Penn State Football: Top 3 breakout candidates for 2020 season
By Nick Fiore
The 2020 season is a big one for Penn State football and these three Nittany Lions could become household names before it’s all said and done.
Penn State is fresh off another double-digit win season and BCS bowl victory. James Franklin has turned around the program in his time in Happy Valley and will again be looking to take the next step and make the College Football Playoff.
To do that, the Nittany Lions will need to surpass Ohio State this season.
After their miraculous, program changing win over the Buckeyes in 2016, the Lions have lost the past three games to Ohio State. In 2017 and 2018, the Lions blew late leads and the game came down to the final minutes. Last year, Ohio State dominated the entire game and the 28-17 score made the game seem closer than it really was.
There’s a ton of excitement around this year’s team, though, after some thought last season would be a somewhat retool/rebuild after losing Trace McSorley.
The 2020 Nittany Lions team has been on fans’ radars for a few years now, with the impressive recruiting Franklin has done there’s a lot of experience and talent on this year’s roster.
Sean Clifford, Journey Brown, Pat Freiermuth, Micah Parsons and Shaka Toney are some of the popular upperclassmen looking to lead the Nittany Lions to their first trip to the playoff. Along with all this experience, there’s an influx of young talented guys who are primed for breakout performances.