If Penn State Football expects to turn it around offensively, they will need some help from a few individual breakout seasons.
Ideally, one of those breakout candidates is an offensive lineman – which might just be the case.
They could also benefit from a breakout campaign from one of their three primary tight ends, which could help act as a security blanket for Sean Clifford in the redzone and short yardage situations.
The following are three potential breakout candidates on offense for Penn State Football in 2022.
*We will only be looking at returning players who could have breakout seasons, not true freshmen or transfers.
Penn State Football tight end – Theo Johnson
Theo Johnson’s numbers last season were not overly impressive by any stretch of the imagination. However, he caught significantly more passes in the final six games of the season (11) than he did in the first seven games (5).
Once again, neither of those are otherworldly, but it shows that he became more of a factor for the offense down the stretch of the season.
At six-foot-five, the former high four-star prospect likely has the highest ceiling among Penn State’s three primary tight ends, and will probably be used as such.
With the wide receivers commanding so much attention in the passing game, Theo Johnson could become Sean Clifford’s go-to guy in short-yardage situations.
Look for the sophomore tight end from Windsor, Ontario, to emerge as the Nittany Lions’ clear-cut No. 1 tight end by season’s end, and to have a significant jump in terms of production.