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Only DeAndre Thompkins until Penn State Football

Football is so close you can smell it...

Akron v Penn State Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Penn State football is just over 72 hours away and week one starts in just over 24 hours. Which means after today there will at least be football to watch on TV as we all patiently wait for Saturday afternoon to arrive.

To highlight our three day wait, we honor redshirt senior DeAndre Thompkins, one of the leaders of program entering 2018. Thompkins career at Penn State started off shaky in his first year of playing time but over the past two seasons, he has proven his ability to be a strong offensive weapon. In 2016 and 2017 combined, Thompkins has 55 receptions for 883-yards and three touchdowns. He has been a model of consistency over the two seasons as well. The wideout had just two games where he did not record a reception in that span, and in 2018 he had at least one reception per game.

With the loss of DaeSean Hamilton and Mike Gesicki to the NFL, Thompkins will see his role increase in 2018. He is slated to be one of Penn State’s starting wide receivers this year alongside Juwan Johnson and KJ Hamler.

That being said, Thompkins doesn’t just make his impact when on offense, but also on special teams. In 25 punt returns last year, he averaged 12.76-yards per return for a total of 319. He also became the first Nittany Lion since Derrick Williams in (EDIT: 2008) to return a punt for a touchdown.

Thompkins will look to help lead the Nittany Lions to their second Big Ten title game in three years and potentially a trip to the College Football Playoffs.

JUST THREE MORE DAYS!