As Penn State approaches its season opener against West Virginia, James Franklin is finalizing his first roster for the 2024 season. Drew Aller, Nicholas Singleton and Abdul Carter enter the year as well-known players with defined roles, but others have the potential to become instant stars.
With a crop of freshmen waiting for their chance and veterans on the rise, the Nittany Lions have a ton of players who could break out this fall. Here are six rising stars who could be big step-ups for Penn State football this season.
Omari Evans
Last season wasn't the breakthrough many expected from wide receiver Omari Evans, who had a great season against the Blue-White in 2023. Evans has the potential to make big plays if he can regain the speed and explosiveness he lacked throughout his sophomore year before scoring for a 60-yard touchdown in the regular-season finale at Michigan State.
Evans is a front-runner to join Harrison Wallace III and Julian Fleming in the starting lineup and should have another promising year in 2024.
Cooper Cousins
Generally speaking, the closer a player is to the ball, the longer he takes to see the field. In the case of Cooper Cousins, this rule may not apply. At 6-foot-6 and weighing 315 pounds, Cousins is built differently than the other freshmen and will likely play as a veteran behind starter Nick Dawkins this fall. Cousins may even play at guard, starting in the Blue-White game.
Cam Wallace
The departure of Trey Potts leaves an opening at Penn State's No. 3 running back position behind Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Redshirt freshman Cam Wallace could take Potts' place after a spring in which he drew rave reviews from coaches and teammates despite entering the season without a registered snap.
With Singleton and Allen nearing NFL eligibility, Wallace and freshman Quinton Martin Jr. will be tested as successors in 2024.
Tony Rojas
Penn State's linebacker corps will look different this fall with Abdul-Carter playing defensive end. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, Tony Rojas has grown to 6-foot-2 and 239 pounds and should be ready to play as a starter after playing all 13 games as a freshman in 2023.
Zaki Wheatley
Franklin has made it clear multiple times that safety Zaky Wheatley is “playing the best he's ever done” this spring, but offseason success is nothing new for Wheatley, who earned the title of the team's “Takeaway King” ahead of the 2022 season.
Wheatley has been a steady presence in Penn State's defense the past two seasons, and with a chance to start alongside Kevin Winston Jr. and Lion Jalen Reed, 2024 could be Wheatley's year to take on a bigger workload and truly prove himself.
Jameel Lyons
With Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac both off to the NFL and reliable role player Zulia Fisher potentially sidelined with an injury, defensive end Jameel Lyons, who burned his redshirt after playing eight games as a freshman in 2023, is likely to be one of the first names called to give projected starters Carter and Dani Dennis Sutton some rest.
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Seth Engle has covered Penn State football and men's basketball for the past four years, most recently serving as football editor for The Daily Collegian. His work has appeared in The Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennLive and Centre Daily Times. Follow him on X (or Twitter). Follow.
