Penn State vs. Minnesota depth chart: Offense
Several looming situations persist after Penn State’s loss to Michigan last Saturday. Of course, none hold a candle to the status of Penn State’s starting quarterback on Saturday after Sean Clifford exited the previous week’s game with an injury. With the game just days away, get ready with the official Blue White Illustrated depth chart.
Quarterback
14 Sean Clifford (Sr.+)
15 Drew Allar (Fr.)
11 Christian Veilleux (R-Fr.)
9 Beau Pirbula (Fr.)
The lowdown: Penn State starting quarterback Sean Clifford exited last week’s loss to Michigan in the fourth quarter and did not return. We updated fans on his participation during open practice on Wednesday, which only gave us limited insight. If you want the details, sign up for a year of Blue White Illustrated premium content for just one dollar. That deal ends this week.
At the risk of being too bold, there’s a greater than zero chance Drew Allar plays on Saturday.
Penn State running backs
10 Nick Singleton (Fr)
13 Kaytron Allen (Fr) OR 24 Keyvone Lee (So.)
38 Tank Smith (R-Jr)
The lowdown: Penn State head coach James Franklin was as evasive as ever when asked about Keyvone Lee’s lack of presence at Penn State’s practice on Wednesday. The speculation can run rampant, but it is notable that Lee only saw the field for four snaps against Michgan. We’re putting Tank Smith on the depth chart to be safe.
Lions receiver
Wide receiver
1 KeAndre Lambert-Smith (So.)
6 Harrison Wallace (R-Fr.)
80 Malick Meiga (So.)
Slot
3 Parker Washington (So.)
19 Jaden Dottin (R-So)
82 Liam Clifford (R-Fr.) OR
7 Kaden Saunders (Fr.)
Wide receiver
5 Mitchell Tinsley (Sr+)
18 Omari Evans (Fr.)
The lowdown: Penn State receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith was practicing with the team for the second straight week and played against Michigan on Saturday. Still, redshirt freshman Harrison Wallace out-snapped Lambert-Smith last week and caught an impressive 48-yard pass. We’re not considering a switch of starters here, but it’s clear that Lambert-Smith is playing through injury, and Wallace will again be a factor.
Penn State tight ends
86 Brenton Strange (R-Jr.)
84 Theo Johnson (Soph.) OR 44 Tyler Warren (Soph.)
16 Khalil Dinkins (R-Fr.)
The lowdown: Brenton Strange remains the lead dog for the Nittany Lions, while Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren split the second tight end duties. Neither player has presented much of an impact this season, so they’ll remain co-backups.
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- 2Hot
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Jaylen Mbakwe
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Dan Mullen
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Lions offensive line
Left tackle
74 Olu Fashanu (Soph.)
66 Drew Shelton (Fr.)
51 Jimmy Christ (R-Soph.)
Left guard
64 Hunter Nourzad (R-Sr.) OR
58 Landon Tengwall (R-Fr.)
56 JB Nelson (R-So.)
Center
70 Juice Scruggs (R-Sr.)
64 Hunter Nourzad (R-Sr.)
66 Nick Dawkins (Soph.)
Right guard
77 Sal Wormley (R-Jr.)
78 Golden Israel-Achumba (R-So)
71 Vega Ioane (Fr.)
Right tackle
79 Caedan Wallace (R-Jr.)
72 Bryce Effner (R-Sr.)
57 Ibrahim Traore (R-Soph.)
The Lowdown: We’re flipping Nourzad to the starting position based on last week. Guard Landon Tengwall’s sudden absence from last week’s game is a concern because players don’t usually go down with an injury that prevents them from playing during warmups. However, he’ll likely start if he’s healthy enough to play. Still, Hunter Nourzad got the start last week, and both players shared time evenly at the position before injuries anyway.
