One of the fiercest battles of the past two Penn State football preseason camps has been for the starting placekicker spot.

Last year, Sander Sahaydak battled for and won the starting spot over senior transfer Alex Felkins, only to be pulled after missing attempts from 34 and 38 yards in last year’s season opener against West Virginia.

Sahaydak tried and made just four more extra point attempts during the 2023 season but, even while on the bench, showed his true character to his coaches and teammates while perfecting his craft in the hopes of getting another shot.

“Sander Sahaydak got up in front of the team on Sunday without me talking to him, without anybody talking to him,” James Franklin said at his weekly press conference after the 2023 West Virginia game. “As a member of this team, as a teammate, I just thought he conducted himself really well. I think he’s earned everybody’s respect.”

With Felkins graduating after last season, Sahaydak went up against redshirt freshman Ryan Barker and junior Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer for the starting job this year. When West Virginia stopped the Nittany Lions at the 30-yard line in the 2024 season opener, it was Sahaydak who trotted out for the 47-yard attempt.

The try was no good, and Sahaydak moved to 1-for-5 in his career at Penn State.

Franklin stuck with the redshirt junior, though, and with just over five minutes left in the first half against Bowling Green, Sahaydak broke through from 43 yards.

“Seeing that first one go through really makes everything else a lot easier,” Sahaydak said at a practice availability after Bowling Green. “It was great to see the staff believe in me and what I can do. It meant a lot.”

According to Sahaydak, at the same post-practice availability, the mental aspect of being a kicker also can’t be ignored. While he said, at that moment, the uprights looked farther apart, he still has to be aware of his mindset when taking the field. Whether Sahaydak hits a game-winner or misses multiple attempts, the next week of preparation is always the same.

This week, Sahaydak will have to put that idea to the test. The junior missed both of his field goal attempts on Saturday, causing Penn State to head into the final minutes with only a seven-point lead.

With the missed attempts, Sahaydak’s record dipped to 3-for-9, and Barker kicked the extra point when Kaytron Allen scored the game’s final touchdown.

“I love Sander Sahaydak. He’s been awesome for us and we just won a game, so he should be celebrating just like everyone else,” Franklin said after the win over Illinois. “But ultimately, we’ll have a competition, and all of these things will factor into the decisions we have to make moving forward.”

Sahaydak has already won the starting job twice based on what he’s done in practice. At his weekly press conference on Monday, Franklin said that the competition for the spot during spring practice in April was close, but Sahaydak started to pull away during the summer.

“Sander won the job during training camp,” Franklin said. “It was close, but I think everyone felt comfortable that we made the right decision.”

Now, a fierce training camp competition will once again spill into the regular season. While Barker was sent in for the last extra point against Illinois, transfer Chase Meyer went 17-for-20 with a long of 47 yards last year with Tulsa before coming to Penn State.

Sahaydak, though, has already shown the rest of the team he can handle the adversity while maintaining a positive influence on the locker room. But along with the other issues Penn State has faced, Franklin is taking solace in the fact he’s getting to fix them after a win.

“Sander’s a great kid. He’s a great representative of everything we’re about,” Franklin said. “But I love the fact that we played complementary football. The offense and defense, they had Sander’s back.”