Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Earlier this week, we discussed some reasons to be optimistic about Penn State’s special teams unit heading into 2024. Now, I’m going to play devil’s advocate. 1. Turnover At Coordinator Where there’s smoke, there’s fire? Special teams coordinator Stacy Collins departed Penn State during the offseason to return to Boise State, where he had left just two years prior in favor of the Nittany Lions. Now, James Franklin turns to Justin Lustig, who has an impressive resume but has not coached special teams at a school more prestigious than Syracuse. He will be Franklin’s third special teams coordinator in four years. It’s not like this coaching spot has been plug-and-play for Penn State, either. Lustig will have his work cut out to steady a special teams ship that was often shaky in 2023, and it will be his first time trying to do so at a program that is consistently in the AP Top 25. 2. A Placekicking Question Mark Last year, Penn State attempted more field goals per game than all but 18 FBS programs. But, the best kicker on its roster made 79.2% of his kicks (T48 among FBS kickers), and the team made 73.1% of its kicks overall (77th among FBS teams). The Nittany Lions’ starting kicker in 2023, Alex Felkins, has graduated and Lustig is hosting a competition. Sander Sahaydak, a once highly touted prospect, is now a redshirt junior and has yet to make a big on-field impact. He is the presumed starter this year, but his two field goal misses from inside of 40 yards against West Virginia and sudden benching are hard to forget. He’ll be competing with transfer Chase Meyer, who’s now been at three schools in as many years. He made 85% of his kicks at Tulsa last season, but it’s no secret that kicking at Beaver Stadium, the Coliseum, and Camp Randall are different beasts than H.A. Chapman Stadium and its 30,000-person capacity. 3. New Faces & Places Penn State will face new brands of football and play in foreign locations this season. As we saw last year, special teams can sometimes come down to mental execution more than physical execution. In 2024, the Nittany Lions will face opponents they are not used to seeing — UCLA, USC, Washington, and West Virginia will all be unfamiliar challenges. Big Ten and ex-PAC-12 teams play different styles of football that rely upon special teams in different ways. Everyone will have to adapt, but can Penn State rise to the occasion with all the internal turnover? Source: https://www.blackshoediaries.com/2024/6 ... s-franklin