Penn State head football coach James Franklin unveiled the Nittany Lions football captains earlier this week. The Nittany Lions will break camp shortly and shift their focus to their Saturday, August 31 showdown at West Virginia. The PSU captains include five first-time selections and one returning captain.
Here’s a look at the 2024 Penn State football captains.
2024 Penn State Football Captains
QB Drew Allar
Allar enters the 2024 seasons after starting all 13 games last season for the Nittany Lions. The Medina, Ohio native threw for 2,631-yards, 25 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed for four scores. Allar earned an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten nod from the coaches in 2023. He was recently named to the Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Manning Award, and Maxwell Award watch lists.
OL Nick Dawkins
Dawkins has appeared in 26 games for Penn State including all 13 games in 2023. A contributor on offense and special teams, Dawkins didn’t allow a sack in games against Delaware, Iowa, and Rutgers. The Allentown, Pennsylvania native was recently named to the Wuerffel Award watch list.
LB Dominic DeLuca
DeLuca returns as a team captain for the second consecutive season. Originally a walk-on prior to the 2021 season, DeLuca has appeared in 29 games for the Nittany Lions including all 13 games in 2023. The Nittany Lions special teams leader tallied 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles, three passes defensed, and a blocked punt in 2023.
LB Kobe King
King enters the 2024 season having appeared in 30 games including 11 starts for the Nittany Lions. King posted 59 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks in 11 starts at middle linebacker in 2023. His 27 solo tackles were good enough for third on the team. King earned 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors and was recently announced for the Butkus Award watch list.
P Riley Thompson
Thompson punted 50 times in 2023 for 2,290 yards, an average of 45.8 yards, with a long of 56 yards. Thompson’s 45.8-yard average ranked fourth in the Big Ten among qualified punters and is second all-time at Penn State. Thompson was voted Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media in 2023. He has been named to the Ray Guy watch list for 2024.
S Kevin Winston Jr
Winston has appeared in 25 games including 13 starts over two seasons in Happy Valley. The DeMatha Catholic product led the Nittany Lions with 60 total tackles including 35 solo tackles in 2023. He also recorded 3.5 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and five passes defensed from his safety position. An Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2023, Winston has been named to the Bednarik watch list for 2024.
The Nittany Lions open the 2024 season on Saturday, August 31 when they travel to West Virginia University to battle the Mountaineers. Kickoff is set for 12:00 PM/EDT with the game being shown nationally on Fox.
