Penn State kicker moving to strength and conditioning staff

Penn State kicker moving from roster to internship with strength and conditioning staff.

While Penn State kicking specialist Jordan Stout has declared for the NFL draft, another Penn State kicker is moving on with his career’s next step as well. Vlad Hilling will be stepping away from his position on the Penn State football roster but will remain within the program.

In an announcement on his Twitter account recently, Hilling confirmed he will be joining the program’s performance enhancement program after being accepted for an internship. He will work with the recently promoted director of performance enhancement Chuck Losey, who takes over longtime director Dwight Galt.

“This semester I was grateful enough to have accepted an internship opportunity with Coach Losey and the Penn State football performance enhancement staff,” Hilling announced in his statement via Twitter last week. “I am looking forward to learning from the best in the business and continuing to grow in my knowledge and experience.”

With Jake Pinegar returning and expected to be Penn State’s primary kicking specialist, Hilling likely wasn’t going to get much of a chance to land a role on the Penn State special teams unit. But at least this way he will remain connected with the program and will be able to help out in other ways.

 

 

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Here are all 32 football players being recognized on Penn State’s senior day

Sean Clifford, Jahan Dotson, Jaquan Brisker, Journey Brown among those being honored at Penn State’s senior day

Penn State will play its final game in Beaver Stadium for the 2021 season on Saturday afternoon against Rutgers. And with this being the final home game of the season, it is the final opportunity for 32 players to step foot on the field inside Beaver Stadium for a game. Penn State will recognize 32 players for senior day festivities prior to kicking off against Rutgers on Saturday.

Of course, this is a slightly different type of senior day. Of the 32 players being recognized on Saturday afternoon, three players will be going through the senior day ceremony for a second time. Jaquan Brisker, Tariq Castro-Fields, and Ben Wilson were all recognized in Penn State’s senior day ceremony last season, but the NCAA allowed all players to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the entire sports world. So those three players opted for one more season in Happy Valley.

Of note, Penn State will recognize Sean Clifford, who could still potentially return for another season in 2022 (also a result of the NCAA’s decision on extra years of eligibility for all). Clifford isn’t the only player who can take advantage of that option, but there remains plenty of discussion on whether or not Clifford will return for another season.

Clifford’s top receiving target, Jahan Dotson, will also be recognized. Although Dotson could return for another season as well, there is no suggestion he will do so. Dotson is expected to be one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2022 NFL draft, and some believe he could be a first-round pick.

Penn State will also recognize Journey Brown. Brown was forced to medically retire prior to the 2020 season after learning of a health concern that made continuing playing football a risky endeavor.

Here is the full list of players Penn State will honor during the senior day, as provided by Penn State’s athletics department;

  • Jaquan Brisker
  • Ellis Brooks
  • Journey Brown
  • Tariq Castro-Fields
  • Rafael Checa
  • Max Chizmar
  • Sean Clifford
  • Jahan Dotson
  • Arnold Ebiketie
  • Winston Eubanks
  • Henry Fessler
  • Fred Hansard
  • Drew Hartlaub
  • Vlad Hilling
  • Des Holmes
  • Bradley King
  • Will Knutsson
  • Kaleb Konigus
  • John Lovett
  • Jesse Luketa
  • Jordan Miner
  • Mike Miranda
  • PJ Mustipher
  • Jordan Stout
  • Cam Sullivan-Brown
  • Johnathan Sutherland
  • Derrick Tangelo
  • Dan Vasey
  • Justin Weller
  • Anthony Whigan
  • Ben Wilson
  • Eric Wilson

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