Penn State football 2023 award watch list tracker
Penn State is gearing up for a potentially exciting college football season. With a roster full of talented individuals across the roster, it is no wonder that so many players have been receiving various degrees of preseason hype leading into the fall.
Before fall camps opened up, the watch lists for a number of college football awards were released to help generate some enthusiasm and excitement about some of college football’s top players at every position. Not surprisingly, a number of Penn State players received some recognition from the watch list announcements. But keeping tabs on every single college football award watch list can be difficult if you don’t know when they are being announced. But we’ll help you out by keeping tabs on every watch list we come across and let you know what players are appearing on which list.
And if you don’t know what an award is specifically for, we’ll keep you informed on that as well.
Here is a look at each Penn State player who has appeared on a watch list for the upcoming season, and which lists they have appeared. This will be updated accordingly as watch list announcements continue to be made.
Kaytron Allen, Running Back
Doak Walker Award – Best running back
It may have been easy to overlook the success of Kaytron Allen in his freshman season at Penn State given the attention to Nick Singleton, but Allen more than left his mark on the revitalization of the running game. If not for Singleton, Allen would have set the Penn State freshman rushing touchdown record and he rushed for the fourth-most rushing yards as a freshman in school history.
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Abdul Carter, Linebacker
Lott IMPACT Trophy – Defensive IMPACT player of the year
Bronko Nagurski Award – Best defensive player
Butkus Award – Best linebacker
Lombardi Award – Best lineman
Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter returns for his sophomore season after being recognized as one of the top freshmen in the Big Ten in 2022. Carter will anchor the linebacker position for the Nittany Lions this season after leading the team in sacks with 6.5 sacks in 2022. Carter was second on the team with 10.5 TFL, half a TFL behind Adisa Isaac for the team lead last fall.
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Dante Cephas, Wide Receiver
Biletnikoff Award – Best receiver
After losing its top two receivers to the NFL from last year’s roster, Penn State looked to the transfer portal to add Dante Cephas from Kent State. Cephas is expected to slide right into a leading role as a go-to wide receiver in the Penn State offense and is two years removed from a 1,000-yard season.
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Dvon Ellies, Defensive Tackle
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
Wuerffel Trophy – Community service
Dvon Ellies will return for his redshirt senior season at defensive tackle. Ellies had just one sack last season while playing as a backup defensive tackle behind PJ Mustipher. With Mustipher moving on, Ellies should shine in a starting role in the middle of a solid defensive line.
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Olumuyia Fashanu, Offensive Tackle
Outland Trophy – Best interior lineman (offense or defense)
Walter Camp Player of the Year – National player of the year
Lombardi Award – Best lineman
There is no shortage of words to stress how important it was for Penn State that Olumuyia Fashanu decided to return for another season in Happy Valley. Fashanu could have been a potential first-round draft pick in 2023 and he is now being viewed as a potential early first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Having him back to protect Drew Allar and help create space for the running game is a tremendous asset on one of the best offensive lines James Franklin has had at Penn State.
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Curtis Jacobs, Linebacker
Butkus Award – Best linebacker
Penn State’s most experienced linebacker heading into the 2023 season, Curtis Jacobs has started 23 of the 32 games he has played in Happy Valley. Jacobs was an honorable mention for All-Big Ten last season by the coaches and the media after recording 52 tackles and 7.5 tackles for a loss with four sacks. He also had two fumble recoveries and an interception, which was returned for a touchdown.
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Theo Johnson, Tight End
John Mackey Award – Best tight end
With the departure of Brenton Strange to the NFL, Theo Johnson figures to see a bit more of a leading role at the tight end position for Penn State in 2023. Johnson has been a main cog in the tight end mix for the Nittany Lions the past two seasons and should be the team’s top option at the position this fall.
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Kalen King, Cornerback
Lott IMPACT Trophy – Best defensive IMPACT player
Bronko Nagurski Award – Best defensive player
Jim Thorpe Award – Best defensive back
Penn State may have lost one of its starting cornerbacks to the NFL draft this season, but Kalen King will help keep things stable with his big play ability. King intercepted three passes last season, including one in the regular season finale against Michigan State and the Rose Bowl victory over Utah. He’ll be tasked with covering some of the top receivers in the Big Ten this fall.
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Chop Robinson, Defensive End
Bronko Nagurski Award – Best defensive player
Lombardi Award – Best lineman
It did not take long for Chop Robinson to show his value to the Penn State defense in 2022. After transferring from Maryland, Robinson recorded 10 TFL with 5.5 sacks last season. He is now viewed as one of Penn State’s top defensive players and a potential first-round draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
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Nick Singleton, Running Back
Maxwell Award – Best college football player
Paul Hornung Award – Most versatile player
Doak Walker Award – Best running back
Walter Camp Player of the Year – National player of the year
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, running back Nick Singleton, looks to continue being one of the top running backs in the Big Ten. Singleton set the Penn State freshman rushing touchdown record and is one of three freshmen to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Singleton more than lived up to the hype coming out of high school and he should rack up some big plays and runs again this fall for the Nittany Lions with his mix of speed and strength.
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Riley Thompson, Punter
Ray Guy Award – Best punter
Penn State added punter Riley Thompson to the roster as a transfer from the portal. Thompson was one of the top punters in Conference USA with Florida Atlantic. The Australian native should contribute right away with his strong leg and ability to pin the football deep in the opposite end of the field.
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