The Penn State Nittany Lions will play their first game of the 2022 season on Thursday, September 1, 2022, in a Big Ten matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. As the season quickly approaches, the Nittany Lions made a very important announcement this weekend: Team Captains.
Penn State head coach James Franklin and his coaching staff chose six captains for the 2022 season. They are: quarterback Sean Clifford, Chris Stoll, Jonathan Sutherland, Juice Scruggs, PJ Mustipher and Ji’Ayir Brown.
Clifford, Mustipher and Sutherland were all captains in the 2021 season and will repeat again this season. But Sutherland and Clifford are the first Nittany Lions in school history to be named captain four times in their career. A record that they broke last season by being named third-time captains.
This will be the last season for both Clifford and Sutherland, whom are both utilizing the extra season of eligibility provided by the NCAA.
The only four-time team captains in the history of Penn State football 🏈 pic.twitter.com/adTwADFAdm
— The Football Letter (@PSUFBLetter) August 20, 2022
Nittany Lions are unranked headed into the 2022 season
The preseason rankings were announced recently, and Penn State is nowhere to be found on either. It’s not that big of a surprise, Penn State did finish last season 7-6. A mid to late season downfall caused by injuries led Penn State to struggle against other Big Ten teams. Now, the team heads into a new season, healthy with a mix of young and veteran players, ready to go head-to-head against Big Ten powerhouses.
The last time that Penn State entered a season unranked was in 2016. The outcome of that season: Big Ten Champions! While it’s hard to predict exactly how this season will pan out, there are a few things to look forward to.
2022 Preseason highlights
While Sean Clifford is the starting quarterback, the depth behind him is full of talent. Christin Veilleux who is second on the depth chart impressed many last season. He was given the opportunity to start last season when Clifford was out with an illness. Veilleux helped lead Penn State to a victory over Rutgers at home in Beaver Stadium.
Behind Veilleux is the highly touted, five-star quarterback Drew Allar. It’s unlikely at this point that Allar will see action this season, the future is bright with he and Veilleux as the options for starters in 2023.
The departure of wide receiver Jahan Dotson to the NFL may be a big deal if it weren’t for Parker Washington. The junior wide receiver made a big impact in the offense last season. Washington finished the 2021 season with 820 receiving yards, and his 64 receptions ranked him sixth in the season.
Transfer wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley played at Western Kentucky before entering the portal. He has been a standout during camp and is bringing excitement for what he could add to the mix. KeAndre Lambert-Smith had a standout season in 2021. Lambert-Smith finished sixth in the Big Ten in yards per reception with 15.3 yards averaged.
The defense will see the return of its leader PJ Mustipher. After suffering a season-ending knee injury against Iowa, Mustipher’s NFL draft stock tumbled a bit. Now, with the extra year of eligibility, Mustipher is back on the field and looks to lead the defense to success once again.