Tag: kevin givens

Former Penn State OL Donovan Smith wins second Super Bowl

Penn State players have now won 63 Super Bowl rings in 53 Super Bowl appearances.

Penn State was guaranteed to have a Super Bowl champion in this year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, and former offensive lineman [autotag]Donovan Smith[/autotag] was the one ending up on the winning side of an overtime classic on Sunday. Smith and the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII when Patrick Mahomes completed a pass for the game-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman in overtime in Las Vegas.

Smith, who joined the Chiefs in 2023, is now a two-time Super Bowl champion. Smith won his first Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Smith also helped add to Penn State’s all-time Super Bowl champion count by raising Penn State’s Super Bowl ring count up to 63. Penn State has been represented by at least one Super Bowl participant in 53 out of 58 Super Bowl games in NFL history.

The 49ers had two former Nittany Lions looking to win a Super Bowl. Defensive lineman [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] and rookie safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] each played for the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Brown started off the second half of the game with a big interception of Mahomes and ended the night with 11 tackles. Givens had two tackles in the game.

Smith will now enter free agency this offseason. Whether or not he will return to Kansas City in 2024 remains to be seen, but he did prove his value after starting 12 regular season games and returning from injury for the playoff run.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Penn State alumni could have a big impact on this year’s Super Bowl

Which Nittany Lions will have an impact on the Super Bowl this year?

As Super Bowl LVIII draws closer, football fans across the world are contemplating who they should be rooting for. Those who do not care for either team may be looking at individual players or perhaps the best story to decide their pick. It may be easiest for college football fans to root for the team with players from your favorite school, if they happen to have any.

For Penn State fans, however, that could cause a split. The Nittany Lions have three players representing them in the big game. Representing the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs is starting tackle [autotag]Donovan Smith[/autotag], and for the San Francisco 49ers safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] are big pieces on defense. Brown in particular has stepped up as a starter for the 49ers after an injury to All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga,

All three of Penn State’s representatives have a chance of making a big impact on the outcome of the game, but none more than Donovan Smith. Smith had been a rock at left tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for nearly a decade before signing with the Chiefs in 2023. He is no longer the above-average starter he once was, so how well he can hold up against the 49ers pass rush will be a huge part of the game.

Brown and Givens will have their own challenges dealing with the Kansas City offense. Brown has always been more of a tough, gritty box safety as opposed to a rangy cover player. The Chiefs could look to attack him through the air with their assortment of tight ends and running backs. Givens meanwhile will try and provide quality snaps against a very strong interior offensive line. Neither of them has the responsibility that Smith does, but they could still play deciding roles in the biggest game of their lives.

Either way, the number of Super Bowl rings earned by the Nittany Lions will get even higher, and that’s something to be proud of.

Every Penn State player in the NFL playoffs in 2024

Here is every former Penn State football player on an NFL playoff team’s roster in 2024.

Another NFL postseason is set to get underway, and there is a good chance at least one team playing in the Super Bowl will have a Penn State player on the roster. All but two teams in this year’s NFL playoffs have at least one Penn State player on the roster this year. The top seeds in each conference have multiple Penn State players on the roster, seemingly making it more likely Penn State will see a former player earn a Super Bowl ring.

In all, a total of 64 Super Bowl rings have been won by a former Penn State player. Last year’s Super Bowl had just one former Penn State player on the field, but Miles Sanders and the Philadelphia Eagles came up short of winning the big game. There is an excellent chance there will be more than one former Nittany Lion competing in the Super Bowl this postseason.

The Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns are the only two teams in the NFL postseason without a Penn State player on the roster. Here is a look at every Penn State player on an NFL playoff team’s roster this postseason.

NFL free agency: Kevin Givens stays in San Francisco

Former Penn State DL Kevin Givens gets contract extension in NFL free agency

The start of the NFL free agent period opened on Monday, but one former Nittany Lions has decided to stay right where he is. Former Penn State defensive lineman [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] will stay with the San Francisco 49ers after signing a one-year contract extension on Monday.

The 49ers officially announced the re-signing of Givens on Monday amid a flurry of roster changes throughout the league. It has been reported Givens will receive a guaranteed $2 million on a $2.1 million contract extension.

Givens joined the 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL draft, but he has quickly proven to be a valuable addition to the roster. Givens has appeared in 40 games with 11 starts for the 49ers in 2022, a season that saw San Francisco reach the NFC Championship Game with one of the league’s best defenses.

The 49ers made a big move to bolster its defensive line on Monday as well by nabbing Javon Hargraves from the Philadelphia Eagles. Givens may not be needed to be a significant contributor on the defensive line, but he will provide good quality depth and be a part of the team’s main rotation in the trenches.

Givens ended his Penn State career with 39 games played and 82 total tackles with 13 sacks, and three fumble recoveries.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=13]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

49ers officially announce Kevin Givens signing

The #49ers made the Kevin Givens signing official.

The 49ers didn’t have to wait until free agency opens to officially announce the signing of defensive lineman Kevin Givens to a one-year deal. They did so Monday amid a slew of news that teams and players have agreed to terms on contracts that won’t become official until the new league year opens at 1:00pm PT on Wednesday.

Since Givens was a restricted free agent from the 49ers, San Francisco was able to announce the deal without needing the neew league year to hit.

Givens figures to be prominently featured in the team’s defensive line rotation. He originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019, but emerged as a strong run defender over the next three seasons and became a regular player on a good defensive front. Now he’ll be in the building for at least one more year with a more important, prominent role than ever as perhaps the top reserve DL.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxacb60r3mr0ac player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

49ers agree to re-sign DL Kevin Givens

The #49ers are working hard to bolster their defensive line and are bringing back RFA DL Kevin Givens per Matt Barrows.

The 49ers are working hard to bolster their defensive line. After agreeing to a deal with star free agent DL Javon Hargrave, they made a more under-the-radar move and agreed to a one-year deal with restricted free agent DL Kevin Givens. Matt Barrows of the Athletic reported the agreement. It’s a one-year contract worth $2.1 million with $2 million guaranteed.

Givens has been a nice undrafted free agent find for San Francisco. After playing just one game as a rookie in 2019, he’s played in 13 games each of the last three years as a key member of the defensive line rotation.

In his career Givens has 57 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8 QB hits and 3.0 sacks. He’ll once again figure heavily into the DT rotation behind Arik Armstead and Hargrave.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbxacb60r3mr0ac player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Every former Penn State player who will be an NFL free agent

Penn State has 40 players currently in the NFL, 13 of them are primed to be free agents when the new league year starts.

Penn State has 40 players currently in the NFL, 13 of them are primed to be free agents next week.

Penn State has long been a storied program in the college football ranks and they have always produced quality NFL talent, including several Hall of Fame players. In the mix of it all, the present crop of Nittany Lions in the league is well-represented at nearly every position.

Here are the 13 looming free agents that have played inside Beaver Stadium that will be looking for new deals when the NFL league year begins on Tuesday.

Robbie Gould helps 49ers reach NFC title game by remaining perfect

Nothing is guaranteed in life except death, taxes, and Robbie Gould kicking field goals in the postseason.

Nothing in life is guaranteed except for death, taxes, and [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] converting a postseason field goal attempt. The former Penn State kicker once again was perfect on every field goal attempt he took in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, and the 49ers needed Gould’s perfect postseason career streak to continue.

The 49ers won a defensive battle with the Cowboys to advance to next week’s NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia.

Remarkably, Gould’s postseason clutchness streak continued on Sunday, as he is now a perfect 63-for-63 on field goals and PATs over the course of his 18-year career.

But it wasn’t just his kicking that came up big for the 49ers. Gould also made a potentially game-changing tackle on a kickoff return by the Cowboys, preventing a possible touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Gould is joined by fellow former Penn State player Kevin Givens in the 49ers’ latest attempt to reach and win the Super Bowl. To get there, they will have to win a road game in Philadelphia next week against Miles Sanders and the top-seeded Eagles in next week’s NFC championship game. For all of Goulden’s postseason success, he is still lacking a Super Bowl ring. Will he keep his streak going against Philadelphia for one more shot at the Lombardi Trophy?

[mm-video type=video id=01gqehr2yqnvrgtnvhgv playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gqehr2yqnvrgtnvhgv/01gqehr2yqnvrgtnvhgv-375cae73417762b0304e2e8bbaa77ecc.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=28839]

[listicle id=29033]

[lawrence-related id=29024,29022,29014,29012,29010,28969]

Miles Sanders moving on to NFC Championship

Miles Sanders out-rushed Saquon Barkley as the Eagles eliminated the Giants.

In a showdown of former Penn State running backs in the NFC Divisional Round, [autotag]Miles Sanders[/autotag] and his Philadelphia Eagles got the best of [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] and the New York Giants. Sanders out-rushed Barkley in the Eagles’ 38-7 victory on Saturday night in Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia as the Eagles moved on to the NFC Championship Game next week.

Sanders carried the football 17 times for the Eagles and rushed 90 yards. That was enough to lead all players and the team in rushing yards until just after the two-minute warning when teammate Kenneth Gainwell ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run to eclipse the 100-yard mark. Gainwell’s final college football game was played against Penn State in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. Gainwell rushed for 34 yards and accounted for 78 receiving yards for Memphis in Penn State’s Cotton Bowl victory.

Barkley finished the game with 61 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards, but the Eagles kept him out of the end zone a week after Barkley scored two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s super wild card weekend.

Sanders and the Eagles will be home for next week’s NFC Championship Game. The top seed in the NFC will host the winner of Sunday’s divisional-round matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. One way or another, Sanders will be going head-to-head against more former Nittany Lions. [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and [autotag]Connor McGovern[/autotag] are starters for the Cowboys, and [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] play for the 49ers.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

[listicle id=28966]

[lawrence-related id=29012,29010,28969,28949,28941]

What Penn State players are in the NFL playoffs in 2023?

What Penn State players are on the rosters for teams in this season’s NFL playoffs?

The NFL’s regular season is now officially in the books and the field for this year’s playoff is set. And once again, this NFL postseason will be seeing Penn State well represented throughout the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the most former Nittany Lions on their roster as the battle for the Super Bowl is about to get underway. In all, there are 18 players from Penn State in this year’s NFL playoffs.

The only teams in the NFL playoffs with no Penn State ties are the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on a roster for a team in the NFL playoffs.