Top 3 Penn State special team players to watch out for in Orange Bowl ft. Ryan Barker, Riley Thompson, & Nick Singleton

Penn State finds itself heading into what is arguably its biggest college football matchup in recent memory — the Orange Bowl against fellow blue blood Notre Dame.

For years, the Nittany Lions (13-2) have lived in the shadows of Ohio State and Michigan, perenial national title contenders in the same conference and division. With the format of the College Football Playoff bumped up to 12 teams and the Big 10's best now playing for a league crown, Penn State has proved it belongs right up there with the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

The Fighting Irish won't be any easy test, however. They pose a much greater threat to the Nittany Lions than their previous playoff opponents, SMU and Boise State. As is the case in any gridiron contest, special teams, sometimes overlooked and underappreciated, will be an important facet.

Here are three Penn State special teams players to keep an eye on come Thursday night in Miami Gardens.

Ryan Barker, kicker

Barker was initially a soccer player, a path for a kicker that isn't all that uncommon. His move to the gridiron didn't come until the summer prior to his freshman year of high school.

"Kind of just took a football and a pair of sticks to the field and started kicking around as a joke, and then it just kind of took off from there," Barker told The Daily Collegian.

Barker wound up in Happy Valley as a preferred walk-on. He started the year vying for the job along with Sander Sahaydak and Tulsa import Chase Meyer. Sahaydak was at the top of the depth chart to start the season, but the job slipped from him after starting 2 for 5 on field goals. Barker was given his crack at it after Sahaydak missed a pair of field goals against Illinois.

Barker impressed by going 4 for 4 on field goal tries in a road overtime win against USC, one of those makes being the winner that capped off a comeback.

During the College Football Playoff, Barker is 9 for 9 on extra points and has nailed both of his field goals.

Riley Thompson, punter

Thompson, a native of Melbourne, Australia, is a Florida Atlantic transfer. He has 46 punts this go-round for an average of 42.8 yards per boot and 1,913 net yards. Thompson has also pinned 34.8% of his punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Thompson was 12th nationally in punting average (45.8 yards) in 2023.

Nick Singleton, running back

Singleton, a key cog on Penn State's offensive attack, has 310 kick return yards this season. He returned a kick 97 yards for a touchdown against Washington in the Nittany Lions' White Out game, but it was called back for holding.