Staff Writer

With the season opener against the Purdue Boilermakers less than two weeks away, the Penn State Nittany Lions have plenty of storylines to keep an eye on during training camp.

Freshmen to watch

The two positions where fans could see the biggest youth movement along the depth chart is at running back and linebacker.

At running back, five-star Nick Singleton out of Governor Mifflin and four-star Kaytron Allen both look to have an opportunity to see a significant amount of playing time, considering the team finished as the 118th ranked rushing offense in 2021.

Former Nittany Lion running back Noah Cain transferred to LSU this off-season.

On defense, with Brandon Smith and Jesse Luketa both leaving for the NFL, Abdul Carter and Keon Wylie look to crack the starting lineup.

Transfer portal arrivals

The Nittany Lions only made three additions to the roster through the NCAA transfer portal, but each is ranked within the 247Sports’ expanded College Football Transfer Portal Rankings.

Arguably, the biggest addition is wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley who had 87 catches, 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns for Western Kentucky in 2021.

Tinsley should help cover the loss of Jahan Dotson and is slated to start alongside Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith.

Offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad, a Cornell transfer, looks to compete for a starting guard spot in 2022.

Nourzad is the second Ivy League transfer for Penn State after they acquired Harvard’s Eric Wilson last season.

The third transfer is edge rusher Demeioun Robinson. Robinson is a sophomore and has three more seasons of college eligibility.

In 13 games with Maryland last year, Robinson recorded 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Quarterback depth chart

Penn State looks to find a solution behind sixth-year man Sean Clifford after the failed experiment of Ta’Quan Roberson in 2021.

Christian Veilleux, a redshirt freshman, has the most experience in the young group. Veilleux has some game experience after he was called upon to relieve Clifford against Rutgers in November. He performed well, completing 15-of-24 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 39 yards.

While Veilleux is the favorite to land the backup role, he will be facing some competition with newcomers Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. Allar is a five-star recruit and the number 1 top-ranked quarterback in the 247Sports rankings.