| Year: | 2018 |
| Team: | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Division: | East Division |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Record: | 9–4 |
| Conf Record: | 6–3 |
| Coachrank: | 17 |
| Aprank: | 17 |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Oc Year: | 1st as OC; 5th overall |
| Dc Year: | 3rd as DC; 5th overall |
| Codc1 Year: | 3rd |
| Bowl Result: | L 24–27 vs. Kentucky |
The 2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference.
Penn State, coming off an 11–2, Fiesta Bowl-winning season in 2017, began the year at 10th in the preseason AP Poll. They narrowly escaped an upset in their first game of the year by defeating Appalachian State in overtime. The Nittany Lions won their first four games and entered an anticipated home game against No. 4 Ohio State at No. 9, but lost to the Buckeyes by a score of 26–27. The following week the team was upset by Michigan State on homecoming. The team rebounded with a home win against then-No. 18 Iowa, but was blown out the following week by Michigan 42–7. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season in third in the Big Ten East with a conference record of 6–3. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl, where they lost to Kentucky to finish the year at 9–4.
Senior quarterback Trace McSorley led the team in passing, finishing with 2,530 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns. He was named second team All-Big Ten by both the media and coaches. During the season, McSorley became the all-time school record holder in several categories, including career passing yards, completions, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns responsible for.[1] Junior running back Miles Sanders finished in second in the conference in rushing with 1,274 yards.[2] On defense, cornerback Amani Oruwariye and lineman Yetur Gross-Matos were named first-team all-conference by the media.[3]
On November 29, 2017, it was announced that offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Moorhead was hired to be the head coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[4] Shortly after, it was reported that running backs coach and special teams coordinator Charles Huff would be joining Moorhead at Mississippi State as his assistant head coach, run game coordinator, and running backs coach.[5] On December 1, 2017, James Franklin announced that tight ends coach Ricky Rahne would replace Moorhead as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.[6] It was also announced that former Maryland offensive line coach Tyler Bowen was hired to coach tight ends and consultant Phil Galiano was hired to coordinate special teams and assist with the defensive line.[6] On January 12, 2018, former Army wide receivers coach David Corley Jr. was hired to the staff as the running backs coach.[7] Corley was hired as the 10th assistant coach because of a new rule change by the NCAA, that expanded staff sizes by one.[8] On January 24, 2018, wide receivers coach Josh Gattis announced that he would be leaving to serve as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide.[9] The next day it was announced that former Florida Gators running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider would be joining Penn State in the same capacity and David Corley Jr. would be coaching the wide receivers.[10] It was also announced that defensive line coach Sean Spencer received the title of associate head coach, a title previously held by defensive coordinator Brent Pry.[11]
The Nittany Lions signed 23 recruits.[12] [13]
See also: 2018 NFL draft.
| Saquon Barkley | Running back | 1 | 2 | New York Giants | |
| Mike Gesicki | Tight end | 2 | 42 | Miami Dolphins | |
| Troy Apke | Safety | 4 | 109 | Washington Redskins | |
| DaeSean Hamilton | Wide receiver | 4 | 113 | Denver Broncos | |
| Marcus Allen | Safety | 5 | 148 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Christian Campbell | Cornerback | 6 | 182 | Arizona Cardinals | |
| Jason Cabinda | Linebacker | UFA | Oakland Raiders | ||
| Saeed Blacknall | Wide receiver | UFA | Oakland Raiders | ||
| Grant Haley | Cornerback | UFA | New York Giants | ||
| Brendan Mahon | Guard | UFA | Carolina Panthers | ||
| Curtis Cothran | Defensive tackle | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | ||
| Parker Cothren | Defensive lineman | UFA | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Tyler Davis | Kicker | UFA | Buffalo Bills | ||
| DaeSean Hamilton | Sr | WR | Stafford, Virginia | Graduated | |
| Marcus Allen | Sr | S | Upper Marlboro, Maryland | Graduated | |
| Saeed Blacknall | Sr | WR | Manalapan, New Jersey | Graduated | |
| Christian Campbell | Sr | CB | Phenix City, Alabama | Graduated | |
| Mike Gesicki | Sr | TE | Manahawkin, New Jersey | Graduated | |
| Grant Haley | Sr | CB | Atlanta, Georgia | Graduated | |
| Troy Apke | Sr | S | Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania | Graduated | |
| Jason Cabinda | Sr | LB | Buena Park, California | Graduated | |
| Curtis Cothran | Sr | DT | Newtown, Pennsylvania | Graduated | |
| Parker Cothren | Sr | DT | Huntsville, Alabama | Graduated | |
| Tyler Davis | Sr | K | St. Charles, Illinois | Graduated | |
| Brendan Mahon | Sr | G | Randolph, New Jersey | Graduated | |
| Saquon Barkley | Jr | RB | Whitehall, Pennsylvania | Declared for NFL draft | |
| Crae McCracken | Fr | OL | Williamsport, Pennsylvania | Transferred | |
| Andre Robinson | So | RB | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania | Transferred | |
| Alex Barbir | Fr | K | Cumming, Georgia | Transferred | |
| Corey Bolds | Fr | DT | Paterson, New Jersey | Transferred | |
| Manny Bowen | Jr | LB | Barnegat, New Jersey | Dismissed from program | |
| Irvin Charles | So | WR | Sicklerville, New Jersey | Dismissed from program | |
| Robert Martin | So | OL | Sparta, New Jersey | Retired |
Offense
| Player | Class | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trace McSorley | Senior | Quarterback | |
| Juwan Johnson | Junior | Wide receiver | |
| Ryan Bates | Junior | Offensive tackle | |
| Connor McGovern | Junior | Center/Guard | |
| Steven Gonzalez | Junior | Guard | |
| Will Fries | Sophomore | Offensive tackle | |
| DeAndre Thompkins | Senior | Wide receiver | |
| Chasz Wright | Senior | Offensive tackle | |
| Miles Sanders | Junior | Running back | |
| Reference:[14] | |||
Defense
| Player | Class | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Givens | Junior | Defensive tackle | |
| Shareef Miller | Junior | Defensive end | |
| Koa Farmer | Senior | Linebacker | |
| Nick Scott | Senior | Safety | |
| Reference: | |||
Special teams
| Player | Class | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Gillikin | Junior | Punter | |
| Kyle Vasey | Senior | Long snapper | |
| DeAndre Thompkins | Senior | Punt returner | |
| Reference: | |||
| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB | |||
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E | |||
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K | |||
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB | |||
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB | |||
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |
| Rimington Trophy[15] | Connor McGovern | C | JR | |
| Chuck Bednarik Award[16] | Shareef Miller | DE | JR | |
| Maxwell Award[17] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR | |
| Davey O'Brien Award[18] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR | |
| Doak Walker Award[19] | Miles Sanders | RB | JR | |
| John Mackey Award[20] | Jonathan Holland | TE | JR | |
| Butkus Award[21] | Koa Farmer | LB | SR | |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy[22] | Amani Oruwariye | CB | SR | |
| Outland Trophy[23] | Ryan Bates | OL | SR | |
| Connor McGovern | C | JR | ||
| Ray Guy Award[24] | Blake Gillikin | P/K | JR | |
| Wuerffel Trophy[25] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR | |
| Walter Camp Award[26] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR | |
| Ted Hendricks Award[27] | Shareef Miller | DE | JR | |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[28] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR | |
| Manning Award[29] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
Seniors Trace McSorley and Nick Scott, and junior Blake Gillikin were elected by their teammates as captains.[30] Running Back C. J. Holmes is a transfer from Notre Dame.[31] On August 4, 2018, Linebacker Manny Bowen returned to the program after being dismissed near the end of the 2017 season.[32]
As of August 28, 2018
| Position | Name | Alma mater | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | James Franklin[33] | East Stroudsburg (1994) | |
| Defensive coordinator/linebackers | Brent Pry | Buffalo (1993) | |
| Offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks | Ricky Rahne[34] | Cornell (2002) | |
| Tight ends/ Offensive Recruiting Coordinator | Tyler Bowen | Maryland (2010) | |
| Safeties/co-Defensive coordinator | Tim Banks | Central Michigan University (1994) | |
| Defensive line/Run Game Coordinator/Associate Head coach | Sean Spencer | Clarion (1995) | |
| Offensive line | University of Chicago (1990) | ||
| Cornerbacks/Defensive Recruiting Coordinator | Terry Smith | Penn State (1991) | |
| Running backs | Ja'Juan Seider | West Virginia University (2000) | |
| Wide receivers | David Corley | College of William & Mary (2002) | |
| Special teams coordinator/assistant defensive line | Phil Galiano | Shippensburg University (1999) | |
| Strength and conditioning | Dwight Galt | Maryland (1981) | |
| Graduate Assistant | Sean Cascarano | University of Virginia (2013) | |
| Graduate Assistant | Mark Dupuis | University of Connecticut (2011) | |
| Graduate Assistant | Matt Fleischacker | Penn State (2016) | |
| Graduate Assistant | Kevin Smith | Urbana University (2014) |
The team hosted two of the three non-conference games against the Appalachian State Mountaineers (first ever meeting) from the Sun Belt Conference and the Kent State Golden Flashes from the Mid-American Conference (MAC).[37] They traveled to the Pittsburgh Panthers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[38]
During the 2018 Nittany Lions season, Penn State faced Big Ten conference opponents Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Maryland. Their annual homecoming game was played on October 13.[39] The 2018 regular season schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away.[40] [41]
See also: 2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team.
See also: 2018 Pittsburgh Panthers football team and Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Kent State Golden Flashes football team.
See also: 2018 Illinois Fighting Illini football team.
See also: 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes football team and Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Michigan State Spartans football team and Michigan State–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Indiana Hoosiers football team.
See also: 2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team.
See also: 2018 Michigan Wolverines football team.
See also: 2018 Wisconsin Badgers football team.
See also: 2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team.
See also: 2018 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team and 2019 Citrus Bowl.
| Amani Oruwariye | DB | 1 | 1 | |
| Yetur Gross-Matos | DL | 3 | 1 | |
| Trace McSorley | QB | 2 | 2 | |
| Miles Sanders | RB | 2 | 2 | |
| Connor McGovern | OG | 3 | 3 | |
| Ryan Bates | OT | 3 | 3 | |
| Shareef Miller | DL | 3 | 3 | |
| K. J. Hamler | WR | HM | HM | |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | HM | HM | |
| Steven Gonzalez | OG | HM | HM | |
| Garrett Taylor | DB | HM | HM | |
| John Reid | DB | HM | HM | |
| Robert Windsor | DL | HM | HM | |
| K. J. Hamler | PR/KR | HM | HM | |
| Micah Parsons | DL | - | HM | |
| Nick Scott | DB | - | HM | |
| HM = Honorable mention. Reference: | ||||
See also: 2019 NFL draft.
| 2 | 53 | RB | Philadelphia Eagles | ||
| 4 | 138 | DE | Philadelphia Eagles | ||
| 5 | 146 | CB | Detroit Lions | ||
| 6 | 197 | QB | Baltimore Ravens | ||
| 7 | 243 | S | Los Angeles Rams |