Remember when you had required reading material for school during the summer break before going back to school in the fall? That old tradition has evolved into picking up a copy of a college football preview magazine on your trip to the grocery store. Athlon Sports is one of the most popular magazines for summer must-read for many college football fans, myself included, so it’s always interesting to see what they have to say about Penn State.
As expected as a theme this summer ahead of the start of the new season, Athlon Sports has Penn State listed as a top 10 team for the class of 2024. Penn State is ranked No. 8 in Athlon Sports’ preseason Top 25 rankings. Penn State is coming off a 10-3 season and the returning players should give them a solid lineup next season.
There are some questions about how well Penn State’s passing game will work. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki inherits an offensive line that features star running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and one of the nation’s best tight ends in Tyler Warren. The offensive line will be led by Drew Aller, who has plenty of weapons but is coming off an up-and-down season in his first year as a starting quarterback. Penn State added wide receiver Julian Fleming, but with several players leaving in the transfer portal, the team will need someone to step up and create explosive opportunities at receiver this fall.
Here’s what Athlon Sports had to say about Penn State in 2024:
A favorable schedule and outstanding defense should propel the Nittany Lions into the top 10, but quarterback Drew Aller will need to take a step forward under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki if coach James Franklin’s team is to have a shot at a spot in the Big Ten title game, and there are concerns at receiver following the departure of Ke’Andre Lambert-Smith in the spring.
This seems like a pretty fair assessment of where Penn State is heading into the 2024 season. The pieces are there, but how quickly can they put it all together and can Penn State overcome one of the biggest hurdles that stand in their way? With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, Penn State has a better chance than ever to make the playoff. Not having to play Oregon or Michigan in the regular season is a nice schedule perk for Penn State, but trips to USC and Wisconsin are no cakewalk. And of course, there’s still Ohio State.
But the No. 8 ranking indicates that Athlon Sports believes the Nittany Lions are one of the teams in the running to make the College Football Playoff, possibly with a home game in the mix.
You can view the rest of the rankings by viewing Athlon Sports’ entire Top 25 for the 2024 season: Here is Penn State’s updated 2024 schedule, along with game-by-game projections.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire
