Redshirt Burned/Green (8)
Season Stats: 11 G, 74 KO, 35 TB, 5 OB, 59.5 average
Checa had four kickoffs against Maryland while none went for a touchback. Overall, the Chevy Chase, Maryland native had a strong and consistent freshman season.
TE Pat Freiermuth
Season Stats: 12 G, 24 REC, 330 YDS, 7 TD
Freiermuth was a revelation all season for Penn State and against Maryland he continued his success, collecting 2 receptions for 27 yards and a single touchdown. The freshman from Massachusetts had at least one reception in each of Penn State’s final 11 games and finished second on the team in receptions. His seven touchdowns led all Nittany Lion receivers.
LB Jesse Luketa
Season Stats: 12 G, 5 Solo, 2 ASST, 7 TOT
The former four-star recruit appeared in all 12 games this season for the Nittany Lions but didn’t turn up in the box score a ton. Against Maryland, he had his first tackle of any kind since the Iowa game. He had a season best, three tackles against Kent State.
LB Micah Parsons
Season Stats: 12 G, 39 Solo, 30 ASST, 69 TOT, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, 4 QBH, 1 FF
That’s a hell of a stat line for a true freshman but Micah Parsons lived up to all the hype during the regular season, despite playing out of his natural position. Parsons recorded four tackles against Maryland including 1 tackle for a loss to push his season total up to 69 (nice). He finishes the regular season as the team leader in tackles and even earned an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
K Jake Pinegar
Season Stats: 12 G, 15- 21 FG (70%), 49 Long - 50-52 XP
Pinegar made his only field goal attempt against Maryland while going 5-for-5 in extra points. After starting the season off rough, Pinegar really turned it on following Penn State’s loss to Michigan State. In the final six games of the season, Pinegar making 11 of his 13 field goal attempts including two 49-yard kicks.
DT PJ Mustipher
Season Stats: 11 G, 7 Solo, 7 ASST, 14 TOT, 1 TFL, 1 QBH, 1 FF
It was a quiet but solid season for Mustipher. While he didn’t put up any huge stats, he was productive and showed what’s to come for him in the future. Against Maryland, he recorded one tackle for a loss.
RB Ricky Slade
Season Stats: 8 G, 41 ATT, 230 YDS, 6 TD, 1 REC, 12 YDS
For the first time since Illinois, we saw a heavy dose of Ricky Slade as he had 11 carries against Maryland for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Slade showed off his tremendous speed several times. He’ll be a huge piece of Penn State’s offense next season.
WR Jahan Dotson
Season Stats: 7 GP, 12 REC, 179 YD
Dotson recorded a single reception against the Terrapins for 22 yards. Dotson only appeared in one game in the Nittany Lions first six games but appeared in each of the last six. He recorded at least one reception in each of those six games. Through his seven games on the season, Dotson showed that he can be an elite pass catcher for the Nittany Lions in the future.
Yellow (3)
DE Jayson Oweh
Season Stats: 4 G, 4 Solo, 4 TOT, 2 Sacks, 1 QBH
Oweh played against Maryland but failed to record any stats. He’s played in the four games allotted to him, meaning he most likely won’t be seen during the bowl game. Oweh will be a major part of the defensive rotation come next season.
DE Nick Tarburton
Season Stats: 2 G
Tarburton appeared in the first two games of the season and failed to record any stats in those games. Will we see him in the bowl game? Probably not. That being said, Tarburton still has a bright future with the program.
WR Justin Shorter
Season Stats: 3 G, 1 REC, 3 YD, 1 CAR, 9 YD
It’s safe to say that Shorter didn’t have the season that many expected out of the five-star receiver. Shorter played against Kent State but then didn't see action again until the Wisconsin game.
Red (4)
OT Rasheed Walker
Season Stats: 3 G
Walker ended up appearing in three games this season for the Nittany Lions. I’m personally not great at judging offensive lineman, so I’m not going to try to feed you any BS here about how he played in those three games. By all reports, he’s going to be a strong offensive tackle in the upcoming years.
TE Zack Kuntz
Season Stats: 1 G, 1 REC, 8 YD
Kuntz ended up appearing in just one game this season which isn’t too unexpected. The Camp Hill native needed the year to develop both on and off the field. Expected to be a stud tight end in the upcoming years, the duo of Freiermuth and Kuntz could be hard for opposing defenses to stop.
WR Daniel George
Season Stats: 3 G, 2 REC, 112 YDS, 1 TD
George made his second reception of the season against Maryland that went for 12 yards. That being said, nobody will ever forget his 95-yard touchdown reception against Kent State, the longest in Penn State history. He’ll be a bigger part of the receiving core next season.
CB Trent Gordon
Season Stats: 3 G, 1 ASST, 1 TOT
Gordon ended up playing in three games, most of the time, if not all of it coming on special teams. He’ll have the chance to crack the two-deep next season.
The Real Reds (7)
These remaining seven players did not see playing time during the regular season and seem doubtful to do in Penn State’s bowl game.
QB Will Levis
OG Bryce Effner
OG Juice Scruggs
DT Aeneas Hawkins
DT Judge Culpepper
LB Charlie Katshir
S Isaiah Humphries