Three Nittany Lions named to Big Ten Preseason Honors List, ties Ohio State

Penn State football head coach James Franklin, quarterback Drew Allar, offensive lineman Nick Dawkins, and safety Zakee Wheatley will attend the 2025 Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, July 23 at 3:45 p.m. ET (12:45 p.m. PT). The three-day media event kicked off Tuesday, July 22 with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and the first six teams' time slots.

As all eyes are on the coaches and players taking the stage in Las Vegas, preseason polls, rankings, and players to watch have released one-by-one. The 15th annual cleveland.com Big Ten Preseason Poll was published on July 21 before the conference's media event kicked off. Eleven of 24 voters for the poll placed the Nittany Lions at No. 1 and made them the overall favorite to win the Big Ten in 2025-26.

Now ahead of Penn State's Media Days time slot, three Nittany Lions were named to the 15-player Big Ten Preseason Honors list that was announced during the opening day of media.

Quarterback Drew Allar, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, and running back Nicholas Singleton named to Big Ten Preseason Honors

Allar, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Nicholas Singleton are the players to watch, according to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List. The quarterback will be in attendance at Big Ten Media Days and will likely be asked about being named to the list.

Allar and Singleton are no-brainers as players to watch for the 2025-26 season.

The quarterback is one of two on the list and is coming off a 3,327-passing yard and 24-touchdown junior campaign. He ran for 306 yards and six touchdowns as well in 2024-25. Allar's expected to be one of, if not the, top quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As for Singleton, he rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024-25 with 375 yards and five touchdowns added on the receiving side. He and Kaytron Allen are the best running back duo going into the 2025-26 season, and Singleton will be one of the top five in his position taken in the draft following his senior season.

Dennis-Sutton is another five-star prospect and now-senior, like Allar and Singleton. He played alongside Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall selection of the 2025 NFL Draft, and had his best campaign as a Nittany Lion in 2024-25. The defensive end had 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks as a junior, recording career highs in all three. During Penn State's College Football Playoff run, the Nittany Lion had six tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions.

Penn State ties Ohio State for most players named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors list. The Buckeyes had safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and linebacker Sonny Styles selected.

The Big Ten Preseason Honors List also included Illinois' quarterback Luke Altmyer and offensive linebacker Gabe Jacas, Indiana's defensive lineman Mikail Kamar and defensive back D'Angelo Ponds, Iowa's offensive tackle Gennings Dunkers and center Logan Jones, Oregon's offensive linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei and defensive back Dillon Thieneman, and Minnesota's defensive back Koi Perich.