Penn State Football 2025 Preview: Making Special Teams a 'Differentiator'

The play showed how special teams can help win games, and Penn State coach James Franklin said the unit could be a true difference-maker for the Nittany Lions in 2025.

“You can make the argument in the Minnesota game [that] maybe that's a game that we won [because of special teams]. You tip your hat to special teams,” Franklin said. “But we also, and there's value in this, didn't lose games because of special teams, right?

"I think we're in a position now in Year 2 [under coordinator Justin Lustig] where not only can we not lose games [because of] special teams, but we’ve got a chance to win a few more games. Or have a wider margin of [victory] because of special teams. I think we‘ve got a chance to use special teams and o ur talents and our structure to make that a differentiator for us this year.”

Lustig shared that belief, saying that Penn State has “good depth at all positions.” While the unit features a plethora of returning players, there are still roles to be earned and roster spots to be made. 

We conclude our Penn State position breakdown with a look at the special teams.

Returning kickers

Penn State brings back its kicker, punter, kickoff specialist, long snapper and several returners, bringing consistency to Lustig’s unit in Year 2 of his tenure. 

Kicker Ryan Barker enters his redshirt sophomore season after initially serving as the backup in 2024. The Pennsylvania native was all the Nittany Lions could ask for of a replacement starter, making 15 of 18 field goals and going 48-for-49 on extra points. He’ll likely be the starter against Nevada on Aug. 30, though Lustig said true freshman Matthew Parker has had a good camp. 

At punter, Lustig said that kickoff specialist Gabe Nwosu has been challenging Thompson, a senior who has started the past two seasons.  

“One guy that’s really stood out early on so far is Gabe Nwosu,” Lustig said. “He’s challenging Riley [Thompson] right now, and they’re pushing each other.”

Thompson appeared in all 16 games last year and currently ranks third all-time among punters at Penn State with a 44.2-yard career average. However, his production dipped in 2024, when his average of 42.8 yards per punt was three below his 2023 average of 45.8. Thompson recorded 15 punts of 50+ yards in 2023 and six last season. 

Tyler Duzansky, Thompson’s long snapper, also returns for a third season. The fifth-year senior has started 29 games as Penn State’s long snapper, earning third-team all-Big Ten honors last season.

Kickoff and punt returners

Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen will handle most of the kickoff returns, with Singleton averaging 23.6 yards per attempt last season. But Penn State added an abundance of return help this offseason. Receivers Trebor Peña and Devonte Ross are viable candidates to return kicks with Singleton, as both spent time on special teams at their previous stops. 

Ross and Pena also are among the top candidates to return punts, which they did well at Troy and Syracuse, respectively. But Zion Tracy appears to be the leader to return punts after grabbing the role last season. Lustig also mentioned Tyseer Denmark, Josiah Brown and true freshman Koby Howard as potential returners.

“I remember sitting up here last summer and not having a ton of answers for [the punt-return spot],” Lustig said. “We've got a lot of answers right now, and it's a really good pr oblem to have. We've got a deep room there. Zion [Tracy]’s first time doing it. I thought he progressed really well, and still expect big things from him.

“But you got Trebor Peña as a senior, a seasoned veteran doing it, Devonte Ross, a veteran who's done it, who had a touchdown against Iowa when he was at Troy. And then you've got a good crop of young guys. We’ve got Tyseer Denmark, who’s shown a lot of capability back there. Josiah Brown, Koby Howard, another guy that I'm really excited about.”