On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
We have officially made it to the point in the offseason where we can take a step back from the practice field and position battles and think about Penn State Football’s history.
Penn State has been one of the top programs in college football history, and the program has been particularly known for its stellar defenses through the decades.
While Penn State may not yet have a first-round NFL draft pick at defensive back, along the defensive line and at linebacker (where Penn State is known as “Linebacker U”), the Nittany Lions have produced no shortage of NFL talent over the years.
Here are the top 4-ranked defenders in Penn State Football History
Defensive Tackle Mike Reid
College Football Hall of Famer, and Penn State standout defensive tackle Mike Reid was a two-year captain for Penn State head coach Joe Paterno’s undefeated 1968 and 1969 teams, anchoring Penn State’s defensive line.
Reid won both the Outland Trophy for the best interior lineman in college football and the Maxwell Trophy for the best all-around player in the country, as well as being selected as a unanimous all-American in 1969 and a second-team all-American in 1968. Reid was a first-round draft pick in the 1970 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and finished fifth in Heisman voting in 1969.
After his five-year NFL career (where he was selected to two Pro Bowls), Reid launched a music career that ended with his induction in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
Linebacker Paul Posluszny
Linebacker Paul Posluszny is the most decorated linebacker in the history of “Linebacker U” at Penn State.
In his four seasons with the Nittany Lions, Posluszny won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation’s top defensive player twice (2005 and 2006), the Dick Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker in 2005, and was a two-time All-American and first team All-Big Ten selection in both 2005 and 2006.
Posluszny was a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 2007 NFL draft. After an 11-year NFL career, Posluszny was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
Defensive End Courtney Brown
Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown is the only Penn State defender (and only the second player all-time: Ki-Jana Carter) to be selected first overall in the NFL draft.
At the time he left Penn State, Brown held the NCAA record for career sacks and tackles for a loss, while earning recognition as the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. Like the next player on this list LaVar Arrington, Brown was selected as a unanimous All-American in 1999.
Buy The Newest Penn State Gear From Fanatics | Shop Penn State Merchandise on Amazon
Linebacker LaVar Arrington
From a purely athleticism standpoint, LaVar Arrington is the biggest athletic freak defender to ever step foot on Penn State’s campus.
In his three seasons in Happy Valley, Arrington won the Chuck Bednarik award for the nation’s top defensive player (1999), the Dick Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker (1999), and the Jack Lambert Trophy for the top college linebacker, was named the Big Ten Co-Defenisve Player of the Year in 1998, and was named a first team All-American in 1998 and a unanimous All-American in 1999.
Arrington also finished ninth in Heisman voting in 1999 before being selected second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL draft, behind only the previous player on this list Courtney Brown.
Penn State has had no shortage of elite defensive players throughout the Nittany Lions’ history. There are plenty of other elite players who could have easily ranked among the top four (and probably do, depending on which Penn State fan you ask).
More must-reads:
- Three burning questions about SEC's huge conference schedule change
- Top 2023 quarterback recruit set to make first career start
- The 'Active 20-home run MLB seasons' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
'Look out for this dude': Former NFL exec has warning about unexpected SEC quarterback
10 bold predictions for the 2025 college football season
Expect the unexpected when it comes to college football. Though traditional heavyweights like Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia have recently won national titles, there is hardly a sport that produces weekly drama like college football. It's tough to forecast the unexpected, but here are 10 bold predictions for the 2025-26 season. 1. Alabama misses the College Football Playoff again Games at No. 5 Georgia and No. 13 South Carolina, plus Florida State, Missouri and Auburn, make for a tough road slate. Couple that with a new quarterback in Ty Simpson, and questions abound. A stacked defense could cover up for some offensive growing pains, but how quickly does Simpson settle in? The season will depend on it. By the way, you have to go back to 2006 and 2007 to find the last time Alabama missed a BCS bowl game or the CFP two seasons in a row. 2. Penn State finally breaks through This is the year James Franklin and Penn State defeat Ohio State and win the Big Ten. Drew Allar's return at quarterback for PSU for his senior season is the difference. An experienced quarterback is something neither Ohio State, Oregon or Michigan has. 3. Michigan finishes outside the Top 25 Michigan has the on-field talent (don't miss No. 1 QB prospect Bryce Underwood), but the recent sign-stealing sanctions hang like a cloud over the program. It might subside if Michigan wins, but what if it suffers early-season losses at Oklahoma and/or Nebraska? There could be a snowball effect. 4. A wide receiver will win the Heisman Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back, claiming the 2024 Heisman. Another wide receiver will win this year. How about Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (76 rec, 1,315 yards, 15 TD in 2024) or Alabama's Ryan Williams (48 rec, 865 yards, 8 TD in 2024)? 5. Three SEC programs fire their coach Last season was unusually quiet on the coaching carousel, especially in the SEC. All 16 coaches return, but several are on varying degrees of the hot seat. Billy Napier (Florida), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Mark Stoops (Kentucky) are all coaches to keep an eye on. None of the five programs listed is expected to finish in the top four of the conference, meaning some will be .500 or worse. 6. Utah wins the Big 12 The Utes are going to bounce back in a wide-open Big 12. Health is the key here as injuries ruined the 2024 campaign. One reason for optimism? New offensive coordinator Jason Beck and incoming quarterback Devon Dampier came from New Mexico, where they engineered the Lobos' best offensive season in eight years. 7. The Group of 6 CFP bid comes from the American Boise State is the favorite to represent the Group of 6 in the CFP, but the American champion will receive the bid this season. Look for as many as five teams to vie for the title. Tulane brought in 20 transfers to bolster its roster, but Navy returns quarterback Blake Horvath (1,353 passing yards, 13 TD, 1,254 rushing yards, 17 TD). It should be an exciting watch. 8. The ACC receives one bid for the CFP The ACC managed to grab two CFP bids last season, but it won't happen again this year. Clemson is the favorite and should be a part of the 12-team field. No. 10 Miami could be in the hunt, but games against No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 15 Florida and at No. 16 SMU pose a threat. Remember, the Canes were left out last season with just two losses. 9. Vanderbilt increases its win total again The Commodores were the surprise story of 2024, going 7-6 after a 2-10 season in 2023. Vandy will win at least eight games this year thanks to 77 percent of its 2024 production returning. Quarterback Diego Pavia (2,293 yards, 20 TD) is the little engine that could. The 'Dores season will be decided between Oct. 4 and Nov. 1 when they play road games at No. 8 Alabama and No. 1 Texas, along with home contests against No. 9 LSU and Missouri. 10. No agreement will be reached to change the CFP format We'll know the answer to this by Dec. 1, as that's the date the CFP committee has set to determine the format for 2026-31. With the Big Ten still throwing out radical ideas, people are upset and it seems no deal is imminent. "We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall," one CFP executive recently told CBS Sports.
Urban Meyer pushes for Chargers or NFL to suspend Jim Harbaugh
Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer thinks the Los Angeles Chargers or the NFL should take it upon themselves to punish Jim Harbaugh. On Aug. 15, the NCAA punished Michigan for violations connected to the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. Harbaugh received a 10-year show-cause order. During Wednesday's episode of "The Triple Option" podcast, Meyer compared Harbaugh's situation to that of Jim Tressel in 2011. Meyer argued that the league or the Chargers should suspend Harbaugh, like the Indianapolis Colts did to Tressel. "There's an elephant in the room here, boys, though, that no one's talking about," Meyer said. "When Jim Tressel was fired at Ohio State and he was given a suspension, Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, came out and said that, 'We're going to honor that suspension.' And you remember, he went to the Indianapolis Colts to work in the replay room or something. "The Colts, because of the respect they had for the NCAA and the suspension, you realize suspended Jim Tressel? So he was unable to perform his duties for the first six games of the year for the Indianapolis Colts. I think we all know the answer. Any chance that Roger Goodell and the NFL, of course not. And I don't know why." There is a belief that Harbaugh bolted to the Chargers after winning the national title in 2023 because he knew the NCAA was getting ready to punish the Wolverines. A six-game suspension is not comparable to a 10-year show-cause order, and punishing Harbaugh so lightly would be more symbolic than substantive. Frankly, it's bad business for the league to suspend Harbaugh and to connect the outspoken head coach to a trivial scandal that happened in college. Punishing Harbaugh would draw unwanted attention to the Chargers and the league, who knew what happened before he jumped to the NFL before the 2024 season.
Bill Belichick takes another shot at Patriots owner Robert Kraft
It is no secret that the relationship between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft has been strained since Belichick left the New England Patriots. Belichick took an obvious shot at Kraft and the Patriots owner's son, Jonathan, who is the president of the team, during an interview with Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that was published on Thursday. Belichick is preparing for his first-ever season as a college coach with North Carolina. When asked what he has noticed that is different about coaching in college versus the NFL, Belichick insinuated he has enjoyed not having to answer to any members of the Kraft family while doing his job in Chapel Hill. "It’s a much more cohesive, and I’d say unified, view of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it," Belichick told Volin. "It’s a lot of football, and there’s not much in your way. "There’s no owner, there’s no owner’s son. There’s no cap, everything that goes with the marketing and everything else, which I’m all for that. But it’s way less of what it was at that level." Shots fired. There is no way to interpret that other than a criticism of Robert and Jonathan Kraft. Had Belichick left it at not having to answer to a team owner, you could make the case that he was speaking generally about the NFL. The fact that he added in "owner's son" makes it obvious he was referring to his old bosses, as both Robert and Jonathan are hands-on with the Patriots. Belichick is almost certainly bitter over the way his tenure in New England ended following the 2023 season. He coached the Patriots for 24 seasons and won six Super Bowls, so he likely felt he should have been given more time to turn things around in the post-Tom Brady era. The Kraft family preferred to move on after a 4-13 campaign. Though Belichick insists he is solely focused on the upcoming UNC season, this is not the first time in recent months that he has gone out of his way to throw a jab at Robert Kraft.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love Makes Confident Declaration After Duo Torches Seahawks
The Green Bay Packers are just around a couple of weeks away from kicking off their 2025 NFL campaign. With Jordan Love seemingly on pace to fully recover from a recent thumb surgery, hopes are high that the team will be able to have a solid start in the upcoming season. Love has a solid group of weapons for him to work with in the passing attack. Much has been said about the team’s wide receiving room, which may be lacking a true No. 1 option, but is certainly brimming with talent, especially with the continued emergence of first-round wideout Matthew Golden. But Love is also excited about the Packers’ tight ends in Tufcker Kraft and Luke Musgrave. Love fired up by Green Bay Packers tight ends’ showing during Seattle Seahawks practice After the chaotic, fight-filled joint practice session with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Love expressed his trust and positive outlook for the said tight ends. “Definitely, I think that’s something that since they both got here and we’ve been able to see what they can do on the field,” Love said when asked if he was thrilled to see Kraft and Musgrave have great performances against the Seahawks’ defense, per Ryan Wood of USA Today. “I think that’s one thing that Matt and the guys dropped the plays and then kind of hunt for is to get them both on the field and do some pretty cool things in the pass game with them. And it obviously married all up with the run game. But the possibilities are endless for sure. “Those guys have been doing a great job in building. Tuck has done some great things on the field. And I think Luke’s having a great camp as well. Musgrave and Kraft are clearly talented options in the offense for Love, and at least one of them taking their game to the next level in 2025 should make Green Bay’s attack much deadlier. Musgrave missed several games in 2024 due to a stint on the injured reserve and only had 45 receiving yards on seven receptions and 10 targets. Kraft, on the other hand, has improved in each of his first two seasons in the league. Last season, he had 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 50 catches and 70 targets.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
