21 reasons to be optimistic about Penn State football in 2021
The year 2020 was disappointing for almost everyone in countless ways, and a difficult season for Penn State on the football field didn't help matters for many Nittany Lions fans.
With the calendar changing to 2021 and bringing hopes of a change in fortune for many, we compiled 21 reasons for Penn State fans to be optimistic about Nittany Lion football in 2021.
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1. The transfer portal’s evolution into an instant roster rebuilding tool
After Penn State’s worst season under James Franklin, the timing of the NCAA’s choice to allow its athletes a one-time transfer without needing to sit out a year couldn’t be much better. The Nittany Lions have — and likely will continue to — use the portal as a means to inject some new energy into their program and address needs in the short-term.
2. Momentum into the offseason
Winning each of their last four games was important for this Penn State group after an 0-5 start. While those wins admittedly came against mostly subpar opponents, you have to feel better about a four-game win streak heading into the winter break than you would if things had happened in the opposite order.
3. Points on the table
The Nittany Lions were actually pretty good at doing the hard part — moving the ball well — this season. They frequently stumbled in the red zone, owning the 105th ranked red zone offense in the country and scoring just 19 touchdowns in 37 trips. If Penn State can get this figured out, its offensive production will explode in 2021.
4. Parker Washington
Playing second-fiddle to Jahan Dotson, Parker Washington was the best freshman wideout in the Big Ten from a yardage standpoint, catching 36 passes for 472 yards. His potential is one of the most exciting things about Penn State’s offense looking ahead to 2021.
5. Plenty of young players who have learned on the fly
It’s hard to argue against the fact that injuries and opt-outs helped to derail Penn State’s 2020 season before it got going. But a major silver lining can be found in the fact that players like Keyvone Lee, Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Devyn Ford earned much more playing time than you might have expected. That experience will only help them grow, and could lead to significant improvements next season.
6. Joey Porter Jr.
Sticking with the trend of exciting underclassmen, redshirt freshman cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was a fixture in Penn State’s defense from the first week of the season. PFF rated him in the top half of Big Ten corners, and he had the second-best tackling grade of any Big Ten corner. He’s already a solid contributor, but if he can build on this season, Penn State may have a star on its hands.
7. A schedule that will help us learn about Penn State right away
There will be no need for much debate about Penn State’s quality in 2021. The Nittany Lions start their season with a trip to Wisconsin and host Auburn two weeks later. No need to wait until Penn State plays Ohio State and Michigan late in the season to figure out if the Lions are any good.
8. A second year of Kirk Ciarrocca
Penn State’s offense was far from perfect last season, but it did provide some bright spots in the season’s final weeks. In 2017, when Ciarrocca took over Minnesota’s offense, the Gophers averaged 309 total yards of offense per game. In 2018, that number was up to 380. Especially given that he had to install his offense during a chaotic offseason, it’s easy to see Ciarrocca making that kind of improvement in year two at Penn State.
9. More time for Penn State’s new assistants
Along with Ciarrocca, three other Nittany Lion assistants had to embed themselves in State College under far from ideal circumstances. With another year — and hopefully some semblance of normality in the not-too-distant future — it will be interesting to see how Taylor Stubblefield, John Scott Jr., and Phil Trautwein can impact their position groups.
10. Turning over a new leaf
Penn State’s offense nearly doubled the amount of turnovers that its defense created this season, and turnover margin was directly responsible for several of the Nittany Lions’ losses this year. If Penn State can hold onto the ball better, and generate some turnovers of its own, as it did not the stretch, then there’s plenty of reason to believe the Nittany Lions can improve in 2021.
11. New names along the defensive line
Former Temple transfer defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and Duke defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo will enter the fray along the defensive line for Penn State. Ebiketie was the fifth-highest rated edge rusher by PFF in the American conference this season, with four sacks and 14 QB hurries. Tangelo was the No. 8 rated interior defensive lineman in the ACC, according to PFF.
12. Noah Cain’s return
Lost for the season early in Penn State’s first game against Indiana, promising running back Noah Cain never got the chance to make his mark on the 2020 season. Assuming he is ready to contribute at some point for the Nittany Lions in 2021, that’s a big boost.
13. Brandon Smith’s continued development
Penn State’s linebackers were a big problem spot in 2020, but sophomore Brandon Smith showed promise. The former 4-star recruit showed flashes that, if they can translate into consistent performances, will make him a reliable linebacker for the Nittany Lions moving forward.
14. Overall running back depth
With the addition of former Baylor running back John Lovett, Penn State’s backfield is as deep as anyone else’s in the country. There will be a wealth of options for Franklin and Ciarrocca to choose from, and there should also be more than enough cushion should the Nittany Lions deal with another injury crisis at the position.
15. The tight ends
If there were any concerns about this position following Pat Freiermuth’s exit, the play of Theo Johnosn and Brenton Strange down the stretch should do a lot to help Nittany Lion fans feel more comfortable. Both showed well as blockers, and Johnson and Strange combined for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game.
16. Special teams
Redshirt junior kicker/punter Jordan Stout looks set to return, as does junior kicker Jake Pinegar. That gives the Nittany Lions a pair of really experienced options in the kicking game that could make the difference in close games.
17. Keyvone Lee
We’ve talked about the running backs plenty so far, but it would be an oversight not to talk about Lee specifically after the freshman season he put together. He averaged almost five yards a carry on 89 attempts, totalling 438 yards and 12 touchdowns for the season. Penn State will have other options at running back for sure, but the prospect of Lee making a leap over the offseason should be exciting for Penn State fans as he looks to earn an extended role.
18. The numerical models
Everyone can agree that Penn State’s results in 2020 were well short of expectations. That said, some analytic models aren’t sure that makes Penn State a bad team. ESPN’s Football power Index, for example, rates the Nittany Lions as the No. 20 team in the country as of this writing, behind Auburn — who the Nittany Lions will play next season — and ahead of TCU. Sagarin also has the Nittany Lions at No. 20.
19. Adisa Isaac’s potential
Unless the Nittany Lions make another addition at defensive end, Adisa Isaac stands to see his workload increase pretty significantly. That’s an exciting prospect for Penn State fans. The 6-foot-4, 251-pound frame of the former four-star recruit is enough to scare plenty of quarterbacks.
20. James Franklin has done this before
The only losing season Franklin has ever suffered as a head coach came in his very first year as a head man. He went 6-7 at Vanderbilt, and followed it up with back-to-back 9-win seasons with the Commodores.
21. (Hopefully) a little bit more normalcy
2020 has kept fans out of stadiums, and, by extension, taken some of the majesty and tradition out of college football. With a COVID-19 vaccine in circulation, there’s certainly hope of a little bit more normality on game days in 2021.
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