With Big Ten Media Days behind us and t-minus 38 days until Appalachian State (repeat x10), plenty of buzz is building around this year’s Penn State team. Here is the pack of Nittany Lions making noise on preseason awards watch lists on both sides of the ball…so far.

Ryan Bates — Outland Trophy

The junior offensive lineman is one of the keys to success in the trenches for an offense that finished seventh in the FBS in scoring offense (41.1 points per game) and 19th in total offense (460.3 yards per game). He enters the 2018 season on the watch list for the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman on either side of the ball.

Connor McGovern — Outland Trophy, Rimington Trophy

McGovern joins fellow junior interior lineman Bates on the Outland Trophy watch list this year. Additionally, he earned recognition as a preseason nominee for the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s top center. This recognition comes just one year after making the switch from guard to center last season.

Koa Farmer — Butkus Award

Senior linebacker Farmer is ready to carry the “Linebacker U” torch for the Nittany Lions in 2018. He was named to the watch list for the award given to the nation’s best linebacker. Farmer is coming off of a strong 2017 campaign in which he posted a career high 48 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. The Lake View Terrace, CA native can become the first Penn State Butkus Award winner since Paul Posluszny in 2005.

Amani Oruwariye — Bronko Nagurski Trophy

The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is given annually to the National Defensive Player of the Year as chosen by the Football Writers Association of America. Senior cornerback Oruwariye can make a compelling case for the award this season after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2017. He led the Nittany Lions with four interceptions and finished tenth in the Big Ten in passes defended per game (1.1).

Jonathan Holland — Mackey Award

Holland appeared in 12 games last season on both offense and special teams. His most notable highlight? Being on the receiving end of Billy Fessler’s first career completion against Georgia State. Now, the redshirt junior will have big shoes to fill at the tight end position with the departure of Mike Gesicki. He enters the season on the Mackey Award watch list, which is given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end. His predecessor Gesicki was a finalist for the award last season. 

Shareef Miller — Bednarik Award

The junior defensive end from Philly can make a splash this year as a preseason candidate for the Bednarik Award. The award is presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club. Last season, Miller wreaked havoc from the edge, leading the team with five sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss. He has the potential to become the fourth Nittany Lion to claim the award and the first since Dan Connor in 2007.

Blake Gillikin – Ray Guy Award

The junior field-flipper earned a spot on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best punter. Gillikin is coming off of a strong 2017 season, in which he finished 35th in the FBS with 43.2 yards per punt and fourth in the FBS in coffin wedge average (89.94) according to GPR Punt Rating.

Miles Sanders — Doak Walker Award 

After two seasons waiting in the wings, Sanders is finally ready to flourish as Penn State’s feature tailback. The Pittsburgh, PA, native averaged a modest 6.2 yards per carry with only two touchdowns in 2017, but his workload is set to increase sharply now with Saquon Barkley gone. The Doak Walker Award honors the nation’s best running back, and its voters have given early recognition to Sanders’ breakout potential in 2018.

Trace McSorley — Davey O’Brien Award, Maxwell Award

The majority of the hype surrounding Penn State’s 2018 season has been built around the signal caller. McSorley enters his final season under behind center as a the only unanimous selection on the Big Ten preseason honors list. The Wizard already owns a handful of Penn State career passing records for completion percentage (61.8), passing efficiency (152.9), passing touchdowns (59), and total offense (8,268 yards).

McSorley has also garnered national media attention as the best quarterback in college football — a sentiment that has since been reflected by preseason award nominations. McSorley finds himself on the watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award (the nation’s top quarterback) and the Maxwell Award (presented to college football’s all-around player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club).

James Franklin — Bobby Dodd Trophy

With his squad earning a fair amount of preseason recognition, it is no surprise that the captain of the ship has also received his share. The Bobby Dodd Trophy is given annually to the nation’s best coach — an accolade that is well-within reach if Franklin can continue building on his program’s recent success. The Nittany Lions finished 10-2 — good enough for eighth in the polls last year — before capping off the season with a 35-28 Fiesta Bowl victory over Washington. Now, Franklin enters his fourth season with the Nittany Lions with a resurgent offensive line, outstanding defensive depth, and one of the nation’s best quarterbacks.

Penn State’s quest for the College Football Playoff kicks off at 3:30 pm on September 1 at Beaver Stadium against Appalachian State.