Phil Steele released his conference-specific rankings in his digital magazine, which landed the Penn State football at No. 2 behind Ohio State. Breaking that down even further, Steele presented his annual preseason All-Big Ten selections as well.
Fourteen Nittany Lions were sprinkled throughout the four teams ahead of the 2025-26 college football season. Here's who made the cut.
All-Big Ten First Team selections: Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Vega Ioane, and Zane Durant
Quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nicholas Singleton, offensive lineman Vega Ioane, and defensive lineman Zane Durant were Steele's preseason All-Big Ten First Team selections. Singleton, Ioane, and Durant were all selected to Walter Camp Preseason All-America teams as well.
Allar has a chip on his shoulder and a load of expectations looming above him. He's a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy and expected to be a high 2026 NFL Draft pick. ESPN's early projection has Allar going late in the first round to the Los Angeles Rams. Singleton is the headliner of his running back duo, which makes sense as to why he earned the first team spot above his partner. He broke 1,000 rushing yards in 2024 and had 375 receiving yards. He's an explosive running back who is sure to set sparks off in the coming season.
Ioane and Durant are weapons on either side of the ball. For the offensive line, the rising redshirt junior is one of five returning starters who also has potential to be a first round draft pick. Durant, entering his senior season, was a huge win for the Nittany Lions when he planned on returning. He doubled his tackles for loss from sophomore to junior year, added 10 more solo tackles, and 12 more assisted tackles.
All-Big Ten Second Team selections: Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Tony Rojas, A.J. Harris, Zakee Wheatley, and Tyler Duzansky
Running back Kaytron Allen, defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton, linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback A.J. Harris, safety Zakee Wheatley, and long snapper Tyler Duzansky were selected to Steele's preseason All-Big Ten Second Team.
The second half to the running back duo, Allen, is also coming off a 1,000-plus yard season. It's not a surprise that Singleton made the first team over him, but Allen is still a valuable piece to Penn State's title-seeking mission in 2025-26.
Dennis-Sutton is expected to step into an elite role like former Nittany Lion Abdul Carter had. He'll have more attention on him and reps to work with now that Carter's gone to the NFL. Even in his inconsistencies as a junior, Dennis-Sutton put the important numbers up and has more ahead of him for 2025-26.
Rojas had 58 tackles, including 35 solo and six for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and four pass breakups. He tied sixth in the Big Ten in interceptions, and had one pick-six out of the trio. Like many of the returners, Rojas plans on returning to the Happy Valley locker room as a leader.
Harris is another early projection of ESPN's to be a first-rounder in the 2026 NFL Draft. He had a booming sophomore season compared to his low-stat freshman year at Georgia. Going into Harris' third NCAA season, it's expected of him to have another strong performance with Penn State. Wheatley had 96 tackles, including 58 solos and 2.5 for loss as a redshirt junior. He also posted three interceptions, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and four pass breakups. For the coming season, he's stepping into a newfound leadership role in the secondary and plans to step up on the field to match that.
When announcing his return to Happy Valley, Duzansky expressed excitement to come back with other key Penn State specialists Riley Thompson, Gabe Nwosu, and Ryan Barker. He's entering his third season as the team's primary long snapper and will be crucial in providing stability for the Nittany Lions' special teams.
All-Big Ten Third Team selections: Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross, and Nicholas Singleton (kick return)
Steele named wide receivers Trebor Pena and Devonte Ross, and Singleton on kick return to the preseason All-Big Ten Third Team.
Grabbing Pena from the Transfer Portal was a huge win for Penn State. Out of Syracuse, the wide receiver had 475 yards after the catch in 2024-25. He had 84 total catches for 941 yards and nine touchdowns. Ross is another big boost for the Nittany Lions wideout group. He recorded 76 receptions for 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior. Both should be the answer to Penn State's wide receiver problems.
On kick return, Singleton averaged 23.6 yards per return in 2024-25. Including in the offensive backfield, he's a speedy, hard-to-tackle player that puts the Nittany Lions in good field position whether it's off the kick return or a carry.
All-Big Ten Fourth Team selections: Nick Dawkins and Amare Campbell
Offensive lineman Nick Dawkins and linebacker Amare Campbell were preseason All-Big Ten Fourth Team selections.
Dawkins is the "heart" of the offensive line, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg who labeled the lineman as a sleeper candidate for a breakout season. Like Ioane, he's another valuable returning starter to keep the offensive line sturdy. With so many offensive pieces coming back, that stability at the line will be essential to give Allar room to work with. In 2024-25, Dawkins only allowed two sacks. Campbell's coming from North Carolina and is entering his junior year. He had 76 tackles, including 45 solo and 31 assists. Campbell also had 10.5 tackles for loss for 53 yards, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble, five quarterback hurries, and two pass breakups.