Who were the Penn State competitors of the day from winter workout No. 6?
Penn State football has finished its sixth winter workout of February. Last year, the program conducted eight similar sessions. So, just two days of grueling early morning drills remain before the team is sent off for spring break ahead of the start of spring practice on March 12.
“Winter workouts is a period where we kind of see who works the hardest and who can really compete in the fourth quarter,” redshirt freshman J’ven Williams said earlier this month. “And as of right now, there’s no depth chart or any looking toward that. We’re kind of just seeing who can compete for the most, who can gather the most wins, and who can really show that they can last four quarters.”
Who were the winter workout standouts from session six?
Nine of 10 position full-time positon coaches pick a competitor of the day after each workout. Since offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki does not have a specific position assigned to him, graduate assistant and newly-officially-designated quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien makes the selection for that group each week. Here are Thursday’s winners:
Quarterback: Drew Allar
Running back: Amiel Davis
Wide receiver: Omari Evans
Tight end: Jerry Cross
Offensive line: Center Nick Dawkins
Defensive line: End Jameial Lyons
Linebacker: Dominic DeLuca
Cornerback: Cam Miller
Safety: Lamont Payne Jr.
Special teams: Long snapper Tyler Duzansky
Top takeaways from Thursday’s picks
While these “awards” are not an end-all, be-all by any stretch of the imagination, Nick Dawkins earning his third win of the month continues to emphasize how hard the veteran is pushing to become a starter for the first time. He’ll lead the center battle heading into Penn State spring practice. Dawkins was joined in the repeat winners category by cornerback Cam Miller, who is also pushing to earn a starting role for the first time in 2024, and returning long snapper Tyler Duzansky. All have taken three competitors of the day honors so far. Safety Lamont Payne Jr., linebacker Dominic DeLuca, and receiver Omari Evans, meanwhile, each earned their second shoutout.
On the other side of the coin, the Penn State quarterback who will take the first snap of spring ball from Dawkins, Allar, added his first win of the month on Tuesday, which is a good reminder of how we started this section. The junior is joined by second-year end Jameial Lyons, veteran tight end Jerry Cross, and redshirt freshman safety Lamont Payne Jr. in becoming a first-time winner this month.
Last but not least, we’ll give redshirt junior walk-on running back Amiel Davis his own space here. He was the pick of the running back room for the first time.
Past Penn State winter workout winners
Quarterback: Beau Pribula (2/5, 2/7, 2/13, 2/20), Ethan Grunkemeyer (2/15), Drew Allar (2/22)
Running back: Cameron Wallace (2/5), Nick Singleton (2/7, 2/13), Quinton Martin (2/17, 2/20), Amiel Davis (2/22)
Wide receiver: Liam Clifford (2/5), Malick Meiga (2/7), Anthony Ivey (2/13), Julian Fleming (2/15), Omari Evans (2/20, 2/22)
Tight end: Joey Schlaffer (2/5, 2/13, 2/15), Tyler Warren (2/7, 2/20), Jerry Cross (2/22)
Offensive line: Nick Dawkins (2/5, 2/7, 2/22), Addison Penn (2/13), Anthony Donkoh (2/15), J’ven Williams (2/20)
Defensive line: Zuriah Fisher (2/5, 2/15, 2/20), Zane Durant (2/7, 2/13), Jameial Lyons (2/22)
Linebackers: Tyler Elsdon (2/5, 2/20), Dom DeLuca (2/7, 2/22), Tony Rojas (2/13, 2/15)
Cornerback: Cam Miller (2/5, 2/20, 2/22), AJ Harris (2/7), Elliot Washington (2/13, 2/15)
Safety: Jaylen Reed (2/5), Zakee Wheatley (2/7, 2/20), KJ Winston (2/13), Lamont Payne (2/15, 2/22)
Special teams: Punter Riley Thompson (2/5), kicker Sander Sahaydak (2/7), long snapper Tyler Duzansky (2/13, 2/15, 2/22), long snapper Blaise Sokach-Minick (2/20)
