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

Penn State offensive depth chart notes

• 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 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 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.