Seniors want to close with home win
Penn State’s Senior Day will be unlike any other Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
As many as 30 seniors will be recognized before the Nittany Lions (3-4 Big Ten, 6-4) play Rutgers (2-5, 5-5) at noon (TV-BTN).
No one, including coach James Franklin, knows exactly how many of them will return in 2022 because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes during the pandemic. Many of those decisions will be made in the next two months.
Five players whose eligibility expires, so-called “super seniors,” will play their final home game for Penn State: safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, running back John Lovett, defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo and wide receiver Benjamin Wilson.
Then there are seniors who are in the same position as Brisker and CastroFields were last year, having the option to come back to Penn State or move on.
Wide receiver Jahan Dotson, projected to be a first-round draft pick, almost certainly will leave. Defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, who leads the Lions in sacks and tackles for loss, probably will make himself eligible for the NFL draft.
The future of several other seniors is unclear. They include quarterback Sean Clifford, center Mike Miranda, guard Eric Wilson, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, linebacker Ellis Brooks, defensive end/linebacker Jesse Luketa, safety Ji’Ayir Brown and kicker Jordan Stout, who are all regulars.
“I’m not looking at it in any way right now,” Clifford said last week, “honestly (I’m) just taking advantage of this time with my team. When the time comes, I’ll have discussions with my family, the coaches and other players.”
Clifford enrolled at Penn State in 2017 and has been a three-year starter. He’s
second in career touchdown passes (58) and third in career passing yards (7,308).
If he decides to return next year, he’ll be 24 when the Lions open at Purdue. If he moves on, Christian Veilleux, recently installed as Penn State’s No. 2 quarterback, will compete with incoming freshmen Drew Allar and Beau Pribula and maybe someone from the transfer portal to be the starter. It’d be surprising if Ta’Quan Roberson, who was just dropped to the third team, returns.
Luketa and Stout, who were available for interviews this week, didn’t hint what they’re going to do. Luketa’s move to defensive end has worked out for him; he’s sixth on the team with 47 tackles and has six tackles for loss, a team-high five quarterback hurries and an interception.
“That’s something that at the end of the season, I’ve got to sit down and evaluate with my family and my whole support system,” he said about his future plans. “So I’m not really worried about that right now. I’m just focused on Rutgers this week and finishing the season strong.”
Stout has been outstanding this season with his punting and kickoffs. He’s averaging 47.0 yards a punt, which would be a school record, and has helped Penn State rank second nationally in net punting. Only one of his 53 kickoffs has been returned, for 11 yards, the fewest allowed by any team in the country.
“They’ve given me an opportunity here that I haven’t had in the past,” Stout said, “and I’m so grateful for that. I have to give credit to Coach Franklin, all the other coaches and my teammates for believing in me. It’s been a great few years.”
Brown wasn’t available for interviews, but his junior college teammate, Brisker, hinted that he might return.
“I try to show Ji’Ayir the ways,” Brisker said. “I try to lead by example off the field. He just notices it. I feel like the torch (among the safeties) is going to be his next year and he’s going to know what to do with it.”
Several juniors and redshirt sophomores also can move on, including offensive linemen Rasheed Walker, Caedan Wallace and Juice Scruggs, tight end Brenton Strange, defensive linemen Nick Tarburton and Dvon Ellies, linebacker Brandon Smith and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
For now, though, the Lions want to finish the regular season with wins over Rutgers and Michigan State. Many of the decisions will come later.
“I’m looking forward to the matchup (against Rutgers),” Luketa said. “(Isaih) Pacheco is a very talented back. He’s a workhorse. Their quarterback (Noah Vedral) is a veteran guy. We’re gonna have to play our DNA of football. We’re gonna play physical, fast and dominate the line of scrimmage.”
Penn State 29, Rutgers 18
The Scarlet Knights have a solid defense and have stayed reasonably close to the Nittany Lions in recent meetings. They just don’t have enough offense to win.