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Penn State set to return all four starting specialists in 2025, three of which had NFL Draft eligibility

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•about 9 hours•

GregPickel

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Kicker Ryan Barker. (Credit: Steve Manuel | Blue White Illustrated)

Penn State is set to return all four of its starting specialists in 2025. Special teams coordinator Justin Lustig tweeted Wednesday that kickoff specialist Gabe Nwosu, punter Riley Thompson, long snapper Tyler Duzansky, and placement kicker Ryan Barker are all returning. The first three all were NFL Draft eligible, while Barker, who was perhaps the best of the four this year, is not.

The Nittany Lions will also have both kickoff return men back now that running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are each coming back for one more year. Punt returners Zion Tracy and Kaden Saunders are expected back, as well, though the latter will be coming off of an injury-shortened 2024 season.

Penn State will look to be more explosive on special teams in 2025. Lustig’s group was ranked 66th in Bill Connelly’s SP+ special teams rankings. ESPN’s College Football Power Index special teams efficiency rating was harsher; the Lions were No. 105 in that metric out of 134 ranked teams.

Barker finished his first season as a full-time starter with a 15 of 18 mark (83.3 percent), which was top 40 nationally. And Nwosu had a top-30 kickoff average. But, the Lions were 47th in average kickoff return yards, though like many teams, had few chances at them over the course of the year. And, in the punt return department, they ranked 97th with 5.91 yards per return.

Penn State football decision tracker

Here’s the latest:

Coming back to Penn State despite being NFL Draft eligible:

C Nick Dawkins
S Zakee Wheatley
DL Smith Vilbert
QB Drew Allar
RB Nicholas Singleton
RB Kaytron Allen
DE Dani Dennis-Sutton
DT Zane Durant
LS Tyler Duzansky
P Riley Thompson
K/P Gabe Nwosu

Leaving for the NFL Draft early:

CB Jalen Kimber
S KJ Winston
DE Abdul Carter
LB Kobe King

No announcement yet about their future:

C/G Vega Ioane
OT Drew Shelton
DE Zuriah Fisher
DT Alonzo Ford
LB Dom DeLuca
OL JB Nelson
K Sander Sahaydak
TE Khalil Dinkins
WR Liam Clifford
OT Nolan Rucci

Which Nittany Lions are in the portal?

Jerry Cross, a former Penn State tight end, is already at Memphis. Former Nittany Lions quarterback Beau Pribula, meanwhile, is now at Missouri. Otherwise, none of the other handful of players from PSU who are in the portal have picked a new school yet. Here’s that list:

S Tyrece Mills
CB Cam Miller
WR Trey Wallace
WR Omari Evans
DT T.A. Cunningham
WR Mehki Flowers
WR Tyler Johnson

Which Nittany Lions are completely out of eligibility?

Here is that list:

WR Julian Fleming 
TE Tyler Warren
OL Sal Wormley
DE Amin Vanover
DT Dvon J-Thomas
DT Coziah Izzard
LB Tyler Elsdon 
S Jaylen Reed

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