Penn State football: 3 players who could have a breakout game in the Peach Bowl

James Franklin does not run his program like most others in the country. He instills loyalty in his players and for that reason, only three players are transferring away from the program this offseason.

While some schools have a bevy of opt-outs and transfers which open up snaps for young players, who were buried on the depth chart all season, to play in the bowl game, Penn State does not. Instead, the only new openings are courtesy of the two new coordinators and a few key contributors heading for the NFL draft. 

Of the Nittany Lions’ future NFL draft picks, only Chop Robinson has opted out of the game. We saw what the defense looked like without him when he was gone with an injury in the middle of the year, but the pass rush could look different on Saturday. 

Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle will still run the offense for the Peach Bowl before Andy Kotelnicki takes over next season, and Anthony Poindexter and Robb Smith will lead Tom Allen’s defense in Atlanta. Just because incumbent assistants are calling plays doesn’t there won’t be changes for the Peach Bowl and new opportunities for fresh faces. 

These are the three players I expect to step up the biggest for the Peach Bowl after relatively quiet regular seasons. 

We have to start with the one opt-out and who will take up those snaps. Obviously, former five-star Dani Dennis-Sutton will be the starter opposite Adisa Isaac on Saturday, but Dennis-Sutton doesn’t qualify for a potential breakout considering he played more snaps than Robinson this season and equalled his 26 QB pressures. 

Amin Vanover however, is in a spot where his snap count will be elevated and he could show out. Penn State will need to determine whether Zuriah Fisher, who posted 13 pressures and two sacks in 192 snaps this season, or Vanover who recorded 16 pressures and two sacks in 116 snaps will be Dennis-Sutton’s primary counterpart next year. 

My vote is for the 6-foot-4 270-pound junior who wears No. 15. Vanover did not have much impact against the run this year with only four stops and six total tackles. However, Penn State is Linebacker U for a reason. Abdul Carter and Dominic DeLuca can take care of the run game, I want an edge that can heat up the opposing quarterback and that’s Vanover. 

Vanover hasn’t recorded a sack since Week 5, but on the season he’s played 57 pass-rush snaps and has recorded 16 pressures, which comes out to a pressure rate of 28% which is absurdly high. For reference, Chop Robinson posted a 17.5% pressure rate this season and Isaac, who led the team in pressures, was at 15.7%. 

Ole Miss finished the season 16th in rushing attempts and 77th in pass attempts, so Vanover will need to play much better against the run to stay on the field, but if he can survive on those downs, then he’ll dominate on passing downs and get after Jaxson Dart. 

At the start of the season, Evans was a breakout candidate, but Mike Yurcich didn’t have much interest in his skill set. Evans was resigned to the bench and wasted away until Yurcich was fired and Seider and Howle revitalized his career.

The sophomore finished the season with just four catches for 94 yards, but against Michigan State in the season finale, Drew Allar hit Evans for a 60-yard touchdown. 

Harrison Wallace III could be returning to the field for the first time since he left the Ohio State game with an injury and that could cut into Evans's potential snaps, but Evans' explosiveness will shine through with enough opportunity. 

Franklin and Kotelnicki need to figure out who are going to be the contributors at wide receiver next season, and both Evans and Wallace can make a case to be WR1 or WR2 depending on what Penn State reels in from the transfer portal. 

Theo Johnson has declared for the NFL draft but will play in the Peach Bowl. Tyler Warren has decided to return to Penn State next season, so Dinkins will remain the third tight end. Still, I think Andy Kotelnicki will have a fascination with the 6-foot-4 250-pound sophomore tight end and that will mean an increase in snaps for Dinkins. 

Kotelnicki is not calling the plays on Saturday, but he’s certainly been in the ear of Franklin and his co-offensive coordinators about what players he’d like to get a look at in the Peach Bowl, and Kotelnicki loves big pass catchers. 

This season at Kansas, three of Kotelnicki’s four leading receivers were over 6-foot-3. Dinkins only caught four passes for 45 yards this year, but he did score two touchdowns and may become a red zone piece moving forward. 

This could be the last chance for Dinkins to have a breakout and make a strong case for playing time next season. Warren is returning and will become TE1 with Johnson in the NFL, and five-star freshman Luke Reynolds will show up in Happy Valley soon, so it might be now or never for Dinkins.