Penn State football: 3 Nittany Lions breakout stars set for monster 2022 seasons in Big Ten

13/08/2022 19:25

Penn State football looked like a true national title contender early in the 2021 season. The Nittany Lions were the fourth-ranked team in the country heading into a showdown with third-ranked Iowa. Penn State not only lost the game to Iowa but also lost quarterback Sean Clifford to injury. After Clifford’s injury, Penn State’s season started to go downhill. He played in every game, but the injury prevented him from playing up to his full ability. The Nittany Lions struggled with their quarterback injured, losing six of their final eight games. Head coach James Franklin returns after heavy speculation, and Penn State returns 12 starters from last year’s team. However,  expectations are a bit lower for the Nittany Lions this year. They placed just outside the top 25 in the preseason coaches poll and Big Ten media members voted them third in their division. Penn State football needs players to emerge as stars if it wants to shock the college football world. These three Nittany Lions may be prime candidates for breakout seasons. 3 Penn State football breakout stars in 2022 season 3. Adisa Isaac After 27 tackles and three sacks in his first two seasons, Adisa Isaac was in line to become a starter in 2021. Unfortunately, the junior from Brooklyn missed the entire season with an offseason injury. Coming into 2022, Isaac appears ready to earn a starting role once again. The Nittany Lions lost defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, who led the team with 9.5 sacks, to the NFL this offseason. Isaac is entering his fourth college season and could provide valuable mentorship to a position group full of underclassmen. Losing a player the caliber of Ebiketie is a tough loss for any team to endure. However, Isaac, the best player in New York in the 2021 recruiting class, has the potential to fill in well. If he can bounce back stronger from his injury, then he will give Penn State’s defensive line a major boost. 2. Landon Tengwall Offensive linemen rarely headline a team’s recruiting class, but Landon Tengwall did just that in 2021. The four-star guard has the size of a star lineman at 6-foot-6 and 326 pounds. He also played great in three games of action, earning an 81.9 grade from Pro Football Focus. Penn State lost starting left guard Eric Wilson to the NFL this offseason, and Tengwall will take his place. His sample size last season was small but very promising for just a freshman. With another year of development and a bigger role, Tengwall could emerge as one of the country’s premier linemen. 1. Nicholas Singleton Penn State’s ground game struggled tremendously in 2021. The Nittany Lions had the second-worst rushing offense in the Big Ten with just 107.8 yards per game, and averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. While they return top running back Keyvone Lee, the Nittany Lions need a major boost on the ground. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, they landed the best running back in the 2022 recruiting class. Nicholas Singleton racked up amazing stats in his senior season with 2,059 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns. He holds rushing records in his county with 6,326 yards and 116 touchdowns in his career. Singleton has the talent to start right away and give Penn State’s ground game a needed boost. Franklin started a previous star running back, Saquon Barkley, as a freshman, and he could do the same for Singleton. The offensive line play should improve as well, which should allow Singleton to thrive even more. Players as talented as Singleton rarely come around. If the Penn State football squad wants to get back to competing for the Big Ten title, then he needs to be a key piece of the offense. The post Penn State football: 3 Nittany Lions breakout stars set for monster 2022 seasons in Big Ten appeared first on ClutchPoints.