Does Penn State have what it needs to win on special teams? 3 questions for Justin Lustig’s group

Penn State football is ready for Week 4 of summer workouts. The Nittany Lions have a little bit longer to go before getting something of a breather in mid-July before preseason camp kicks off. Before we know it, the opener will be upon us.

After previously looking at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties, our summer position question series wraps up with first-year Nittany Lions coordinator Justin Lustig and the special teams.

1. Who will replace Alex Felkins as the Penn State kicker?

It can be debated, of course, but our stance here is that Alex Felkins was one of the more underrated Penn State starters from the 2023 team. The Columbia transfer was a second-team All-Big Ten pick of the media voters and a third-team choice of the coaches after connecting on 19 of 24 field goals, including a 50-yard blast through the uprights against Indiana. He was also perfect on 47 extra point tries. Now, however, he’s out of eligibility. Three players will battle to replace him. Lustig and co., added competition by bringing Chase Meyer in from Tulsa. He was 17 of 20 on field goal tries a year ago there. Penn State also returns redshirt junior Sander Sahaydak, who Felkins beat out a year ago, and redshirt freshman Ryan Barker, who had a very strong spring.

Entering preseason camp, we’d guess this is Barker’s job to lose.

2. Who will the punt returner be?

Penn State didn’t truly know what it had in Daequan Hardy as a punt returner until it was almost too late. And, the point James Franklin made when asked why they didn’t turn to the now-departed cornerback is a fair one. It’s hard to replicate return work in practice, and when you have to find out in a game, you risk learning something bad that may change the game in a way you didn’t expect.

With all of that said, the Lions will have to decide if they want to return to Kaden Saunders, who Hardy took over for midway through the 2023 season, as the punt returner, or if they want to go the unknown route with someone like freshman Quinton Martin or someone who is similarly explosive. If we had to guess, Saunders will be back deep for the first punt against West Virginia, but others will be worked into the mix for experience, if nothing else, against the two Mid-American Conference foes who follow the Mountaineers on the schedule.

3. Does Penn State have what it needs to win on special teams?

Penn State should feel good about its kick return game with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen likely back deep with maybe a cameo from Martin or Cam Wallace. Gabe Nwosu should continue booming kickoffs. And, punter Riley Thompson has All-American aspirations after a strong start to his time in blue and white. So at those spots, yes, the Lions do have what they need to win. But, do they have it at punt returner, and more importantly, at kicker?

We’d say yes to the former. Even if Saunders isn’t the big play threat Hardy is, catching the ball is critical, and he’s shown he can do that. Kicker is a different story. There’s a mixture of experience and talented youth, but only Meyer has proven it in a game, and it wasn’t in front of 107,000 fans at Beaver Stadium or inside a hostile Big Ten road environment. So, we can’t check that box yet. But, on paper, most of the pieces are there to say ‘yes’ to this question in totality.

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