Penn State football strength coach Chuck Losey was available for media following Monday's weightlifting session. Key returners were in conversation, such as Nicholas Singleton and Zakee Wheatley, and Losey expressed nothing but excitement for each of them.
Strength coach Chuck Losey says he's "a huge Drew Allar fan"
"Don't be fooled by his quiet nature. He's tough — he's tough as nails. He's durable and he's done nothing but get better every year," Losey said of the starting quarterback to On3's BlueWhite Illustrated. ". . . I'm a huge Drew Allar fan. I think he's going to have a huge year this year and he's just one of those guys where his play is going to speak for itself."
Allar has high expectations, and the Nittany Lion staff has been adamant about the quarterback taking big jumps in his consistency on the field in terms of numbers and off the field as a leader. The excitement buzzing around Allar isn't misplaced and the strides made over the summer should come into fruition on the field in the fall.
Losey didn't stop at the starter, though. Leadership was a consistent theme in his media availability, and that extended to backup players as well. For Ethan Grunkemeyer and Jaxon Smolik, Losey said that the two are ready for whenever the Nittany Lions need them to hop in. Smolik, specifically, put his past knee injury well behind him as the strength coach said no one would know he was back healthy just a few months ago.
"Both of them understand that they're only one snap away from being in the game and they attack every day like that," Losey said. "I know that sounds like coach speak, but . . . I [have] full confidence in both of those guys . . . I think both of them have grown from a leadership standpoint and their ability to take the reigns with the offense, be the commander."
Vega Ioane's ceiling "is for him to be an All-American football player this year," according to Chuck Losey
Vega Ioane returning was huge for the Penn State offensive line. Throughout the summer, he worked on movement and efficiency. Losey said getting him down five pounds was the goal to get him at the ideal weight he moves the best at.
"The plan is for him to be an All-American football player this year," Losey said. ". . . [Ioane's] big thing has always been movement [and] efficiency. He is a big, dense individual . . . He's always going to be big, he's always going to be strong, be able to push people off the ball."
Beyond the physical growth in his conditioning and game, Ioane's made strides as a leader — a common theme among many of the returners with a chip on their shoulder after the Orange Bowl loss.
"He's always been a leader from the standpoint of [being] a great example guy, but part of his challenge during the off season, during the summer months has been to insert himself vocally and take charge and separate himself as one of the leaders in that group — and really, honestly, on the offense too, not just his [position]," Losey said.
Consistency and staying healthy keeps Nicholas Singleton trending in the right direction
Nicholas Singleton came into the program at an elite level in terms of strength, conditioning, and development. Losey said that their growth is not always as noticeable in terms of numbers because they start at a high benchmark. So for Singleton, his plan at Penn State was curated differently. He wasn't expected to throw 40 more pounds on his power clean, but that doesn't mean Losey doesn't get excited when he adds even just five pounds onto a squat.
"[Singleton] did come in with such high baselines [and] those are a little bit more challenging . . . He's been a steady progressor throughout his career here. He's managed to stay healthy, which I'm super happy about and I'm very pleased with," Losey said. ". . . it's a testament to him too and his work ethic in here and his consistency because he has been one of the most consistent guys in the program ever since he stepped foot."
Even outside the weight room, the starting running back came into the program at an elite level. It's expected for Singleton to have another 1,000-plus yard season and end his collegiate career with a bang.
Chuck Losey says Zakee Wheatley and Tony Rojas have huge seasons ahead of them even before seeing their fall camp performances
Now with Jaylen Reed drafted, playing for the Houston Texans, it's Zakee Wheatley's time to take that step forward — and he has.
"I'm really happy about the development of [Wheatley] . . . from a leadership standpoint. [Reed] was such a strong presence on the defense last year at that safety position and across the board on the defense," Losey said. "[Wheatley] has kind of taken the reigns and he's run with it.
"Two years ago, three years ago when he first got here . . . I always knew he would be a really good ball player for us. I just didn't know how good of a leader down the road he would be . . . [Wheatley's] one of the first guys in the weight room every day. He thrives in everything that we do out in the field from a movement standpoint, a lifting standpoint, recovery standpoint. He's just kind of a model citizen for us now."
As for linebacker Tony Rojas, Losey kept it short, sweet, and serious: "Rojas has been fantastic this summer. He's been fantastic, he's ready to go. I'm excited about the season he's going to have."
Penn State can start its fall camp in early August ahead of its Week 1 opener against Nevada at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will go through their evaluation period starting the week of July 20 before camp begins to assess their summer development.