Former NFL Player Carl Nassib Is Running for Penn State's Board of Trustees

Penn State's Board of Trustees includes two alumni-elected members who were All-American athletes at the university. Carl Nassib seeks to become the third.

Nassib, an All-American defensive end for the Penn State football team, is running for Penn State's Board of Trustees in the upcoming 2024 elections. Nassib announced his candidacy in an email, which included four platforms:

• "Financial stability for all students"
• "Empowering PSU students and alumni to achieve their greatest potential"
• "Improving Penn State's school ranking nationally"
• "Supporting Penn State Athletics in the new era of the Big Ten"

Nassib built an inspired football legacy at Penn State. He joined the program as a walk-on in 2011 and earned a scholarship in 2013. In 2015, Nassib led the nation in sacks and forced fumbles and still holds the program's single-season record for sacks (15.5). He was named the Big Ten defensive player of the year and won the Lombardi Award and the LOTT Impact Trophy. Nassib graduated from Penn State with a biology degree.

The Cleveland Browns selected Nassib in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and Nassib played seven NFL seasons before retiring in 2023. He was a captain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019. In 2021, Nassib became the first openly gay active player in the NFL.

During his playing career, Nassib founded Rayze, a social media platform built around philanthropy. According to his announcement, Nassib has focused on building Rayze since retiring from the NFL. He also serves on the board of the United Way of Chester County.

Nassib could become the third Penn State All-American to be elected as an alumni trustee. Brandon Short, elected in 2018, was an All-American linebacker in the 1990s, and Ali Krieger, elected in 2023, was an All-American for the Penn State women's soccer team.

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59