Tag: LaVar Arrington

Bednarik Award watch list includes key pair of Nittany Lions

Penn State has more Chuck Bednarik Awards than any other school. Will either of these two players add another to the list?

As Penn State opened training camp to prepare for the 2022 college football season, a handful of players were recognized on watch lists for some individual honors in 2022. The Maxwell Football Club unveiled its watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, and two players from Penn State appeared on the watch list.

Senior safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and redshirt junior cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] were recognized on the Bednarik Award watch list.

[autotag]Dan Connor[/autotag] is the most recent Penn State player to take home the Bednarik Award. He did so in 2007 to make it three consecutive seasons a Penn State player won the award. [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] won the award in 2005 and 2006 and is one of two all-time winners to win the award multiple times. Current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is the only other player to win multiple Bednarik Awards. He did so in 1995 and 1996, the first two seasons the award was presented.

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In addition to Posluszny and Connor, Penn State also saw [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag] win the award in 1999 to boost Penn State’s total to four Bednarik Awards. No other school has more than two Bednarik Award winners (Northwestern, Georgia, LSU, and Alabama each have two Bednarik award winners).

Last year’s recipient of the Bednarik Award was Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis. The last Big Ten player to win the award was Chase Young of Ohio State in 2019.

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FOX Sports’ Brady Quinn roasts Texas A&M recruiting

The Aggies will battle Texas for Javien Toviano and Anthony Hill.

Texas A&M is not recruiting as well as last offseason. Brady Quinn has taken note of that fact. Continue reading “FOX Sports’ Brady Quinn roasts Texas A&M recruiting”

Ki-Jana Carter, Paul Posluszny on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Former Penn State greats Ki-Jana Carter and Paul Posluszny among the candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

The ballots for the next College Football Hall of Fame class for 2023 are out, and a trio of former Penn State greats are up for consideration by the voters. Former Penn State linebacker [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] and former running backs [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. Dozier[/autotag] are each a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame.

In addition to the three former players, current Penn State wide receivers coach [autotag]Taylor Stubblefield[/autotag] appears on the ballot for his standout career as a player for Purdue. Another former Penn State player, [autotag]Glenn Killinger[/autotag], also is on the College Football Hall of fame ballot, but he is included as a candidate for a divisional coach.

This is Carter’s first appearance on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, and he has a chance to join former teammate [autotag]Kerry Collins[/autotag], who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2018. Carter was a first-team All-American during Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season and ended his Penn State career as one of the best backs to ever come through the program. Carter was a runner-up to 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam of Colorado and a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which was won by Collins. Carter ended his career earning co-MVP honors in the 1995 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon with 156 rushing yards, highlighted by a memorable 83-yard touchdown on Penn State’s first offensive play of the game.

Carter went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft of the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent a total of 10 years in the NFL.

Dozier was also a first-team All-American for Penn State in 1986. He is the only player in school history to lead the Nittany Lions in rushing for four consecutive seasons and he was a key offensive piece of Penn State’s 1986 national championship run. It was Dozier who scored the game-winning touchdown for Penn State in its upset victory over No. 1 Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.

Posluszny was a two-time First Team All-American, including as a consensus pick in 2005, and he is one of two players to win the Chuck Bednarik Award twice (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald is the other, doing so in 1995 and 1996). Posluzny also owns a Butkus Award and was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten player. Posluszny was also a National Football Foundation scholar-athlete in 2006.

Penn State currently has 20 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent inductee is former linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag], who will officially be enshrined later this year after being voted in last year.

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PHOTOS: Penn State’s first round NFL draft picks since joining the Big Ten

From LaVar Arrington and Kerry Collins to Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons, Penn State has had some big names drafted in the first round by NFL teams over the years.

After seeing two players be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, with [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag], Penn State is hoping to see at least one more player go in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. And there is a good chance a Nittany Lion will be selected in the first round with wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] each being viewed as potential first-round selections.

Penn State has a history of developing NFL talent at all positions, but the school may not have quite as many first-round draft picks as you might have originally thought. Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State has had 19 players drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Three players highlighted the top 10 of the 1995 draft following Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season. In 2003, Penn State players were selected with four first-round picks by NFL teams.

A Penn State player has been selected with the top overall pick twice in the Big Ten era of the program. Running back [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag] was the first pick of the 1995 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, who traded up to make the move. In 2003, Penn State’s massive defensive lineman [autotag]Courtney Brown[/autotag] was the first pick of the draft by the Cleveland Browns. His teammate, linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag], followed as the No. 2 pick of Washington.

Here is a look at each first-round draft pick out of Penn State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten.

WATCH: LaVar Arrington just wants Penn State to beat this Big Ten nemesis

What is the one thing LaVar Arrington wants to see one thing from Penn State in 2022? Beat the Buckeyes.

Penn State’s Blue-White Game saw a number of notable guests patrolling the sideline, including one of the program’s best players to ever suit up at the linebacker position. [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag] was enjoying his return to the Blue-White Game and took some time to speak to former quarterback [autotag]Matt McGloin[/autotag] during the second half of the spring game.

Arrington was having a great time soaking in the atmosphere of the Blue-White Game.

Arrington admitted to McGloin, who was providing sideline commentary and interviews for Big Ten Network, that he has not yet studied the current roster of Nittany Lions, and thus was not ready to make any predictions about what to expect this fall from his alma mater. But Arrington did have one thing he was hoping to see from Penn State in 2022.

Beat Ohio State.

“I’m just hoping we have a year, honestly, where we beat Ohio State,” Arrington said in his sideline interview on Big Ten Network. “I just want to beat Ohio State.”

Ohio State has perennially been the team to beat in the Big Ten. Although Michigan did just that en route to a Big Ten championship and spot in the College Football Playoff last season, the Buckeyes are still the program most figure is the favorite to win the Big Ten in 2022, and Arrington already has his eyes locked on Penn State’s biggest obstacle in the Big Ten East.

Penn State hosts Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 29. Penn State has lost five consecutive meetings with the Buckeyes, and Ohio State has taken nine of the last 10 games in the series.

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Micah Parsons wins professional Butkus Award

Micah Parsons finally joins some notable former Penn State linebackers in the Butkus Award club

Micah Parsons has only played one season in the NFL, but he may already be in need of getting a new shelf for some awards. On Tuesday, Parsons was named the NFL’s Butkus Award winner as the league’s best linebacker for the 2021 season.

Parsons is the second player from Penn State to win the NFL version of the Butkus Award. He joins NaVorro Bowman, who took home the award in 2013 with the San Francisco 49ers. Other past professional Butkus Award winners have included TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Von Miller, and DeMarcus Ware. Parsons is the second Cowboys player to win the Butkus Award, with Ware doing so twice in 2008 and again in 2011.

Penn State has a good history with the Butkus Award, of course. Although Parsons never won the award while in college, Paul Posluszny (2005) and LaVar Arrington (1999) each won the award in college.

This year’s college Butkus Award winner was Georgia’s Nakobe Dean, who also won the high school Butkus Award in 2018.

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Ex-Giant LaVar Arrington named to College Football Hall of Fame

Former New York Giants linebacker and Penn State legend, LaVar Arrington, has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

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Former New York Giants linebacker Lavar Arrington is heading to the College Football Hall of Fame.

The former Penn State standout was named as one of the Hall’s 18 inductees announced on Monday. Among the inductees are former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the late running back Rashaan Salaam of Colorado, former Toledo and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel, Georgia defensive back Champ Bailey, Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Alabama coach Sylvester Croom and Oklahoma safety Roy Williams.

At Penn State in the late 1990s, Arrington was a two-time first team All-American and All Big-10 selection. In 1999, he won the triple crown of linebacker honors, receiving the Butkus, Lambert and Bednarik awards.

Arrington was the second overall selection in the 2000 NFL draft by Washington where he would be named to three Pro Bowls.

In 2006, Arrington signed a a seven-year, $49 million deal with the New York Giants as a free agent. Arrington’s Giants tenure was short, rupturing his Achilles in Week 7 and landing on season-ending injured reserve. He was released after the season and subsequently retired.

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2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class Announced: Luck, Bailey, Arrington Lead The Way

College Football Hall of Fame Class released, led by Andrew Luck, Champ Bailey, and Mike Doss

Andrew Luck, Mike Doss, and LaVar Arrington lead the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class

All player bullet points written by the National Football Foundation at footballfoundation.org.

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2022 College Football Hall of Fame Players

2022 College Football Hall of Fame Head Coaches

Billy Jack Murphy, Memphis (1958-71)

– All-time winningest coach in Memphis history

– Had 11 winning seasons and retired as the 15th winningest coach in the nation

– Member of the Memphis Hall of Fame and Mississippi State Hall of Fame.

Gary Pinkel-Toledo (1991-2000), Missouri (2001-15)

– Winningest coach in history at both Missouri and Toledo…Led Rockets to 1995 MAC title and boasts nine conference division titles between both schools

– Took teams to 11 bowl games, with 7-4 overall record in the postseason

– Earned FieldTurf National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year honors after leading Mizzou to its first No. 1 national ranking since 1960 during the 2007 season.

2022 College Football Hall of Fame Head Players

LaVar Arrington, Penn State, Linebacker

-Two-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors in 1999
– Winner of both the Butkus and Bednarik awards in 1999 and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting his final season
– First sophomore in history to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (1998).

Champ Bailey, Georgia, Defensive Back

– 1998 consensus First Team All-American and recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Award
– Two-time First Team All-SEC selection who earned Defensive MVP honors in UGA’s win at the 1998 Peach Bowl
– Recorded more than 1,000 plays during the 1998 season, playing DB, WR and KR for the Bulldogs.

Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech, Wide Receiver

-Two-time unanimous First Team All-American (2007-08) who was the first two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award
– 2007 AT&T All-America Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Big 12 performer holds six FBS receiving records
– Tech’s all-time career leader in receiving TDs (41) and 100-yard games (15).

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Sylvester Croom, Alabama, Center

-1974 First Team All-American who helped the Tide to a UPI national title in 1973
– Helped Bama to three-consecutive SEC titles en route to earning the SEC Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1974
– Played in the 1975 Senior Bowl and only lost one regular-season game during entire college career.

Mike Doss, Ohio State, Defensive Back

– Three-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors as a senior
– 2002 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection
– Led Buckeyes to the 2003 BCS National Championship, earning Defensive MVP honors.

Kevin Faulk, LSU, Running Back

-1996 First Team All-American who finished career ranked fourth in NCAA history in all-purpose yards (6,833)
-Three-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1995 SEC Freshman of the Year
– Set 11 school records during career and became first LSU back to average 100 yards per game during entire career.

Moe Gardner, Illinois, Defensive Tackle

– Two-time First Team All-American (unanimous, ‘89, consensus, ’90)
– 1990 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and 1989 Big Ten Lineman of the Year
– Three-time First Team All-Conference pick and set school record for career TFL (57).

Mike Hass, Oregon State, Wide Receiver

– 2005 First Team All-American and recipient of the 2005 Biletnikoff Award
– Two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection and first receiver in league history with three 1,000-yard receiving seasons
– Led the nation with 139.9 receiving ypg (2005) and holds virtually every Oregon State receiving record.

Marvin Jones, Florida State, Linebacker

– Two-time First Team All-American, earning consensus honors in 1991 and unanimous honors in 1992
– Winner of the 1992 Butkus and Lombardi awards
– Helped Seminoles to three consecutive bowl wins and top five final rankings.

Andrew Luck, Stanford, Quarterback

-2011 First Team All-American, winning the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year honors
– Two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up and two-time Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year
– Stanford’s all-time career leader in TD passes (82) and passing efficiency (162.8), owning two of the top four passing seasons in school history.

Mark Messner, Michigan, Defensive Tackle

– 1988 unanimous First Team All-American who was a Lombardi Award finalist
– 1988 Big Ten Player of the Year and four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection
– Led Wolverines to four bowl berths and named MVP of 1985 Fiesta Bowl.

Terry Miller, Oklahoma State, Running Back

-Two-time First Team All-American, earning unanimous honors his senior season
– Two-time Heisman Trophy finalist (runner-up in 1977) finished career as the fourth-leading rusher in NCAA history (4,754)
– Two-time Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year is the only Cowboy RB to post three 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Rashaan Salaam, Colorado, Running Back

– 1994 unanimous First Team All-American and Heisman Trophy winner
– 1994 Walter Camp Player of the Year and Doak Walker Award recipient
– 1994 Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year who led nation in rushing, scoring and all-purpose yards.

Zach Wiegert, Nebraska, Offensive Tackle

– 1994 unanimous First Team All-American and winner of the Outland Trophy
– Led Huskers to 1994 National Championship and 1993 National Championship game appearance
– Three-time All-Big Eight selection who led Nebraska to league titles every year of career.

Roy Williams, Oklahoma, Defensive Back

– 2001 unanimous First Team All-American. Nagurski and Thorpe winner
– 2001 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
– Led Sooners to the first 13-win season in program history and a national championship (2000)

All player bullet points written by the National Football Foundation at footballfoundation.org.

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LaVar Arrington heading to College Football Hall of Fame

Penn State is seeing another player leap into the College Football Hall of Fame

It’s time to make room in the College Football Hall of Fame for another storied linebacker from Happy Valley. LaVar Arrington has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for the Class of 2022.

Arrington ranks among the most accomplished linebackers in Penn State history, which of course is impressive given the Linebacker-U nickname attached to the Nittany Lions. But Arrington was easily among the best of his generation, and not just at Penn State.

Arrington is a former two-time First-Team All-American and he was the winner of the 1999 Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Dick Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker.

Arrington was as loud with his mouth as he was with his play, thus adding a little bit of fire and intensity to the signature position at Penn State that nobody had been able to blend before. That legacy was later carried don by other players at Penn State, most notably by Micah Parsons, who wore Arrington’s No. 11 and played with the same intensity.

Arrington went on to become the No. 2 overall draft pick of the Washington Rdskins in the 2000 NF draft, one pick behind his teammate Courtney Brown, who was selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns.

Arrington will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame later this year, on December 6.

Maybe next year? What Penn State players didn’t get the hall of fame call?

Joining Arrington on the ballot for the College Football Hal of Fame was another iconic linebacker from Penn State’s past, Paul Posluszny. Despite an incredible career with the Nittany Lions, Posluszny did not make the cut to get inducted along with Arrington this year, so his waiting game will continue.

Continuing to wait for his time is former offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski. Despite being among the top offensive linemen of his era in both the college level and the professional level, Wisniewski continues to not receive the votes needed to be added to the College Football Hall of Fame.

There’s always next year!

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Penn State Bowl History: Nittany Lions spoil Tim Couch’s college finale in 1999 Outback Bowl

Penn State Bowl History: LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown spoil the college finale of Kentucky QB Tim Couch in the 1999 Outback Bowl

The headlining story of the 1999 Outback Bowl was Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch. The consensus All-American and the SEC Player of the Year in 1998 was on his way to being the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 1999 NFL draft, but Penn State’s defense made sure Couch didn’t go out of the college game a winner. Penn State’s defense was dominant against the Wildcats on their way to a 26-14 victory in the 1999 Outback Bowl.

The 1999 Outback Bowl was the first New Years Day bowl game for Kentucky in 48 years, so it was a big deal for the Kentucky program and the perfect opportunity for the school’s best quarterback of all time to go out with a curtain call. But this was old hat for Penn State, and for the second time in four years the Nittany Lions came out on top of the Outback Bowl against an SEC opponent.

Kentucky did hold a 14-3 lead on Penn State in the first quarter, but Penn State shut things down for the Wildcats and their air raid offense for the rest of the game. And who else to lead that dominant defensive effort than the duo of LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown?

Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch looks for an open receiver during the Outback Bowl against Penn State. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Little did we know at the time, but the 1999 Outback Bowl ended up having back-to-back No. 1 NFL draft picks going against each other. Couch was the top pick in the 1999 NFL draft and Brown was the first pick of the 2000 NFL draft, both going to the Cleveland Browns. And, of course, Arrington would be the No. 2 pick in the 2000 NFL draft.

Brown, who was named the game’s MVP, came up huge for the Penn State defense with back-to-back sacks of his future teammate in Cleveland to thwart Kentucky’s 17-play drive that reached the Penn State seven-yard line in the fourth quarter, with Kentucky threatening to cut Penn State’s lead to just five points.

Kentucky’s quarterback did set the Outback Bowl record with 336 passing yards but Penn State sacked the SEC Player of the Year six times and picked him off twice. Anthony King was responsible for both interceptions for the Penn State defense.

“A couple of things we did confused him,” Paterno said after the game. “We thought if we could make him think a little, we could get the rush to him. You don’t get any better than they were on their first couple of drives. We made some changes. Some of the things we did early in the game just didn’t seem right, and we cut them out.”

Penn State kicker Travis Forney connected on an Outback Bowl-record four field goals in the victory, as Penn State’s offense struggled to finish off too many drives in the end zone. Kevin Thompson did connect with Joe Nastasi on a 56-yard touchdown pass.

Penn State ended the 1999 season with a record of 9-3 with the victory in the Outback Bowl, ending the season in the final AP Top 25 poll at No. 17, four spots lower than their preseason ranking. It was a season in which Penn State proved to be a pretty good team overall but had their obvious shortcomings against superior opponents. Penn State had been unable to hang with No. 1 Ohio State in a road game (28-9) and the Nittany Lions were blanked by No. 22 Michigan in a stunning upset for the No. 9 Nittany Lions (27-0). Penn State also came up small on the road against No. 13 Wisconsin (24-3). While Kentucky was unranked for the bowl matchup, it was still considered a bit of a confidence boost for the Nittany Lions heading into the 2000 season.

Penn State opened the 2000 season with high expectations with a No. 3 AP Top 25 preseason ranking, and the Nittany Lions climbed to No. 2 for the majority of the regular season after thumping No. 4 Arizona in the Pigskin Classic to open the season at home. The 2000 season crumbled with a three-game losing streak to end the regular season, starting with a stunning loss to Minnesota, followed by losses to Michigan and Michigan State to close out the regular season before ending the year with a shutout of Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.

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