Head coach James Franklin will take his Penn State Nittany Lions, currently ranked eighth, to Morgantown, West Virginia, for the start of the 2024 season. Penn State has big ambitions for the College Football Playoffs and can now boast double-digit win numbers for the second year in a row. However, they begin the season on the road against a team (and fan base) that is looking for respect for the 2024 season. West Virginia won five of its final six games last season and finished with nine wins. The Mountaineers will also be looking to avenge a 38-15 win by Penn State in State College at the start of the 2023 season. Interestingly, Penn State was ranked seventh before last year’s showdown. Below are the key Nittany Lions to keep an eye on that will determine the win in week one.

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki

In his first year at Penn State since transferring from Kansas, Kotelnicki has significantly more firepower in Happy Valley. He is also familiar with West Virginia as a member of the Big 12. As offensive coordinator at Kansas, his team scored 28 points against the Mountaineers’ defense in 2021 and 55 in 2022 (they did not play in 2023). His ability to produce similar results with his new team makes him a key Nittany Lion to keep an eye on.

It will be crucial for Kotelnicki and the Nittany Lions offense to get off to a good start in his first game. The running attack has traditionally enabled long passing plays in Kotelnicki’s offense. At Penn State, he has a solid offensive line, perhaps the best running back unit in the country, and a solid tight end. While the quarterbacks should also be a strength, the wide receivers are the offense’s biggest question mark. So Kotelnicki will likely use a similar running approach to open up the passing game in week one in Morgantown.

Quarterback Drew Allar

Allar was the subject of much discussion as he entered his second season as Penn State’s starting quarterback. Although he performed statistically solid in 2023, Allar looked like a different player against the Big Ten’s top competition than he did against the lower-tier teams on the schedule. He benefited from the weaker competition and acted more as a game manager against the bigger opponents.

Allar made his first career start in last year’s opening game against West Virginia. He threw for 325 yards and completed 21 of 29 passes, including three touchdowns without an interception. Allar was able to show his team and the rest of college football what was possible against the Mountaineers, including a 72-yard touchdown to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. There’s no doubt that West Virginia will remember Allan’s performance and will be looking for revenge.

Allar had to listen to doubters throughout the offseason. He failed to beat Ohio State. He lost to Michigan. His statistics were upgraded compared to weaker competition. He looked mediocre in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. Allar will get a chance to write a new chapter in his career against the same opponent he will face in 2023. On offense, he is an obvious choice as a key Nittany Lion to watch in this game.

“He will do whatever you ask of him to improve.” 🗣️

OC Andy Kotelnicki talks about QB Drew Allar’s desire to improve. #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/6zl1mATYAF

— Penn State on BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) 7 August 2024

Defensive End Abdul Carter

After playing the previous two seasons as a linebacker, Carter switched primarily to the defensive end position in 2024. While he will likely spend some time as a linebacker, he will be used most at the defensive end position. Last season, Carter was selected to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and second team by the media as a linebacker. As the defense’s best player, Carter is a key Nittany Lion to watch in his first game at a new position.

Carter’s move into the role of primary defensive end will be critical to the success of the defensive line and the defense overall under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. He is rooted in the linebacker U tradition and wears the highly respected jersey number 11 in Penn State’s defense. Adisa Isaac and Chop Robinson were defensive ends drafted from the team last year, leaving a gaping hole in production that Carter will look to fill. Carter will also be a focal point for opposing team offensive coordinators, so his performance will be of utmost importance to Penn State in this game and this season.

Kicker Sander Sahaydak

Sahaydak is listed here only as a placeholder as the kicker to keep an eye on. It’s a position in flux and one that could make or break the game if it’s close, on the road against a team looking to avenge last year’s season-opening loss. A solid kicking game and special teams will be important for the Nittany Lions. Penn State hosted a kicker competition this spring, and that competition could continue into the regular season. New special teams coordinator Justin Lustig called the contest an “incredible battle.” Given the importance of converting field goals on the road, it is important for the Nittany Lions to keep an eye on the kicker. For now, Sahaydak will be awarded the contract.

In last year’s season opener against West Virginia, Sahaydak got off to a nightmare start. He missed 38-yard and 34-yard field goal attempts. Consequently, he was replaced by Alex Felkins. Felkins converted a field goal and the last three extra point attempts. Felkins then kept his job for the rest of the season. Given the depth at the kicker position, Franklin and Lustig could have similarly quick deployments if the 2024 starting left tackle finds himself in a tight spot.

The other competitors for the starting kicker spot are Chase Meyer and Ryan Barker. Meyer is a junior who transferred from Tulsa. In 2023, he converted 17 of 20 field goals and 30 of 31 extra points in Tulsa. Barker is a redshirt freshman.