Penn State Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 93 K Sander Sahaydak

The countdown to kickoff rolls on and today we're down to 93 days until Penn State football returns on August 31 against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

In today's countdown to kickoff profile, Happy Valley Insider highlights No. 93 place kicker Sander Sahaydak.

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The Recruitment

Sahaydak joined Penn State's 2021 recruiting class as a scholarship kicker. He earned this scholarship following a strong camp performance and being widely regarded as one of the top kicking prospects in the country. Once the Nittany Lions offered the in-state product, it was clear the direction in which his recruitment would go.

2024 Outlook

Sahaydak began the 2023 season as the starter. However, after missing a pair of short field goals in the first half against West Virginia he was replaced by Alex Felkins who seized the reigns and never looked back.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, Sahaydak will once again find himself squarely in the mix at place kicker. He will battle Ryan Barker and Chase Meyer for the job. We mentioned yesterday that Barker may have the strongest leg on the team, but Sahaydak's leg strength is nothing to scoff at either.

Even if Sahaydak struggles again with accuracy on field goals and PATs, there could still be a path to playing time for him. Due to his leg strength, it is not unreasonable to think James Franklin and Justin Lustig could look to use Sahaydak as a kickoff specialist. Especially since this is something that Franklin has done in the past.