Former track standout Chisena glad to be back on football field

Dan Chisena planned to compete for the football and track teams when he arrived at Penn State in 2015.

But those plans changed about a year later when the track team put him on scholarship, forcing him to choose between the two sports.

“There’s an NCAA rule that says you’re not allowed to play football with another sport’s money,” Chisena said Wednesday, “so I decided to go with track and help my family. I pursued that, and it went really well.

“But I kid you not, I thought about football every day since I left it. I had always really missed it.”

Chisena, the former Downingtown East standout, returned to the football team in 2018 and played on special teams and the scout team. With his role expanding as a wide receiver this season, he made his first two career catches for the Nittany Lions in the last two games.

His 40-yard reception with a Maryland defender draped over him set up a touchdown two weeks ago in a 59-0 rout.

“I didn’t really think much of it because it was part of a drive and we wanted to keep rolling,” Chisena recalled. “After the game, I was able to take a step back and thought, ‘Wow that was pretty cool. That was my first catch as a Penn State player.’

“It was a special moment for me. It’s been a long and unconventional journey.”

The 6-3, 202-pound Chisena was an outstanding dual-sport athlete at Downingtown East. In football, he earned AllChes-Mont League honors as a senior after he caught 41 passes for 553 yards and three touchdowns.

He was even better in track, winning Class 3A gold medals at the 2015 PIAA Championships in the 100 and 200 and also the 400 relay. It was no wonder that he wanted to compete in both sports at Penn State, where the football program invited him as a preferred walk-on.

After leaving the Penn State football team after his redshirt year in 2015, he recorded 15 top-10 finishes in the 2017 outdoor track season and helped the Lions win the Big Ten Outdoor Championship. He spent three seasons with the track team before suffering a torn hamstring in 2018.

During his time away from the football team, he couldn’t bear to watch its games.

“I’ve been playing football since I was in third grade,” Chisena said. “It was a huge part of my life growing up. That was the first time it wasn’t part of my life. It was just a general tug of something I was missing. When you do something for so long and walk away from it, it just felt weird.

“I feel very blessed that I had another sport. I can’t say enough about how great my experiences were with track.”

Chisena played in two games last season and drew much attention in the BlueWhite Game last spring when he caught a touchdown pass and was put on scholarship by coach James Franklin over the public address system.

Now he’s part of a regular rotation at wide receiver.

“I chose to walk away from it, so I know how special it is,” Chisena said. “Now that I am back, I definitely don’t take these opportunities lightly. …I realize how special this place is and how great a program and culture we have here.”

Clifford honored: The Rose Bowl selected Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford as its Big Ten Player of the Week for his performance against Purdue.

Clifford, a junior from Cincinnati, completed 20of-29 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in a 35-7 win over the Boilermakers. He also carried 11 times for 33 yards and one score.

For the year, he’s completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,443 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions and he’s rushed for 200 yards and two scores.

He leads the Big Ten in passing yards (288.6 per game) and total offense (328.6) and is third in passing efficiency (182.8). He ranks in the top 14 in the country in all three categories.

Gross-Matos named: Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos has been selected as one of 20 quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

The award, now in its 16th season, recognizes the player who makes the biggest impact on his team on and off the field. IMPACT stands for integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity.

A junior from Spotsylvania, Va., Gross-Matos leads Penn State with 5½ sacks, fourth in the Big Ten, and 7½ sacks, fifth in the conference.

Gross-Matos is one of seven quarterfinalists from the Big Ten, joining Nebraska linebacker Mo Barry, Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie, Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa, Ohio State defensive back Jordan Fuller, Michigan linebacker Khaleke Hudson and Wisconsin linebacker Chris Orr.

Voting for the quarterfinalists was done by members of the trophy’s board of directors, former coaches and players and journalists.

The winner will be announced at a black-tie gala Dec. 15 in Newport Beach, Calif.