As Jared already pointed out, there’s a lot to like about Penn State’s special teams unit heading into 2025. Still, I’ll try my best to be Debbie Downer here and find some reasons for concern about Justin Lustig’s group.
Long Field Goals
While Ryan Barker was perfect (!) inside of 40 yards last season, the longest kick he made was from 49 yards out. The longest attempt he had in 2024 was a 53-yard try against Maryland, which was blocked. It’s certainly not the expectation that college kickers consistently make 50-yard-plus
field goals, but Barker’s inexperience from that far out is a slight cause for concern. You never know when an important game will come down to a long kick, and this iteration of Penn State’s squad doesn't have much experience pulling them off.
Inexperience At Coordinator Still Looms
Justin Lustig will return his big guns in his second year as Penn State’s special teams coordinator, but there still isn’t a big enough sample size to say that he’s the guy. He expertly managed the transition to Ryan Barker last season, but didn’t blow any statistical categories out of the water once the dust settled. Penn State finished 109th in ESPN’s special teams efficiency rating last year after claiming No. 21 under Stacy Collins in 2023. Lustig still needs to prove he can be a consistently good coordinator in Happy Valley.
Worrying Punting Trend
I’m going to preface this by saying that it’s hard to generate meaningful conclusions from punting statistics. But, Penn State’s Riley Thompson regressed from 45.8 yards per punt (third best in the conference) in 2023 to 42.8 yards per punt (12th best in the conference) in 2024. Yes, there are lurking variables here — for example, the Nittany Lions’ offense was better last year, therefore leaving Thompson a shorter field to work with. His rate of punts inside the 20-yard line did not change between those two years. But if we’re nitpicking causes for concern, this regression is worth mentioning
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