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What Penn State's Depth Chart Looks Like for Week 3 Vs. Villanova

The second-ranked Nittany Lions conclude their non-conference schedule against the Wildcats at Beaver Stadium.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Florida International Panthers at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Florida International Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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Penn State Nittany Lions

No. 2 Penn State hosts Villanova to conclude a friendly non-conference schedule that has allowed it to dig deep into the depth chart. Penn State coach James Franklin played 73 players in the opener vs. Nevada and 60 last week against FIU.

The days of extra playing time likely end this weekend, however, as the Nittany Lions will return from a bye week to host Oregon in the White Out on Sept. 27. So here's a look at Penn State's projected depth chart for Saturday's game against Villanova at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State projected depth chart: Offense

Penn State offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada.
Penn State offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh (68) in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Position

First Team

Second Team

Quarterback

15 Sr. Drew Allar

17 R. Fr. Ethan Grunkemeyer

Running Back

13 Sr. Kaytron Allen 10 Sr. Nicholas Singleton

26 R. Soph. Cam Wallace

Wide Receiver

1 Sr. Kyron Hudson

3 Fr. Koby Howard

Wide Receiver

8 6th. Yr. Trebor Pena

4 R. Fr. Tyseer Denmark

Wide Receiver

5. Sr. Devonte Ross

2 R. Sr. Liam Clifford

Tight End

16 R. Sr. Khalil Dinkins

85 Soph. Luke Reynolds

Left Tackle

66 Sr. Drew Shelton

64 R. Fr. Eagan Boyer

Left Guard

71 R. Jr. Vega Ioane

54 R. Soph. T.J. Shanahan

Center

53 6th Yr. Nick Dawkins

52 R. Jr. Dom Rulli

Right Guard

68 R. Soph. Anthony Donkoh

50 Soph. Cooper Cousins

Right Tackle

72 R. Sr. Nolan Rucci

70 R. Fr. Garrett Sexton

Penn State offensive depth chart notes

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen rushes for a 12-yard touchdown in the first half of the game against Nevada.
Penn State running back Kaytron Allen rushes for a 12-yard touchdown in the first half of an NCAA football game against Nevada. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
  • Receiver Devonte Ross nearly doubled his snap count, from 18 to 35, in the Week 2 win over FIU. He appears to have recovered from an offseason injury to secure a spot at the top of Penn State's receivers rotation. Quarterback Drew Allar also threw deep to him twice, connecting on a 42-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Pro Football Focus graded Ross as Penn State's top receiver in the game (69.3).
  • The offensive line looks to build more playing time once again for its young reserves before heading to Big Ten play. Ten linemen played 20+ snaps in the opener vs. Nevada, though just five did against FIU. Three starters played 65 snaps: tackles Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci and center Nick Dawkins. Franklin will want more backups to get snaps Saturday.
  • No running backs beyond Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen had carries against FIU, in part because of the situation. The Nittany Lions led 20-0 with under 4 minutes to go. As a result, Allen and Singleton each finished the game with a touchdown, and Allen scored from 67 yards for the longest run of his career. Cam Wallace did not play after making an emotional Week 1 return, and Franklin has said that Quinton Martin Jr.. dealt with an injury issue.
  • Tight end Luke Reynolds led the offense in reception (seven) and targets (nine) and emerged as a short-yardage security blanket for Allar. He also didn't drop a pass. Franklin pointed to five drops that curbed Allar's ability to get into rhythm, though the official stat sheet listed only one. Reynolds also played 43 snaps, tops among tight ends. Kyron Hudson (54) led the receivers in snaps, followed by Trebor Pena (50).

Penn State projected depth chart: Defense

Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Amare Campbell attempts to get around FIU Panthers offensive linesman Jaleel Davis.
Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Amare Campbell (24) attempts to get around FIU Panthers offensive linesman Jaleel Davis (78) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Position

First Team

Second Team

Defensive End

33 Sr. Dani Dennis-Sutton

19 Fr. Chaz Coleman

Defensive Tackle

28 Sr. Zane Durant

39 R. Soph Ty Blanding

Defensive Tackle

50 6th Yr. Alonzo Ford

54 R. Fr. Xavier Gilliam

Defensive End

36 6th Yr. Zuriah Fisher

44 R. Fr. Jaylen Harvey

Linebacker

13 Jr. Tony Rojas

32. R. Jr. Keon Wylie

Linebacker

24 Jr. Amare Campbell

0 R. Sr. Dom DeLuca

Cornerback

3 Jr A.J. Harris

5 Fr. Daryus Dixson

Cornerback

2 R. Jr. Audavion Collins

9 Jr. Elliot Washingon II

Nickel

7 Jr. Zion Tracy

17 R. Fr. Kenny Woseley Jr.

Safety

5 R. Sr. Zakee Wheatley

10 Soph. Dejuan Lane

Safety

3 R. Fr. Antoine Belgrave-Shorter

16 Jr. King Mack

Penn State defensive depth chart notes

  • Defensive tackle Zuriah Fisher returned to play for the first time since the 2023 Peach Bowl, welcome news for both he and the defense. Penn State needed another edge rusher to help bring along the freshmen at a more deliberate pace. And Fisher needed to get out and prove himself. Franklin projected a snap-count limit for the sixth-year senior, but Fisher started and ended up playing 34 plays, second only to Dani Dennis-Sutton at the position. He didn't record a tackle but got into the backfield for several quarterback pressures. "I think I played smooth," Fisher said, "but I've got to do better. I've got to knock the rust off a little bit more."
  • Cornerback Zion Tracy returned after missing the opener to start at the nickel spot and play 20 snaps. He made one tackle. Penn State's cornerbacks in general didn't break much of a sweat vs. FIU, which threw for just 149 yards and in particular didn't test senior A.J. Harris.
  • It was situational based on FIU's run formations, but Penn State played some three-linebacker sets with Tony Rojas, Amare Campbell and Dom DeLuca on the field together. Don't expect to see too much of that, though, especially against Oregon, which is averaging 286 yards passing per game. Campbell played 56 snaps vs. FIU, more than double his total in the opener, and has secured that middle linebacker spot.
  • Welcome back, King Mack. The junior, who played at Penn State in 2023 and Alabama in 2024, played 33 snaps at safety and finished with seven tackles and a pass breakup. Antoine Belgrave-Shorter won the starting safety job out of training camp, but and Dejuan Lane got a lot of work at the position vs. FIU.

Penn State projected depth chart: Special teams

Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker kicks a field goal during the third quarter against the FIU Panthers.
Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker (94) kicks a field goal during the third quarter against the FIU Panthers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Position

First Team

Second Team

Kicker

94 R. Soph. Ryan Barker

99 R. Sr. Gabriel Nwosu

Punter

99 R. Sr. Gabriel Nwosu

14 Sr. Riley Thompson

Punt Returns

5. Sr. Devonte Ross

8. R. Sr. Trebor Pena

Kickoff Returns

16 Jr, King Mack

10 Sr. Nicholas Singleton

Penn State special teams depth chart notes

  • After winning the job during the prseason, Gabriel Nwosu finally got to punt. Nwosu proved Franklin right about his "A-game," booming a 67-yarder that flipped field position. But Franklin also noted that Nwosu sent two kickoffs out of bounds.
  • Nwosu also pressed Barker for the starting job at kicker during training camp, and Franklin said Nwosu might get a look on long-range field goals. However, Barker attempted a 53-yarder late in the first half that was blocked. Freshman kicker Matthew Parker was listed as out for the FIU game.
  • Mack is going to get more looks at kickoff return, particularly after his 73-yard explosion in the opener. Penn State doesn't need to trot Singleton and Allen out there any longer. Ross seems to be taking over as the top punt-returner.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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