“You look at the defense, they were really good last year. Really, really good. And they bring in new coordinator Tom Allen,” said McElroy. “Tom Allen’s really good. He was the head coach at Indiana, but even prior to becoming the head coach, was an elite defensive mind for a lot of his career. And Penn State last year allowed the fewest total yards and fewest yards per play in 2023. They also posted the most sacks. So Allen is definitely stepping into a situation in which they’re going to be in a really good spot.”

Breaking down the defensive personnel

Continuing, McElroy outlined the players who stand out to him on the defensive side of the ball.

“He’s got a superstar potentially taking over at defense evd from linebacker in Abdul Carter. You teamed him up with Dani Dennis-Sutton and you got a dynamic one-two punch that are coming off the edge. Dennis-Sutton combined, along with Carter last year, for eight sacks. They’re really deep at tackle. I feel great about their defensive tackles.

“And I do think the back end has a chance to be excellent as well. They did add a couple of pieces in the secondary, which is only going to make them deeper. Jalen Kimber transfers in from Florida. A.J. Harris transfers in from Georgia. Tony Rojas is a rising star at linebacker. They got a lot of things that you would like to have at your disposal if you are the Penn State Nittany Lions.”

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