Which Penn State players are standing out as leaders during winter workouts?
Penn State started the 2024 offseason with just a single captain from the 2023 version of the Nittany Lions. Fast forward a year, and things are different. Four of the players picked as program leaders before the team’s eventual run to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff — quarterback Drew Allar, center Nick Dawkins, linebacker Dominic DeLuca (who was a 2023 captain, as well, and punter Riley Thompson — are back in 2025. That does not mean there are no voids to fill in that department, of course. And, that’s especially true on defense, where both KJ Winston Jr and Kobe King are gone.
Speaking of differences, the Lions’ winter workouts are different this year, too. They’re shorter due to the length of the team’s postseason, which ended on Jan. 10 of this year. But, what is not different is that the next leaders are found during the grueling sessions that take place both at Holuba Hall and inside the Lasch Building weight room. Speaking Thursday following a media viewing period to watch a lifting testing session (squats were the name of the game on this day), Penn State head strength coach Chuck Losey shared who’s standing out to him when it comes to both leading by example and vocally. He started with a few names on defense.
More: Buzzworthy: Penn State winter workouts produce unique standouts
“Zane Durant, he’s a purpose-driven kid who’s had an unbelievable winter up to this point,” Losey said. “I fully expect him to be an even better version of who he was in 2024. That’s the way he’s working.
“Dani Dennis-Sutton, you talk about adding a layer of resilience this offseason, from a physical standpoint and a mental standpoint, I think he’s done that. Super happy with him. Zakee Wheatley, leader of the safety room, leader of the defense. Super proud of him. Because, he’s been able to; maybe, at one point, what wasn’t necessarily his strength, his work ethic, he’s completely flipped the script on that, and he’s one of the hardest workers, if not the hardest worker on this football team right now. Super proud of him.”
Those names should not be a great surprise. All three are upperclassmen who passed on a chance to enter the NFL Draft so that they could try to push Penn State to its first national title in nearly four decades. But, the fact that they are performing as expected is not an unexpected positive but a major one nonetheless.
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From there, Losey singled out familiar faces, including a couple of those 2024 captains listed above, as Penn State players who continue to push both themselves and their peers toward new heights.
“Drew Allar, Drew Shelton; talk about Allar: Maturity, confidence, commanding the room,” Losey said. In a different part of the interview, he also highlighted Vega Ioane’s leadership, as well. “Very impressed. Drew Shelton. He’s the guy that the guys, especially the big guys, look to for energy as an example guy. He offers it every day.
“And then you got your OGs of the group: Dom DeLuca, Nick Dawkins, those guys are steady staples in there. They’re unbelievable in there.”
The Lions now head into spring break before kicking off spring practice at the end of the month. Those 15 days of drills will call for more leadership. And, the group outlined here will be leading the way.
