James Franklin and Penn State football have not put out a depth chart since spring 2020 — so, we’ve decided to make our own version. This year, we will release an updated post with the depth chart each week, reflecting what we see on the field and during practice sessions.
Following Franklin’s Tuesday press conference, most of the position battles are coming into focus. The most surprising news was redshirt freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter beating out King Mack and Dejuan Lane for the second safety
spot. Still, all three of them will get plenty of run.
The head coach also made it clear that Drew Shelton, Vega Ioane, Nick Dawkins, Anthony Donkoh, Nolan Rucci, Cooper Cousins, and TJ Shanahan Jr are all starting-caliber offensive linemen. Rotations might get tricky, but those guys are the ones the Nittany Lions view as starters.
We also know that Chaz Coleman, Daryus Dixson, Yvan Kemajou, and Koby Howard are the true freshmen you’ll be most likely to see this season. Coleman, especially, will get plenty of snaps at defensive end against Nevada.
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| QB | Drew Allar | Ethan Grunkemeyer | Jaxon Smolik |
| RB | Nick Singleton | OR Kaytron Allen | Cam Wallace |
| WR | Kyron Hudson | Koby Howard | Lyrick Samuel |
| WR | Trebor Peña | Tyseer Denmark | Peter Gonzalez |
| WR | Devonte Ross | Liam Clifford | Anthony Ivey |
| TE | Khalil Dinkins | Luke Reynolds | Andrew Rappleyea |
| LT | Drew Shelton | J’Ven Williams | |
| LG | Vega Ioane | TJ Shanahan Jr. | |
| C | Nick Dawkins | Cooper Cousins | Dominic Rulli |
| RG | Anthony Donkoh | Cooper Cousins | |
| RT | Nolan Rucci | Anthony Donkoh | |
| Defense | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| DE | Dani Dennis-Sutton | Jaylen Harvey | Mylachi Williams |
| DT | Zane Durant | Ty Blanding | Enai White |
| DT | Alonzo Ford | Xavier Gilliam | Owen Wafle |
| DE | Zuriah Fisher | Chaz Coleman | Yvan Kemajou |
| WILL | Tony Rojas | Keon Wylie | Lavar Arrington II |
| MIKE | Dom DeLuca | Amare Campbell | Anthony Speca |
| CB | Elliot Washington II | Audavion Collins | |
| FS | Antoine Belgrave-Shorter | King Mack | |
| SS | Zakee Wheatley | Dejuan Lane | Vaboue Toure |
| CB | A.J. Harris | Kenny Woseley Jr. | Daryus Dixson |
| Nickel | Zion Tracy | Kolin Dinkins | |
| Special Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| K (FG) | Ryan Barker | ||
| K (Kickoff) | Gabe Nwosu | ||
| P | Riley Thompson | Gabe Nwosu | |
| LS | Tyler Duzansky | ||
| KR | Nick Singleton | King Mack | |
| PR | Zion Tracy | Trebor Peña | Devonte Ross |
