New leaders of Penn State football emerge before Big Ten Media Days

The long college football offseason is nearly over, with the 2024 Big Ten Media Days set to commence later this month at Lucas Oil Stadium. On Thursday, we learned redshirt senior+ Dvon J-Thomas (formerly Ellies), senior tight end Tyler Warren, and senior safety Jaylen Reed will represent the Penn State football program alongside Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Previously a two-day event, this year’s Big Ten Media Days will span three days, July 23-25, to accommodate the new 18-team conference. Per the Big Ten’s official announcement, James Franklin, Dvon J-Thomas, Jaylen Reed, and Tyler Warren will take their turns at the podium on Wednesday, July 24.

As with previous years, Penn State is exclusively sending seniors to Indianapolis, which explains the notable absence of prominent Nittany Lions like quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, edge rusher Abdul Carter, and safety KJ Winston.

Leadership of the 2024 Penn State football roster starts to take shape

© Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Beyond Big Ten Media Days, Thursday’s announcement likely helps point us to the Nittany Lions who have taken on leadership roles this offseason. Unlike a season ago, the program did not name an initial group of team captains coming out of the spring, opting to wait for a more traditional preseason vote.

“We did that a couple of weeks ago – we did a vote,” Franklin said in June. “And a lot of times, we do that vote right before the summer starts because we would like to go into the summer with some of that leadership. But, we only make the decision if there’s clear and obvious guys in terms of the vote. Like, if there was one guy dramatically on defense, one guy dramatically on offense that got enough votes, or on special teams to make that decision now. And it wasn’t.

“This will give us an opportunity to continue to evaluate, give the players more time to earn that from their teammates and from the staff, and then we’ll vote, obviously, probably a couple of weeks into camp like we traditionally have.”

However, the selected representatives for Big Ten Media Days likely signal that Tyler Warren, Dvon J-Thomas, and Jaylen Reed are trending in the right direction.

Last year, all three player representatives in Indianapolis were captains. Olu Fashanu and Keaton Ellis earned the honor following spring practice, while Adisa Isaac was named a captain during fall camp.

What type of leaders could we see emerge this fall?

The specific style of leadership that forms on this year’s Penn State football roster will be a significant development to watch throughout August and into the season. As James Franklin has noted in the past, whereas in some seasons, the locker room is led by a vocal few, in other years, it’s led by many.

“I think that’s [leadership] something I’ve tried to work on,” Tyler Warren said this spring. “So, I have this spring and through the summer and all that. [I’m] just trying to be a more vocal guy, because I’ve been more of a quiet guy, lead by example [kind of player]. So, I think stepping out of my comfort zone is important. I’m trying to be a vocal guy.”

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