Penn State has high expectations for the 2024 college football season following another 10-win regular seasoncampaign last fall. The Nittany Lions areprojected as a fringe top-10 team in earlynational preseason rankings, with Big Ten championship aspirations and a debut College Football Playoff appearance in focus.
PSU opens its 2024 game scheduleAug. 31 at West Virginia in a rematch of the Nittany Lions' 2023 opener win. In the meantime, our Countdown to Kickoff series will feature players whose uniform numbers correspond with that number of days remaining until that matchup. Now at91 days, our focus shifts to one player preparing for his sixth Nittany Lions season (defensive tackle Dvon Ellies) and another who recently arrived on campus (kicker Chase Meyer).
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PRIOR TO PENN STATE
Dvon Ellieswas considered a Top247 talent and the nation's No. 9 defensive tackle in 247Sports' 2019 recruit rankings at theMcDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.).Herevealed four favorite universities prior to his senior season:Ohio State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. However, Florida and Penn State extended offers soon afterward and initial plans for a preseason commitment were cancelled.
Southern Cal emerged as a contender upon its midseason offer and welcomed Ellies to campus for an official visit three weeks after he utilized one in Happy Valley. He ultimately opted to sign with Penn State during the early signing period, though he and the program kept things under wraps for nearly a full month before an announcement at the Polynesian Bowl.
Ellies established himself as a Power Five prospect while playing at McDonogh alongsidePJ MustipherandCurtis Jacobs, whobecame multi-year starters at defensive tackle and linebacker, respectively, for Penn State. Ellies and Mustipher dominated inside together,combining to total 27 sacks and 34 tackles for loss in 2017.
A native ofHonolulu, Hawaii,Ellies collected 72 tackles, 17 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles as a senior, earning a spot on the 2018All-USA Maryland football team.
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Chase Meyerwas a two-time Orange County Kicker of the Year and earned all-state recognition with national powerhouse program Mater Dei (Santa Anna, Calif.). He initially landed in college football at the Ivy League level, joining theUniversity of Pennsylvania squad in 2022.
As a freshman, Meyer saw action in eight games while handling kickoffs. He booted 36 of them with an average of 52.3 yards. Meyer then made a move to Tulsa in 2023, jumping into FBS action within the American Athletic Conference.
Last season, Meyerconnected on 17 of 20 field goals for Tulsa, though only three of those makes came from 40-plus yards. He again pursued transfer opportunities following his sophom*ore campaign and ultimately found a fit with Penn State, who lost primary 2023 placekickerAlex Felkins.
HAPPY VALLEY HIGHLIGHTS
Elliesappeared in one game as a true freshman in 2019, retaining redshirt status. He entered three contests during a pandemic-shortened 2020 Penn State campaign, though he finished with some momentum. In Year 3, Ellies took a step forward, participating in all 13 games.
The Nittany Lions' need for his involvement in 2021 grew that October following a season-ending knee injury for the aforementioned Mustipher. He then moved into the starting lineup for an Outback Bowl matchup against Arkansas after seniorDerrick Tangeloopted out of postseason play, andfinished his redshirt sophom*ore season with 15 total tackles (1.5 for loss), two QB hurries and a fumble recovery.
Ellies matched that tackle total in 13 games the next season, with one sack and a forced fumble. He was a clear second-team option behind Mustipher andHakeem Beamon, ranking third amongpositional peers with more than 260 snaps.
A career breakout came in 2023 for Ellies, who produced 26 tackles (five for loss) while starting eight contests. He beat out Beamon for a starting spot by midseason, working alongside sophom*ore Zane Durant as first-team defensive tackles.
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Meyerenrolled at Penn State in January with junior eligibility. He participated in spring practices, competing alongside redshirt juniorSander Sahaydakand redshirt freshmanRyan Barker.
"I think it's taken him a while to just get comfortable with a new environment, new program," Nittany Lions special teams coordinator Justin Lustig said. "But he's consistently gotten better through the spring. So we've got a great battle going on. I'm really excited about it."
Meyer attempted one kick in the Blue-White Game, converting an extra point.
2024 OUTLOOK
Ellies opted in for a sixth college season with COVID eligibility, providing a substantial boost for the 2024 defensive line. He was one of three Class of 2019 members who took a sixth season on the D-line, along with the aforementioned Beamon and defensive end Smith Vilbert.
Durant and Ellies are the favorites to remain in starting roles, but quality depth will continue to allow for a consistent rotation. Don't expect anyone to be overly taxed with game reps at this position, but Ellies should see plenty of extended run. He is also a strong candidate to warrant captaincy come August, considered one of the program's premier vocal leaders.
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Meyerwill continue to compete with Barker and Sahaydak deep into preseason camp. Even that timeline might not be enough to find the best option at placekicker, as Felkins was initially the No. 2 option in 2023 before taking over at halftime of the season opener.
Meyer carries two remaining years of college football eligibility.If he does get game work this fall, that would mean he's kicked for three different programs in three seasons.
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Previous Numbers
92 - Smith Vilbert
93 -Sander Sahaydak
94 -Ryan Barker and De'Andre Cook95 -Jordan Mayer and Riley Thompson
96 -Immanuel Iyke97 -T.A. Cunningham
98 -Jordan Stout99 -Coziah Izzard100-Meet the Penn State transfer class
