Penn State football updated its online roster Tuesday, and it offers a look at where the Nittany Lions stand on the eve of summer. The update features a couple summer enrollees, along with a good look at how the January enrollees are faring after more than five months on campus. There’s also a position change mixed in there, too.
As of Wednesday, Penn State is 73 days away from its season opener at West Virginia on Aug. 31 in Morgantown, W.Va. There’s plenty of work to be done between now and then, and there are plenty of storylines that will need to be sorted out. But the roster update provides a glimpse at the work that the Nittany Lions have done since the previous update in February.
Right now, Penn State is in its summer conditioning program. Newcomers are getting acclimated. Veterans are making tweaks.
The work that happens this summer will go a long way toward what the 2024 edition of Penn State accomplishes on the field. And right now, the roster reflects some tangible results.
Below, we’re going to break down the weight changes for every player on the roster, beginning with a couple newcomers and then going position-by-position. We’ll offer some commentary along the way.
Let’s get into it.
Read more: Updates: Penn State coaches discuss offseason development and player progress
Penn State added the final two members of the Class of 2024 to its roster last week with wide receiver Tyseer Denmark and cornerback Kenny Woseley officially joining the fold. On Tuesday, both players got their new numbers. Denmark will suit up in No. 4, which was previously worn by wide receiver Malick Meiga and is shared with cornerback A.J. Harris. Woseley will sport No. 17, which he’ll share with quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer and was worn by Karson Kiesewetter and Mason Stahl last season.
Both Denmark and Woseley capped their high school careers at Philadelphia Imhotep Institute, and both were following the Panthers around the 7-on-7 fields last week.
There’s one intriguing position change in the secondary for Penn State. Redshirt sophomore Kolin Dinkins is now listed at safety after beginning his career as a cornerback. Dinkins saw lots of reps at outside corner during the Blue-White Game, but he also slid inside to play the Lion — essentially the nickel — during extra defensive back sets. Dinkins is listed at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith praised his work last week.
Earlier this spring, redshirt freshman Karson Kiesewetter made the switch from quarterback to safety.
Allar discussed shedding some weight and becoming leaner in the spring. He spent the majority of his Penn State career listed in the 240s, so dipping down into the 230s is notable. The goal is to be more fluid on the field.
“It’s just really changed with my eating habits,” Allar said in April. “I think I’ve done a lot better job of being more consistent in that aspect, eliminating things that I shouldn’t always be eating and then adding more things in that I should be eating. I think that’s really helped me just movement-wise, and then also doing a bunch of extra mobility work with the athletic trainers on our staff. I’ve been doing a lot more extra work in the training room in that aspect. I think that’s helped me a lot just be more fluid in my movement.”
The rest of the quarterbacks are in their typical weight ranges that they’ve been in for their careers. It’ll be worth watching what kind of weight Grunkemeyer puts on his 6-foot-2 frame because he came in looking wiry.
Read more: What Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is looking for in the ‘best version’ of himself
* Smith was listed at 175 pounds on National Signing Day in December. He was added to the roster earlier this month as a summer enrollee.
Allen and Singleton, both entering their junior seasons, have both bulked up a bit from where they were last season. Allen’s physical transformation at Penn State — he was down to 201 pounds in 2022 — has been impressive, and it’s helped him become a dangerous all-around running back. Singleton told reporters last week that he ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds at his current weight. He remains a standout when it comes to the weight room and testing.
Martin, meanwhile, is coming along nicely. He was listed at 185 pounds upon his arrival, and there’s plenty of excitement about what he can do for the Nittany Lions.
Here’s running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider last week: “I’m super excited about his game. It’s kind of like a throwback. Like a Marshall Faulk that can be good at running back but also be good at catching the ball and getting matchups. And I think as he grows and the more he learns and feels comfortable doing stuff and being in different spots, we can advance.”
Martin, the Top247 recruit out of Belle Vernon (Pa.), should be part of Penn State’s plans this season.
Wallace, who got lots of work in the Blue-White Game and is in position to seize the No. 3 running back job, has steadied after going through a physical transformation during his redshirt season.
Read more: Penn State will explore ways to use freshman RB Quinton Martin: ‘He’s a matchup nightmare’
* Denmark was listed at 180 pounds on National Signing Day in December.
** Gonzalez was listed at 205 pounds on National Signing Day in December.
There isn’t too much to glean here. Johnson’s weight continues to fluctuate, given that he had a big jump to 197 pounds over the winter and now another big move here. He’s entering his third season with the program. Evans and Ivey, two more third-year players, had some notable jumps. We’ll wait and see if those stick by the time the season rolls around.
Pound-for-pound, one of the more physically impressive rooms on the Penn State roster. Reynolds’ gains are notable, since he was listed at 220 pounds on the roster when he enrolled earlier this year and tight ends coach Ty Howle said he arrived at around 214-216 pounds.
Howle gave some insight into his gains: “Like you look at him, he looks like a college tight end now. That was a big step for him. You walk into the room, you got Tyler Warren there, Khalil, Jerry and Rapp and all these guys who are 250-plus. It’s like, oof, OK. It’s a wake-up call, right? But he’s worked at it, he’s dedicated. So I think he could have a really good year for us.”
Schlaffer and Furmanek, a walk-on, deserve some credit for their gains, too, after being listed at 226 and 218 pounds, respectively, last year.
Cross, who Howle said things are “starting to click” for, was at 254 pounds earlier this year, so he continues to grow. It remains to be seen if that leads to an on-field role.
* Brewer and Harbour’s weights are from National Signing Day.
Liam Powers, who was a freshman out of Doylestown (Pa.) Central Bucks East, is no longer listed on the roster.
Boyer, the early enrollee, had one of the bigger overall gains on the roster as he works to pack weight onto his 6-foot-8 frame. Sexton, who had a big jump in the spring and appears to have things dialed in a bit more, is in a similar situation for his 6-foot-6 frame. Cousins arrived on campus already physically developed.
Dawkins, who is in line to start at center, has slimmed down from as much as 315 pounds. He looks it, too. Donkoh, the redshirt freshman who could compete for the starting job at right tackle, has looked physically impressive in our glimpses of him this summer. That’s a built 336 pounds.
Onoh was a big gainer in the spring — he arrived at 275 pounds last summer — and he appears to have found some steady footing in his development.
One of Rucci’s issues at Wisconsin earlier in his career was the inability to keep weight on his 6-foot-8 frame, but it appears that the strength staff at Penn State has honed in on that since he joined the team in January.
Joey Palko, who was listed as a freshman from Pottsville (Pa.) Area last season, is no longer listed on the roster.
* Williams’ previous weight is what was listed on National Signing Day.
Carter is the object of plenty of fascination this offseason as he makes the move from linebacker, and he’s adding weight well.
Defensive line coach Deion Barnes discussed that last week: “I mean, he was always big. When we first got him, I think he was like 245. That 245 for a linebacker is big, but for a D-end, that’s normal weight. I think he got 10 pounds since then, and you can tell it’s just natural for him.”
Dennis-Sutton continues to be an imposing presence at 6-foot-5, while Mupoyi, a redshirt freshman, has bulked up, too.
Vilbert is an interesting one, since the 6-foot-6 former basketball player is expected to play both on the edge and the interior this season.
A couple of the January early enrollees stand out here. Gilliam was listed at 280 pounds upon his arrival, and he’s taken to the strength program well. Cook took a major step over the past few months, while Cunningham is being built back up after he was listed at 252 pounds this winter following an announcement of 285 pounds on signing day. That’s promising.
Ford, who has yet to play a snap for Penn State after transferring in from Old Dominion, has steadily bulked up, too. He was listed under 300 pounds last year.
* Speca’s weight as announced on National Signing Day.
Jackson, who enrolled in January, is a big gainer here. He was listed at 220 upon his arrival, and he’s bulked up nicely. It’s going to be interesting to see where he slots in the linebacker pecking order.
Rojas continues to develop at an eye-catching rate as he approaches 239 pounds. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen said last week that Rojas hasn’t sacrificed any speed as he’s bulked up since his arrival last January.
Elsewhere, the tweaks appear to be relatively minor. Where Speca is by the time the season comes around will be something to monitor, too, especially in the context of Jackson’s development.
* Woseley’s listed weight on National Signing Day.
Not too much stands out here. Mitchell added the most weight as he continues to progress following his arrival in January. His high school teammate, Belgrave-Shorter, looked the part of a Big Ten cornerback in the Blue-White Game.
* Lane was listed at 205 pounds on National Signing Day.
Dinkins, who was very active in the Blue-White Game, is an intriguing addition to this group, and he should have the right size to contribute. Lane also has size at 6-foot-2.
Payne switched from cornerback to safety over the winter, and he continues to transform his body for the new position. Toure could be a physical presence over the middle of the field.
KICKERS
PUNTERS
LONG SNAPPERS
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@paramount.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen and Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen.
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