Penn State Names Seven 2014 Captains

Penn State announced their seven co-captains for the 2014 season today, as selected by the players and coaching staff.  Mike Hull and C.J. Olaniyan will serve as defensive captains. Ryan Keiser, Jesse Della Valle, and Sam Ficken will captain the special teams. On offense, Miles Dieffenbach, and Christian Hackenberg received the honor.

Hackenberg becomes the first sophomore in Penn State football history to be elected as a captain, and the first non-senior since 2005, when Paul Posluszny was selected as a junior.

Here's what James Franklin had to say:

The players and the coaches voted on the team captains and these players have clearly earned the respect of their teammates and coaches. We are trying to promote and develop leadership throughout the entire program and I'm really excited about the role our captains will have throughout the season.

Hackenberg's emergence as a true leader on the offensive side of the ball has been a big topic throughout the off season, and clearly he has caught the eyes of his coaches and teammates.

Congratulations to all seven Nittany Lions!