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USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Previewing the 2025 season for Penn State TE Khalil Dinkins with his player profile
Previewing the 2025 season for Penn State TE Khalil Dinkins with his player profile Going into the 2025 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will examine each player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover the player's background, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season. Splitting time with now-NFL players Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren, the path to playing time has been filled with obstacles for veteran tight end Khalil Dinkins. Entering his fifth season on campus, he's poised to push for a starting role and potentially see career highs in 2025 as the Nittany Lions push for another deep run in the College Football Playoff. Preseason Player Profile Hometown: Wexford, Pennsylvania Height: 6-4 Weight: 243 lb Class in 2025: Redshirt senior Recruiting Rankings Class of 2021: 4-star recruit by 247Sports, No. 33 tight end Dinkins was ranked as a 3- or 4-star by different recruiting services, and though he's shown flashes, it's been hard for him to earn consistent playing time in a loaded position room. Career Stats Games Receptions Yards Touchdowns Yards per reception 2022 10 4 53 1 13.3 2023 12 5 57 2 11.4 2024 15 14 122 2 8.7 Depth Chart Overview Dinkins will battle sophomore Luke Reynolds for the starting role this season following Warren's move to the NFL. Reynolds has impressive physical traits and arrived with high expectations as a blue-chip recruit, but Dinkins has been around the block and will push for the TE1 role in 2025, his final college season.
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ex-Rams DL compares Poona Ford to Aaron Donald
Ex-Rams DL compares Poona Ford to Aaron Donald Aaron Donald became one of the best defensive linemen of all-time during his 10 NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. And while his exact skillset cannot be replicated, the Rams have made some concerted efforts to find feasible ways to replace Donald on their defensive line. The additions of Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Byron Young and Kobie Turner are great starts, but former Rams defensive lineman D'Marco Farr thinks the signing of Poona Ford is the closest the team has been to replacing what Donald can do in the trenches. "Everything we used to give AD [Aaron Donald] credit for, like diagnosing blocks, understanding how they're tying to eliminate you – [Ford]'s got that too, but just at the nose tackle spot," Farr told the team website. "So when AD makes a smart play, AD makes a smart play. When Poona makes a smart play, somebody else makes the play, but that's how good he is, that's how much he's going to help you. A good nose tackle is invaluable in football, no matter what level." It's certainly hard to compare the two players directly by just looking at their numbers. Donald had 111 career sacks, including 20.5 in the 2018 season. He also won Defensive Player of the Year three times, made the Pro Bowl all 10 years of his career and was an eight-time first-team All-Pro selection. Ford, meanwhile, has just 11.5 sacks in 101 games over seven seasons but 39 total quarterback hits and 229 combined tackles during that span. But, as Farr mentioned, they're two different players who are both great at the little things that make interior defensive linemen great. "You don't have to be very tall to play nose tackle. You have to be very willing, and you have to be an absolute tree stump. And he is all of that," Farr said of Ford. "So he's a complete guy that, I guess you'd say he mastered the art of playing the run, but he's a credible guy you can actually leave out there for three downs if you wanted to." The Ford deal has earned a lot of praise from pundits around the NFL world, including ex-Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. The now-NFL analyst said he "hated" playing against Ford because of how he leveraged his body and his skillset to beat Kelce in the trenches. The Rams lacked true run-stopping size in their defensive line after the Eagles ran all over them in the NFC Divisional Round. Now, they'll get a true run-stuffer in Ford as well as a big-bodied lineman who can give even the best centers problems. And if he's also a variant of Donald — that's great, too.
