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Penn State Football: Can Nittany Lions replace key players in 2018?

By Shane Lunnen

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: (L-R) Grant Haley #15, Nick Scott #4, head coach James Franklin, Marcus Allen #2 and Troy Apke #28 of the Penn State Nittany Lions walk out to field arm in arm before the start of the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: (L-R) Grant Haley #15, Nick Scott #4, head coach James Franklin, Marcus Allen #2 and Troy Apke #28 of the Penn State Nittany Lions walk out to field arm in arm before the start of the second half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Washington Huskies at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Nittany Lions defeated the Huskies 35-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Offense

The 2018 edition of the Penn State offense will be missing a generational player in Saquon Barkley among other key pieces. However, they still have a ton of talent to be great and could even be better in some areas. With offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead off to be Mississippi State’s head coach, Ricky Rahne takes over the reigns. His first game as offensive coordinator in last year’s Fiesta Bowl was a gem and he’ll need to live up to those expectations this season.

Quarterback Trace McSorley is back for his final season. He not only is a top quarterback in the Big Ten but also the country. With McSorley leading the way, Penn State will have a realistic shot to win every game on their schedule. He is that good of a player. In addition to McSorley, the Lions will mix in talented backup Tommy Stevens, who elected to stay at Penn State instead of transferring in the offseason. Stevens will be the wildcard of the Lion offense, lining up at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

We mentioned Barkley is gone, but this is now time for Miles Sanders to shine. He has waited patiently behind Barkley for two years, playing sparingly but is a former five-star recruit and was the top back in the country for the 2016 recruiting cycle. Behind an offensive line looking to be the best James Franklin has had since arriving in State College, Sanders is hungry and ready to prove he is more than capable of leading the team’s rushing attack. Joining Sanders is a bevy of depth with Mark Allen, Johnathan Thomas, Journey Brown and true freshman Ricky Slade all vying for playing time.

McSorley may have lost leading receiver DaeSean Hamilton and star tight end Mike Gesicki, but he will have plenty of other receivers to target. Juwan Johnson looks to be the star of the group this season and both DeAndre Thompkins and Brandon Polk are back. There are other younger options, with Mac Hippenhammer having a breakout in the spring and high expectations for redshirt freshman KJ Hamler and true freshman Justin Shorter.

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