Tag: Steven Gonzalez

Every Penn State player in the XFL in 2023

Looking for every Penn State player on an XFL roster in 2023? Here they are.

As the curtain closes on the NFL’s 2022 season with the crowning of a Super Bowl champion, the football calendar moves next to the start of the XFL regular season. The XFL is back under new leadership headlined by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and the latest attempt to inject new life into the XFL brand kicks things off on Saturday, February 18.

When the new XFL season begins, there will be some familiar names for Penn State fans to keep track of. When the league kicks off, there will be five former Nittany Lions scattered across the league’s eight teams.

Former wide receiver [autotag]Saeed Blacknall[/autotag] will not be on one of those rosters despite previously being profiled by the league in an effort to showcase some players leading up to the start of the season. Blacknall was on the roster for the Vegas Vipers, but he did not appear on the team’s official roster shared by the league in an Instagram post a week and a half prior to the first games being played. But the Vipers do have a former Nittany Lion on the roster looking to make an impact this spring.

Here is a summary of where each former Penn State player is in the XFL and where they have been since their final days in a Penn State uniform.

Former Big Ten foe joins Rutgers football as an intern

Rutgers football adds an intern with strong Big Ten ties.

Former four-star recruit Steven Gonzalez has joined the Rutgers football staff as an intern. The former Penn State offensive lineman tweeted about the career move this week.

A standout at Union City High School (Union City, N.J.), Gonzalez will be interning with the Scarlet Knights in the strength and conditioning program. A multi-year starter at Penn State, Gonzalez’s college career wrapped up by being named All-Big Ten as a senior.

His move into coaching is intriguing for Rutgers football. In the previous recruiting cycle, the Scarlet Knights landed a Union City offensive lineman in Taj White. In the class of 2023, the highest-ranked recruit among the Rutgers verbals is [autotag]JaSire Peterson[/autotag], who is set for his senior season at Union City.

 

Peterson has been a voice in helping to build the Rutgers recruiting class to its current rank as top 30 in the nation.

[listicle id=16877]

Following his career at Penn State where he was one of the best left guards in the Big Ten, Gonzalez spent time in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

 

Buffalo Bills sign free agents Mike Bell, Steven Gonzalez

LB Mike Bell, OL Steven Gonzalez sign free-agent deals with the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills announced multiple signings on Thursday.

Notably, the team inked five of their eight picks from the 2021 NFL draft to contracts. But the additions did not stop there.

The team also announced the signings of linebacker Mike Bell and offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez.

Bell is a re-signing by Buffalo. He took part in Bills’ offseason workouts and minicamps in 2019 and 2020. He previously played at Fresno State. Bell was a safety in college but had been attempting to move to linebacker with the Bills in the pros the past few seasons.

Previously a Penn State product, Gonzalez spent the 2020 offseason workouts and training camp with the Cardinals. Gonzalez was a second-team All-Big Ten player in 2019. He had already announced he was signing with the Bills via his social media account on Twitter.

Both players sign one-year deals.

[lawrence-related id=82130,82117,82078,82060]

Former Penn State offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez has signed with an NFL team

Steven Gonzalez has signed with his second team in his NFL career.

Former Penn State offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez is on the move this offseason. Gonzalez has signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills, the former Nittany Lion guard confirmed on Wednesday.

Gonzalez announced on his Twitter account he had signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills, following up a tweet from his agent.

“I am beyond humbled, blessed, and excited to have signed with the Buffalo Bills,” Gonzalez said on his Twitter account Wednesday evening. “Grateful for this opportunity and for everyone who has supported me on this journey.”

Gonzalez is entering his second season in the NFL, although he is hoping to find a sticking spot. Gonzalez signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 after not being selected in the NFL draft. But Gonzalez was released by the team prior to the start of the NFL season.

If Gonzalez manages to hold on to a roster spot with the Bills, then he could potentially play in the 2021 season opener against some of his former teammates on the Pittsburgh Steelers, including tight end Pat Freiermuth.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

[vertical-gallery id=2712]

[listicle id=2456]

[lawrence-related id=2866,2864,2862,2846,2837,2830]

Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast: Today is Penn State pro day

Today is an incredibly important day for a handful of former Nittany Lions looking to make the move to the NFL. Today is Penn State’s pro day, with eight players participating in the event as NFL scouts and coaches observe what they have to offer. …

Today is an incredibly important day for a handful of former Nittany Lions looking to make the move to the NFL. Today is Penn State’s pro day, with eight players participating in the event as NFL scouts and coaches observe what they have to offer.

While linebacker Micah Parsons is pretty much locked in to being a first-round pick and Jayson Oweh and Pat Freiermuth are definitely going to be drafted in the upper half of the draft, the pro day event could be even more important for players like Lamont Wade and Steven Gonzalez.

How to watch Penn State football’s 2021 pro day

Also discussed in today’s episode is a story posted on 247 Sports this week circling one game on each preseason top 25 team’s schedule. It isn’t much of a surprise which school appears to be Penn State’s biggest opponent this season. But what top 25 teams might have Penn State circled on their schedule?

We also touch on the Big Ten’s announcement from Wednesday regarding attendance policies for the remainder of the spring sports schedules, and where we could be heading for the fall around the conference and at Penn State.

Follow Locked On Nittany Lions on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Or, you can catch today’s episode below and listen in your browser.

Follow us on Twitter @NittanyLionWire and like us on Facebook for continuing coverage and commentary on the Nittany Lions.

Penn State Nittany Lions 2021 Football Schedule