Run. It. Back.

Penn State football center Nick Dawkins will return to Penn State for the 2025 season, he announced on Tuesday. Dawkins joined a slew of NFL Draft-eligible Nittany Lions who announced they’ll return for one more run.

“Penn State is a special place and means the world to me and my family,” Dawkins wrote. “The connections I have developed with the coaching staff, my teammates, and the wonderful people in this Happy Valley community are something I don’t take for granted…

“We have accomplished so many great things here as a family, but I believe the best is yet to come.”

Dawkins, a team captain, has started all 16 games this season at center for the Nittany Lions. He’s made 42 career appearances with Penn State since 2021 and took redshirt years in 2020 and 2022.

Dawkins is the sixth Nittany Lion to announce his return for the 2025 season, along with Drew Allar, Zakee Wheatley, Zane Durant, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Dani Dennis-Sutton.

About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe, shockingly, was Onward State's managing editor from 2024-25. It was an honor. He's off employed doing journalism things, hopefully. If you want to complain about anything he's ever written, you can find him on Twitter (iamjoelister), email (jlister2021@gmail.com), or Signal (iamjoelister.93).

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