UCLA is just weeks away from starting its second season in the Big Ten. After capturing seven Big Ten championships during their first year in the conference, the Bruins will look to build upon their inaugural year. Prior to the start of UCLA’s second Big Ten campaign, Daily Bruin Sports will preview football, basketball and other top programs from each school.
Football
2024 record: 13-3, 8-1 Big Ten, College Football Playoff semifinal appearance
Coach: James Franklin
Player to watch: Drew Allar
The drought is over.
Before last season, Penn State had failed to reach the College Football Playoff since its 2014 inception. But with a weak Big Ten schedule and a 12-team playoff format, the program may have broken its curse.
Now comes the real test: What will they do with it?
Quarterback Drew Allar is touted as one of the most pro-ready collegiate signal-callers, but he struggled when facing off against college football powerhouses. However, Allar showed accuracy improvement between his sophomore and junior seasons, going from a 59.9% completion percentage to a 66.5% clip last year.
Entering his third year as the Nittany Lions’ starting signal-caller, Allar has the opportunity to build off last season, and his development under center will be key to securing a national title.
The last two national champions followed a blueprint built on veteran players returning.
And Penn State returned 12 starters, including running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.
Allen and Singleton ran for a combined 2,207 yards – which ranked them fifth and sixth in the Big Ten, respectively – and 20 touchdowns.
The Nittany Lions still have to address Tyler Warren’s departure. The tight end was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, and Warren led the team in receiving yards last season with a career-high 1,233 mark.
Coach James Franklin went to the transfer portal to fill the void with three wide receiver acquisitions, adding Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson. Pena, who transferred from Syracuse, brings the most on-field experience. Last season he caught 84 passes for 941 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Nittany Lions have everything they need to win a national title. All that is left is executing when it matters most.
Men’s Basketball
2024-2025 record: 16-15, 6-14 Big Ten
Coach: Mike Rhoades
Player to watch: Freddie Dilione V
The rebuild continues.
After another lackluster season, Penn State men’s basketball may be turning the page on a forgettable past two seasons.
The Nittany Lions are returning only three players, but welcomed eight freshmen and two transfers in the offseason.
With the loss of all but one player from their 2024 freshman recruiting class to the transfer portal, the Nittany Lions bring in a 2025 class that ranks 42nd overall, which is headlined by point guard Kayden Mingo.
247Sports ranked Mingo as the No. 34 recruit, and he represents the highest-ranked recruit in program history. He was named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year after a standout season where he averaged 13.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Penn State must fill now-graduate Ace Baldwin Jr.’s role, and guard Freddie Dilione V may be the person for the job. Dilione scored 291 total points last season – which ranked fifth on the team – and is the highest scoring returner. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last season.
Coach Mike Rhoades’ two transfer acquisitions could also make immediate impacts next season, with forwards Josh Reed and Saša Ciani transferring from Cincinnati and UIC, respectively.
Reed’s numbers did not jump off the page, since he averaged 4.8 points and 2.5 rebounds, but he may translate well into the Nittany Lions lineup. Ciani averaged 9.9 points and boasted 7.6 rebounds per game. His high rebound average could bolster the squad next season after it tied for 12th in the Big Ten last season.
A new team will step on the court come November, and it may redefine Rhodes’ legacy at the helm if the squad overperforms.
Women’s Basketball
2024-2025 record: 10-19, 1-17 Big Ten
Coach: Carolyn Kieger
Player to watch: Gracie Merkle
The bottom of the Big Ten cellar is a place no team wants to reside in.
Penn State women’s basketball finished last season 1-17 in conference contests, a feat Coach Carolyn Kieger also achieved six years ago when she took over the program.
And not much has changed.
Under Kieger’s leadership, the team has won at least nine conference games and has finished with a .500-plus winning percentage only once. That season was just two years ago, meaning the Nittany Lions could achieve similar success with offseason improvement.
The Lady Lions returned their top scorer in center Gracie Merkle after a whirlwind of decisions. Merkle entered the transfer portal March 25 and announced her commitment to Maryland on April 5 via Instagram. She eventually asked to rescind this pledge and recommitted to Penn State on May 12.
Merkle is the key for the Lady Lions.
Although last season’s struggles overshadowed her individual performance, she led the team with 15.5 points per game – tied for 14th in the Big Ten – and 8.6 rebounds per contest. Merkle also received an All-Big Ten honorable mention to cap off a standout campaign.
Kieger has recruited two transfers and brought in five new freshmen in the off season. The Lady Lions must undergo more changes and development if they want to prevent another campaign relegated to the Big Ten’s basement.
Women’s Volleyball
2024 record: 35-2, 19-1 Big Ten, National Champions
Coach: Katie Schumacher-Cawley
Player to watch: Kennedy Martin
Special – one of the many words that describe the 2024 Penn State women’s volleyball team.
In October 2024, Coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley revealed she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, but she chose to continue coaching while receiving treatment.
Her resilience and courage helped carry her team to its first national title since 2014, and Schumacher-Cawley made history as the first woman head coach to capture a national championship. The head honcho stressed how important it was to be fully present throughout the entire season, and as of February, Schumacher-Cawley is cancer-free.
Outside hitter Jess Mruzik – who boasted a .259 hitting percentage and 565 kills – led the Nittany Lions on the court. But the team needed to fill the hole the recent graduate left.
Transfer outside hitter Emmi Sellman has assumed the majority of her role, which she has shared with outside hitter Caroline Jurevicius. Sellman currently has 23 kills, averaging 2.88 kills per set.
Although they do not share the same position, right-side hitter Kennedy Martin will help replace Jess Mruzik’s production.
Martin transferred from Florida, where she led the nation with 6.28 points per set and ranked second in kills per set with 5.57 last season. The Fort Mills, South Carolina, local currently leads the Nittany Lions with 32 kills and is averaging four kills per set.
The Nittany Lions have everything they need to hoist back-to-back championship trophies, and the hunt for another national title begins now.
Comments are closed.