Tag: jonathan sutherland

2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Profile Card: Jonathan Sutherland

Penn State safety and special teams player Jonathan Sutherland has been a true leader for the Nittany Lions.

Name: Jonathan Sutherland

Number: 0

Position: Safety

Class: Redshirt Junior

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 201 lbs

Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

High School: Episcopal (VA)

Twitter: @jay_suth

Overview

Penn State’s recent pipeline of talent north of the border has resulted in the addition of a true team leader within the program with Jonathan Sutherland. The Canadian-born native and former Virginia all-state player has been a team captain for multiple seasons for the Nittany Lions. He’s been a true inspiration for the program as well and will leave Penn State having left quite an impression on the program.

Sutherland will also be the answer to a Penn State football trivia question forever as the first player to wear No. 0 on the football field for the Nittany Lions. Sutherland was the recipient of the first No. 0 in program history as part of a brand new tradition introduced by head coach James Franklin in 2002 to honor a leader on the special teams unit.

In 2019, Sutherland unwillingly became the center of attention after receiving hate mail from an older Penn State fan. The so-called fan wrote a letter to Sutherland criticizing the way he looks with his hair and tattoos. Fortunately, Sutherland received the support of his teammates and other Penn State fans in full force. Sutherland’s handling of the personal situation proved why he has been named a team captain and, eventually, was awarded the uniform No. 0 for the first time in program history in 2020.

Sutherland continues to lead by example within the Penn State program as he gears up for the 2021 season.

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Penn State football spring cleaning: 5 things the Nittany Lions need to address now for success in 2021

Penn State hopes to wrap up spring football feeling good about the 2021 season but what work could need to be done heading into the summer?

Penn State is in the midst of its spring football practices. A year after not having a chance to go through a typical spring, James Franklin and his Nittany Lions are embracing the opportunity to put in the work to potentially lead to a much stronger start to the 2021 season after last year’s dismal beginning.

After a stretch of three 11-win seasons in four years, highlighted by victories in the Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl, Penn State’s national image took a bit of a bruising after a 4-5 2020 season. Despite lowered expectations on the national radar, there are some good reasons to be optimistic about what Penn State can accomplish in the fall despite having a challenging schedule on its hands.

A new offensive coordinator in Mike Yurcich combined with a third-year starting quarterback figures to put Penn State in a good spot for a solid start on offense. This is especially true with the emergence of one of the Big Ten’s top wide receivers in Jahan Dotson. But now is as good a time as any for Penn State to clean things up a little bit around the roster.

Here are a few things on the spring cleaning to-do list for the Nittany Lions that must be addressed if Penn State is going to be in the mix for a Big Ten championship in the fall.