Scouting Report on the Penn State Nittany Lions

By now, we have a pretty good feel for what the Penn State Nittany Lions will look like when they take the field on Saturday night against the West Virginia Mountaineers. But to get the best info on WVU's Week 1 opponent, I connected with FanNation's Mark Wogenrich of All Penn State.

Here's our Q&A with Wogenrich, whom you can follow on X/Twitter to learn more about Penn State.

Q: Are Penn State fans excited that WVU is back on the schedule?

Wogenrich: Depends on the generation. It’s a nostalgic move for long-time fans who remember the independent days fondly and miss schedules that featured West Virginia, Pitt, Notre Dame, and Syracuse. The Big Ten generation hasn’t seen the Mountaineers but seems welcome to the reintroduction. It’s also a big game for western Pennsylvania, where the alumni and student populations overlap. But the situation certainly intensifies the rivalry renewal: season opener, prime time with the almost ‘White Out’ theme known as the ‘Helmet Stripe.’ The crowd will be juiced and loud.

Q: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the defense?

Wogenrich: Penn State has a lot of defensive strengths. All three primary defensive ends are future NFL players, and Chop Robinson is a potential first-round pick. As is cornerback Kalen King, who was among the nation’s top-rated defensive backs last season. The entire secondary is deep (watch for fellow corner Johnny Dixon), and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is comfortable isolating them in coverage. So watch for DB and linebacker blitzes. Speaking of linebackers, Abdul Carter wears Penn State’s iconic No. 11 and plays a lot like Micah Parsons. If there’s a weakness, it’s at defensive tackle and generally stopping the run. But James Franklin pushed his tackles to get bigger this offseason, largely knowing that a potential playoff bid runs through Michigan.

Q: One player no one really knows about but will be a playmaker

Wogenrich: Here are two. On offense, watch for tight end Tyler Warren, a red-zone presence and former high school quarterback who has taken some Wildcat snaps. Defensively, safety Zakee Wheatley had three takeaways last season in a rotational role and will see more reps this season.

Q: Is Allar expected to be the starter?

Wogenrich: Absolutely. Drew Allar is the centerpiece of coordinator Mike Yurcich’s offense, the player he has spent three years cultivating to be the starter. Franklin has made clear that Allar benefitted from playing behind Sean Clifford last season since freshmen rarely get the chance to draft behind sixth-year seniors. But this is Allar’s team now. A possibility exists that Penn State installs some packages for Beau Pribula, who’s more of a dual threat, but Allar is the alpha. And his first start represents the most important quarterback debut at Penn State since 2013 when true freshman Christian Hackenberg took the reins of Bill O’Brien’s offense.

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