Four Penn State Nittany Lions end up on preseason watchlist for major awards
By Josh Yourish
The Maxwell Award watchlist was released on Monday and it featured two members of the Penn State Nittany Lions offense. Then, on Tuesday, the Football Writers Association of America released the watchlists for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best interior lineman, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best defensive player.
Drew Allar and Nick Singleton, both coming off underwhelming seasons, are surprisingly on the national radar for the Maxwell Award. Allar still carries with him the pedigree of his five-star high school recruiting ranking and the potential of what many believe he can still become, while Singleton has more definitive proof he can be one of the best players in the country, though not from last season.
In 2022, as a true freshman, Singleton ran for 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns on 156 carries while last year, he carried the ball 171 times for just 752 yards and eight scores. His yards per carry average dropped from 6.8 to 4.4 and his longest run of the year went for just 24 yards against Michigan State in the final week of the regular season. Singleton was more productive, however, in the passing game, catching 26 balls for 308 yards and two more scores.
In Andy Kotelnicki’s offense, if both Allar and Singleton live up to the preseason hype, then Penn State should have no problem making the 12-team College Football Playoff.
One of the reasons that Allar’s first year as the starting quarterback left a lot to be desired, was the poor blocking by his offensive line, especially in big games. However, the Outland Trophy watchlist includes right guard Sal Wormley, one of two returning starters on Penn State’s offensive line. Wormley allowed just 11 pressures in 406 pass-blocking snaps.
On the defensive side, it’s no surprise that Abdul Carter was included on the Bronko Nagurski Award watchlist, but it’s a bit of a shock that he was the only Nittany Lions included. Kevin Winston Jr. was an All-Big Ten honorable mention at safety last season, leading the team with 60 tackles, and adding 5 pass breakups, one interception, and two fumble recoveries.
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