Top 5 most important pieces for Penn State Football in 2022
Penn State Football is seeking a bounce back year after limping to the finish line a season ago.
While there are a number of key departures, there are many key veterans returning and even some new faces that should be expected to make an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions in 2022.
So with there being a number of key individuals that are going to be depended upon to have big seasons, here are the most important.
Olu Fashanu, Left Tackle
There was a common theme with Penn State’s offense last season that seemed to be the root of most of its problems.
The offensive line struggled mightily down the stretch of the season, with both the run game and pass blocking games coming up well short of expectations.
The ineffectiveness of the line as a whole really kept the offense from reaching its full capability and this year the Nittany Lions will be relying on a first year starter at left tackle in Olu Fashanu to play a big role.
Fashanu though, impressed in his limited action last season which included a start in the Outback Bowl where he allowed very little pressure on quarterback Sean Clifford throughout the loss to Arkansas.
If he can effectively utilize his 6-foot-6, 310 pound frame and continue to slowly develop new traits then he could be a massive piece for Penn State moving forward.
Parker Washington, Wide Receiver
It is no secret who Penn State’s most fun offensive player is heading into next season.
Parker Washington has become one of the most dynamic players in all of the Big Ten and this will be his first true year as Clifford’s No. 1 target.
It was certainly a luxury for Washington to play behind a future first round draft choice in Jahan Dotson but now with team’s paying a close eye to the 5-foot-10 wideout, he’ll need to work even harder to find open space.
But if Washington can keep up his production especially in the middle of the field, it should allow others like Mitchell Tinsley and KeAndre Lambert-Smith to get easier opportunities to make plays on the outside and even make Penn State one of the top receiving teams in the country.
Adisa Issac, Defensive End
After missing all of last season due to injury, Penn State edge rusher Adisa Issac has some important shoes to fill.
Arnold Ebiketie was far and away the most important first-year player on the Nittany Lions last year where he tallied 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss en route to an all-conference selection.
That was the sort of production that many thought would belong to Issac after he showed some impressive developmental flashes early on in his Penn State career.
Now, he and returning pass rusher Nick Tarburton will be expected to carry the load on the edge.
If Issac is the type of player which the staff has raved about the past few months then he should be an important complement to the defensive line which returns some other key names.
Curtis Jacobs, Linebacker
Curtis Jacobs was one of Penn State’s most important players in 2021 and his role in 2022 may be even more crucial.
Jacobs is tasked with being the leader of an unproven linebacker group that will see Jonathan Sutherland make the full-time switch to Sam linebacker and another first-year starter in the middle.
He also takes over the full-time role of Will linebacker which means that his playmaking ability and sideline to sideline agility should be displayed much more frequently than the bursts we saw last year.
If Jacobs can continue to build upon his solid finish to last season, the trajectory that he is on should have him as an NFL prospect with a lot of things to be excited about.
Alex Bacchetta, Punter
One of the most consistent areas for Penn State last year was its special teams units but specifically its punting team.
Jordan Stout was the No. 1 punter selected in the NFL draft for a reason and it is tough to replace the cannon for a leg that the Virginia Tech transfer provided.
There is a group of punters that will compete for the starting job but new enrollee Alex Bacchetta may have the inside track after being rated as the nation’s top high school punter in 2022 according to Kohl’s Kicking.
He will compete with veteran Barney Amor and Blue-White standout Gabe Nwosu for the job but Bacchetta seems to be the freshman that has the best shot at making a significant impact in 2022.
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