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2020 PRESEASON DOAK WALKER AWARD WATCH LIST: Journey Brown (Jr.), Penn State,...Brown averaged 6.89 yards per carry in 2019, ranking fifth at Penn State, while his 12 rushing touchdowns finished tied for 13th...Set a Penn State bowl record with 202 yards in the Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis (12/28/19), topping Saquon Barkley's 194 yards in the 2017 Rose Bowl...Selected to the AP All-Bowl Team, ESPN All-Bowl Team and Sports Illustrated All-Bowl Team. - Penn State Football

(DS#999 RB) rSr/2022

RB Journey Brown, Penn State
News Source: Penn State Football
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07/20/20 - *Micah Parsons, Jr/2021, Penn State, 6-3, 246 (DS#1 OLB) + More +

The Butkus Award honoring the nation's best linebackers kicked off its 36th annual selection process today by announcing its collegiate and high school preseason watch lists. Each watch list contains 51 linebackers, mirroring the legendary "51" pro jersey associated with the Award's namesake Dick Butkus, who was recognized by NFL Films as the best defensive player in football history.

The Collegiate Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 44 universities, including 2019 finalist Micah Parsons of Penn State and 2018 finalist Dylan Moses of Alabama who won the 2016 high school Butkus Award. The High School Butkus Award watch list includes candidates from 47 secondary schools across 21 states, with Florida (7), Georgia (5) and North Carolina (5) fielding the most candidates. - The Butkus Award

(DS#1 OLB) Jr/2021

OLB *Micah Parsons, Penn State
News Source: The Butkus Award
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07/17/20 - *Pat Freiermuth, Jr/2021, Penn State, 6-5, 251 (DS#2 TE) + More +

The Friends of John Mackey have released the 2020 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee and the 2020 Mackey Award recipient will be announced TBA. All future announcements can be found at www.johnmackeyaward.com. NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the NFLPA. - John Mackey Award

(DS#2 TE) Jr/2021

TE *Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
News Source: John Mackey Award
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07/17/20 - Tariq Castro-Fields, rSr/2022, Penn State, 6-1, 197 (DS#17 CB) + More +

Now it's time for Castro-Fields to show his doubters that the early season performance from 2019 wasn't an aberration. He has the talent to do just that, but needs to play up to that talent to reach his ceiling. The 6-foot, 190-pound corner has the physical tools to take on any receiver in college football and find success. He's long and athletic with enough physicality to bother bigger opponents. Castro-Fields can attach himself to a receiver's hip and be a nuisance at his worst and a turnover waiting to happen at his best. He's in a position to put those talents on display as the team's best corner and his position coach is expecting just that this season. "(Castro-Fields) is the leader of the corner room," Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said in a teleconference with the media in April. "Tariq, not to put pressure on him, needs to have a great year for us. We need a lock-down corner that can handle the best receiver of whoever our opponent is. We expect Tariq to be that guy." - Centre Times

(DS#17 CB) rSr/2022

CB Tariq Castro-Fields, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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07/15/20 - Sean Clifford, rSr/2023, Penn State, 6-2, 218 (DS#20 QB) + More +

Sean Clifford, Penn State's junior quarterback, is one of 30 quarterbacks in Division I football named to The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award watch list released Tuesday. The award is presented annually by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to the nation's best college quarterback. It is the oldest national quarterback award, having first been presented in 1981. Former Penn State quarterbacks Todd Blackledge (1982) and Kerry Collins (1994) are past winners of the award. John Shaffer was named a finalist in 1986 before helping lead the Nittany Lions to the national championship with a win over Miami (Fla.) in the Fiesta Bowl.

Clifford has appeared in 16 games for Penn State and owns 12 starts. In 2019, he was selected honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches and media. He completed 39 passes of 20 or more yards and ranked third in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns (23), yards per completion (14.0) and yards per pass attempt (8.3). Clifford finished the season with 2,654 total passing yards, and his 25 career touchdowns tie him for 13th all-time at Penn State. - Tribune Review

(DS#20 QB) rSr/2023

QB Sean Clifford, Penn State
News Source: Tribune Review
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07/13/20 - *Micah Parsons, Jr/2021, Penn State, 6-3, 246 (DS#1 OLB) + More +

The Maxwell Football Club today announced its watch list for the 26thannual Chuck Bednarik Award presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in college football. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995 and is named in honor of Chuck Bednarik a former standout at the University of Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Bednarik is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame's Class of '69 and the NFL Hall of Fame's Class of '67.

The Bednarik Award watch list will once again incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast, and will feature fresh faces, as 2019 winner Chase Young (Ohio State) and finalists Derrick Brown (Auburn) and Isaiah Simmons (Clemson) have all moved on to the NFL. The list features 3 returning semifinalists from 2019 including Derek Stingley (LSU), Micah Parsons (Penn State) and Marvin Wilson (Florida State). LSU, Pittsburgh and USC lead the way with 3 candidates each and 17 other schools boast 2 candidates. - The Maxwell Football Club

(DS#1 OLB) Jr/2021

OLB *Micah Parsons, Penn State
News Source: The Maxwell Football Club
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07/10/20 - *Brandon Smith, Jr/2022, Penn State, 6-4, 244 (DS#6 OLB) + More +

Smith has one of the highest ceilings of any defensive player on the Penn State roster. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker has elite size for the position and mixes it with athleticism and length to excel in all facets of linebacker play. He made a few bone-crunching plays in 2019 that excited fans, but the former five-star recruit has plenty more to show fans this season. He's talented and ready to break out after recording two tackles for loss in limited playing time last season. The true sophomore could be the next great linebacker at Penn State once Parsons leaves the room. He's an aggressive athlete who seeks out the ball against the run and the pass in a way that can remind fans of Parsons. Smith isn't the elite pass rusher his junior teammate is, but he has the upside to get there in the future. Comparing the two former five-star recruits increases the already high expectations for Smith, but there's enough on tape of Smith to give credence to the comparison. - Centre Times

(DS#6 OLB) Jr/2022

OLB *Brandon Smith, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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07/08/20 - Eric Wilson, rSr/2022, Penn State, 6-4, 306 (DS#50 OG) + More +

Amidst continuing health and safety concerns due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Ivy League Council of Presidents has set in place plans for intercollegiate athletics activity in the upcoming fall semester. With the safety and well-being of students as their highest priority, Ivy League institutions are implementing campus-wide policies including restrictions on student and staff travel, requirements for social distancing, limits on group gatherings, and regulations for visitors to campus. As athletics is expected to operate consistent with campus policies, it will not be possible for Ivy League teams to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the end of the fall semester.

Practice and other athletic training opportunities for enrolled student-athletes will be permitted provided they are structured in accordance with each institution's procedures and applicable state regulations. The Ivy League will also issue guidelines on a phased approach to conditioning and practice activities to allow for interaction among student-athletes and coaches that will begin with limited individual and small group workouts and build to small group practice sessions, if public health conditions permit. - Ivy League Sports

(DS#50 OG) rSr/2022

OG Eric Wilson, Penn State
News Source: Ivy League Sports
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07/06/20 - *Jayson Oweh, rSo/2021, Penn State, 6-5, 257 (DS#2 DE) + More +

The Nittany Lions will be led by one of their most veteran players along the defensive front and one of their highest-upside contributors. Toney started all 13 games last season at defensive end after playing in 25 games in the previous two seasons. Oweh has appeared in 17 games in his first two years on campus and made one start in that time. Toney is more secure in his role as a starter, but it's Oweh who has a chance to burst onto the scene this season. The 6-foot-5, 257-pound defensive end flashed his upside as an edge rusher throughout the 2019 season and might be the best athlete on the team. Oweh was clocked at 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash, a freakish time for almost any position, but especially astonishing for a defensive end.

His explosion doesn't just show up in workouts either. Oweh is consistently one of the best athletes on the field whenever he lines up and uses it to dominate off the edge. His elite speed translates onto the field and allows him to beat offensive tackles by blowing past them. His elite first step puts them at an extreme disadvantage and his speed and athleticism can take over from there. He contorts his body around the edge to bend past tackles and get to the quarterback. Oweh has added strength in his first three years on campus that has made him more than a one-dimensional pass rusher. - Centre Times

(DS#2 DE) rSo/2021

DE *Jayson Oweh, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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07/03/20 - Michal Menet, rSr/2021, Penn State, 6-4, 301 (DS#4 C) + More +

Menet will line up between Miranda and Thorpe and is a lock to play every game if he's healthy. He was the Nittany Lions' most consistent offensive lineman in the 2019 season and has taken over as one of the leaders of the room after last season's only senior starter, Steven Gonzalez, finished his Penn State career. He used his leadership position to help new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein transition to Penn State. "It was very important for me to establish with him," Menet said in a teleconference with the media in May. "I've been around for a little while and become one of the leaders of the room. If I'm not bought in, it would've been a little bit harder for him to transition to coaching (us)."

The 6-foot-4, 302-pound center was the No. 1 offensive guard in the 247Sports Composite player rankings in the 2016 class and has excelled in his move further inside. He's a high-level athlete for the position and moves well in the run game when he has to get downfield. Menet's at his best inside because he doesn't have great length, but his intelligence and leadership make him an ideal player to call out the team's protections, just as he did last season. He's in a good spot to improve on his status as an honorable mention on the coaches' and media's All-Big Ten teams. - Centre Times

(DS#4 C) rSr/2021

C Michal Menet, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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07/01/20 - *Rasheed Walker, rJr/2022, Penn State, 6-6, 324 (DS#16 OT) + More +

Will Fries and Walker return to solidify the edge as the team's two starting offensive tackles. Both offensive linemen started all 13 games on their respective sides of the line. Walker is the younger of the duo as a redshirt sophomore and showed more upside than his teammate in 2019. He has prototypical size for an elite offensive tackle and showed he was capable of protecting the quarterback's blind side as the Nittany Lions' left tackle. Walker is a good athlete for a 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman, and took on the conference's best pass rushers last year.

He was inconsistent in his footwork and could get caught off-balance on occasion, but Walker's redshirt sophomore season was largely a success. He used his strong base to power through his man and then utilized his athleticism to get to the second level in the running game frequently. Walker struggled when defenders could catch him leaning in either direction as a pass protector. They took advantage with a quick change of direction that shook the Penn State offensive tackle's balance. More often than not he was leaning on his right foot when he was caught, giving up the edge to pass rushers. He'll need to clean that up to keep redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford safe this season. - Centre Times

(DS#16 OT) rJr/2022

OT *Rasheed Walker, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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06/30/20 - Jesse Luketa, Sr/2022, Penn State, 6-3, 257 (DS#14 DE) + More +

The Penn State linebacker room isn't short on confidence heading into the 2020 season, and for good reason. The Nittany Lions return arguably the best in the country at the position in junior Micah Parsons and have plenty of talent to fill in around him. Jesse Luketa is one of the players ready to step into a starting role, and he thinks the Nittany Lions can't be matched at linebacker. "We have the opportunity to have the No. 1 linebacker room in the nation," Luketa said on a conference call with the media Tuesday afternoon. "We're talented, we're fast, we're physical, we're smart and we're eager to learn...I'm excited for our guys. I'm excited for the country to see what we have to offer and what we're going to do to opposing offenses." Regardless of who starts next to Parsons, Luketa is confident he and the rest of the linebackers are at the peak of college football. "You see the film," Luketa said. "You see the individuals we have in the room. I see the work we put in day in and day out. Call me crazy. Call me what you want. I know the talent we have, I know how we work, I know how hungry we are. And it's unmatched. It's unparalleled. It's as simple as that." - Centre Times

(DS#14 DE) Sr/2022

DE Jesse Luketa, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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06/29/20 - *Pat Freiermuth, Jr/2021, Penn State, 6-5, 251 (DS#2 TE) + More +

Freiermuth is Penn State's best returning offensive player and a potential first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The junior tight end contributed in all facets of the previous iterations of the Nittany Lion offense and should do the same under new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. He's a big, versatile target in the passing game who can play attached to the line and detached from it in the slot. Freiermuth is a good athlete and precise route runner in the middle of the field. Once he has the ball in his hands, the junior tight end uses his physicality and athleticism to break tackles in the open field. He's no slouch in the run game, either. Freiermuth is strong enough to help the Nittany Lion offensive tackles on double teams and sound enough technically to take on linebackers and help create rushing lanes.

There are signs that Freiermuth could see a drop in production this year. Ciarrocca rarely used his tight ends in the passing attack at Minnesota and relied heavily on the position as an extra blocker. The Golden Gophers had three tight ends combine for 88 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches in the 2019 season. Freiermuth blew those numbers out of the water on his own last year. He hauled in 43 passes for 507 yards and seven touchdowns as Penn State's starter at the position. Those concerns made their way to Freiermuth, who quickly quelled them when he spoke with the media during the spring. "I love the new offense," Freiermuth said in May. "I guess you guys will have to find out about how they're going to use me. I know, and the coaches know, but I'm not going to leak too many details out. Obviously there's some rumors about using tight ends, but I promise you I'm going to be used." - Centre Times

(DS#2 TE) Jr/2021

TE *Pat Freiermuth, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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06/18/20 - *Micah Parsons, Jr/2021, Penn State, 6-3, 246 (DS#1 OLB) + More +

The hype train for Penn State football's Micah Parsons is rolling full steam ahead with just over two months until the scheduled start of the college football season. Parsons has been ranked as a top-five 2021 NFL prospect, named a preseason All-American and been deemed the top linebacker in college football. The junior linebacker is set to dominate the 2020 season and lead a fresh group of linebackers who could be the cornerstone of the Nittany Lion defense. Parsons went from the unit's youngest starter to its oldest the moment former Nittany Lions Cam Brown and Jan Johnson exhausted their eligibility at the conclusion of the 2019 Cotton Bowl. His transition to the group's leader couldn't come at a worse time - amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With spring ball canceled and players sent home, he was unable to see his fellow position mates or help make sure they're in shape during the offseason. Nonetheless, he's excited to get the chance to be the leader moving forward.

"(The circumstances) make everything so much harder," Parsons said on a conference call with the media Monday afternoon. "You don't know who's really paying attention, you don't know who's really working out as hard as they possibly can. You don't know any of those things. It's hard to really monitor, but we get this chance to come back and get in the flow of things during these voluntary workouts. We're just going to go from there...We're going to control the things that we can control now and we're going to get better from it." - Centre Times

(DS#1 OLB) Jr/2021

OLB *Micah Parsons, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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06/15/20 - *Micah Parsons, Jr/2021, Penn State, 6-3, 246 (DS#1 OLB) + More +

Penn State announced an in-person return to campus Sunday evening for classes beginning Aug. 24. While it's not yet known exactly how that will affect the football season, having students on campus is an indication that the Nittany Lions could be playing in front of fans, in some form or fashion, when the season kicks off Sept. 5 in Beaver Stadium. The students' return has star linebacker Micah Parsons excited for what it could mean. The junior is hopeful the return means that some sense of normalcy will also return in time for football. "Hearing that we're coming back, that's a relief," he said in a teleconference with the media Monday afternoon. "You want to play in front of fans and you want to do those type of things and you want to have that type of environment."

While he wants to play in front of fans, and hopes that opportunity is afforded to he and his teammates starting in September, Parsons knows there are still steps that must be taken for the college football world to find normalcy again. "Hearing that news is a relief," he said. "I hope that things can go back to normal and we're just taking the next step forward to going back to normal. No one likes this pandemic. We're going to keep moving in the right direction. Hopefully, by the time the season comes, Beaver Stadium is going to be full and packed." - Centre Times

(DS#1 OLB) Jr/2021

OLB *Micah Parsons, Penn State
News Source: Centre Times
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