Penn State players named to Bronko Nagurski and Outland Trophy watch lists
Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant was named to the watch list for both awards. Cornerback A.J. Harris joined Durant on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award for the nation's best defensive player. Durant is joined by Olaivavega Ioane on the Outland Trophy list, honoring the nation's best interior lineman on offense or defense.
Penn State has just one Outland Trophy winner in school history. Mike Reid was the Outland Trophy winner in 1969. Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas was last year's recipient of the Outland Trophy, marking back-to-back winners from Texas with T'Vondre Sweat in 2023. Michigan's Olusegun Oluwatimi is the most recent winner of the award from the Big Ten, winning the award in 2022.
Penn State has never had a player win the Bronko Nagurski Award, which has been awarded annually since 1993.
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Tom Allen is their defensive coordinator after holding the same position for an impressive Penn State defense last year. As for Clemson's schedule, its first and last games should be its toughest. It opens at home against LSU before closing the year at South Carolina. The Tigers avoid Miami in ACC play, so I think they will almost certainly play in their conference title game. Watch out for Clemson and the victory lap that might come from Dabo Swinney. I would've put the defending champions higher, but they're replacing so many stars. Fourteen players from last year's team were picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. Both coordinators left, with Brian Hartline taking over for Chip Kelly at offensive coordinator and Matt Patricia replacing Jim Knowles as Ohio State's defensive coordinator. I don't have many questions about Hartline, but I wonder how long it might take Patricia to acclimate to the college game. OSU made some nice pickups in the portal, though, adding tight end Max Klare (Purdue), running back CJ Donaldson (West Virginia) and two potential starting offensive tackles. At quarterback, we'll see if Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz is the starter. I think it's going to be Sayin, but I keep asking Ryan Day who it's going to be, and he mentioned that Kienholz is still fighting for the job and doing great in practice. Whoever wins that job gets to throw to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Can I win that job? My shoulder is toast and I can throw it to Smith. We know exactly what the standard is for Ohio State, even after winning a national championship. Ohio State's Week 1 opponent comes in right above it. Arch Manning mania has arrived. I think he'll be outstanding. He reminds me of the college version of Trevor Lawrence. As the noise is focused on Manning, though, Texas has a great chance to have the best defense in the country. Five of the last eight national champions had the best scoring defense in the country, and I think Texas has a chance to do that. The Longhorns have a star at each level, with Colin Simmons at edge rusher, Anthony Hill Jr. at linebacker and Michael Taaffe at safety. Texas hit the portal to address its needs at defensive tackle. Coach Steve Sarkisian has built something that is sustainable, but it's now time for him to cash in after falling in the CFP semis in each of the past two years. I think Texas will win the SEC and possibly steal the mantle of being the face of the conference from Georgia. In terms of the Week 1 matchup against Ohio State, I give Texas the edge in that game due to Manning. The Nittany Lions still have the No. 1 spot that I gave them in my post-spring rankings. I'm huge on blueprints, and I think Penn State best resembles the blueprints Michigan and Ohio State had when they won the national championship over the past two years. That blueprint is an experienced team with an experienced quarterback and a lot of guys who return rather than becoming an early-round pick in the NFL Draft. Just like those Michigan and Ohio State teams, those players are looking to rebound from a tough loss in the previous season. Alongside quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, four offensive linemen and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton are among the group of players returning. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is in Year 2 and doesn't need to establish an offensive system. Knowles was a great replacement at defensive coordinator after Allen left. PSU brought in three wide receivers via the portal as well to address its biggest hole last year. USC's Kyron Hudson, Syracuse's Trebor Pena (All-ACC slot receiver) and Troy's Devonte Ross (All-Sun Belt) should all be solid pass catchers for quarterback Drew Allar. The big question is if coach James Franklin can beat a top-five opponent. Penn State has games against Ohio State, Oregon and possibly the Big Ten title game and the CFP. Whether Penn State and Franklin can match up with those teams will continue to persist until it wins one of those games. Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast "The Joel Klatt Show." Follow him at @joelklatt and subscribe to the "Joel Klatt Show" on YouTube. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
