Penn State to Host Nittany Lion Fan Academy Before Home Opener

Penn State will host its second Nittany Lion Fan Academy as a prelude to the Sept. 7 home opener against Bowling Green. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 6 at Medlar Field, located across the street from the stadium. Admission is free.

The event serves as a pep rally before the first Penn State football home game of the 2024 season. According to Penn State, “fans will learn traditions, chants, cheers and songs that they will hear in Beaver Stadium and at all Penn State sporting events during the 2024-25 athletic year.” The Penn State Blue Band, Nittany Lion mascot and cheerleaders will lead the event. The first 5,000 fans will receive Penn State t-shirts.

Penn State, which begins the 2024 season at West Virginia on Aug. 31, is ranked eighth in the preseason AP Top 25 poll after a 10-3 season. Head coach James Franklin begins his 11th season at Penn State with a roster that returns 16 starters, including seven each on offense and defense.

Quarterback Drew Allar, a preseason nominee for the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Awards, returns for his second season as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who essentially were co-starters last season, are back as well, as is Mackey Award nominee Tyler Warren at tight end.

Penn State also returns one of the nation’s most highly ranked defensive players in Abdul Carter, who is playing defensive end after two seasons at linebacker. The Nittany Lions’ returning starters on defense include linebacker Kobe King, safeties KJ Winston and Jaylen Reed and defensive tackles Dvon J-Thomas and Zane Durant.

The Nittany Lions added four scholarship players through the NCAA Transfer Portal: cornerbacks A.J. Harris (Georgia) and Jalen Kimber (Florida), receiver Julian Fleming (Ohio State) and offensive lineman Nolan Rucci (Wisconsin). Three other transfers joined the team as walk-ons: kicker Chase Meyer (Tulsa), defensive end Jordan Mayer (Wisconsin) and receiver Logan Cunningham (Marietta College).

Franklin also hired three new coordinators this season: Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas on offense, former Indiana head coach Tom Allen on defense and Justin Lustig from Vanderbilt on special teams.

“You talk about the season, I think one of the big story lines for us obviously is three new coordinators, which is unusual,” Franklin said. “Andy Kotelnicki, who we hired as our offensive coordinator from the University of Kansas, has been great. I’ve got a ton of respect for what they were able to do at Buffalo as well as what they were able to do at Kansas. I’ve got a ton of respect for his former head coach in Lance [Leipold] and have followed those guys closely for a long time.

“I think the big thing was, was this going to make sense for him and us? We’re not starting from scratch, so are you able to come in, study what we do, what can stay the same and what needs to change. I think the big thing obviously, did a ton of good things on offense last year, but we were not explosive enough. Coach Kotelnicki and what they were able to do at Kansas the last two years, extremely explosive and just did a really good job as a relational leader, coming in and building those
relationships with our staff and players.

“On the defensive side of the ball, a name that you guys are all familiar with is Tom Allen,” Franklin added. “[He] was a head coach in this conference for a long time, so got great perspective there. And Tom was in a position where he did not really need to take a job. So we spent a ton of time making sure that Penn State was the right fit for him and he was the right fit for us.”

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.