Happy Tuesday! We are officially 46 days away from the 2021 Penn State football season.
Yesterday, we talked about the historic 1947 Nittany Lions team. Today, we will discuss some of the players that have worn the number 46. The number isn’t retired, but there have been some talented players that have worn it.
One player that some might know is Colin Castagna, an outside linebacker recruited in the class of 2014. As a recruit, he was a three-year letterman in football and volleyball while earning several awards throughout his high school career.
He was not a coveted prospect coming in, but he did show flashes when he was given the opportunity. Castagna made his college debut in 2015 as a true freshman against Michigan State. He played through the 2017 season and decided to leave the program for his final season because he wasn’t playing under a scholarship and he was also not performing as well as he had hoped.
However, when it comes to putting up big weight, Castagna knows how to do just that. He was the team record holder in the bench press, at 465 pounds, for two years at that time.
Castagna’s Pro Day Numbers were nothing short of impressive. He racked up 30 reps of 225 on the bench press and recorded a 32.5-inch vertical.
It did come as a bit of a surprise when Castagna decided to leave the Nittany Lions football program. He did put on a strong showing at his pro day, which included 20 other players including guys like Saquon Barkley and Marcus Allen.
Castagna was a talented player on and off the field. Even though he never earned a full scholarship with Penn State, Castagna still had an interesting story of a walk-on collegiate athlete who wowed scouts at his Pro Day.
The current number 46 for the Nittany Lions is defensive end Nick Tarburton, who is entering his second season at Penn State. Tarburton has dealt with injuries throughout his time at Penn State thus far, but he hopes to make an impact this season after losing some key players on their defense.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.