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Thirty-three former Penn State play- ers were on the rosters of 20 NFL teams as the season opened earlier this month. A total of 24 former Nittany Lion play- ers made 53-man rosters, while :ve ad- ditional players were on practice squads. Four Penn Staters are currently on injured reserve with NFL teams. In addition, there are two Nittany Lions on NFL rosters who did not play football at Penn State: Chris Hogan (New England) and Ross Travis (Indianapolis). The Miami Dolphins, New York Gi- ants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers boast a league-high three Penn Staters each, including 10th-year defensive end Cameron Wake on the Dolphins and 2018 No. 2 overall dra< pick Saquon Barkley on the Giants. Five teams – Arizona, Chicago, Oak- land, San Francisco and Tennessee – each have two PSU alums. Fourth-year safety Adrian Amos enters the Bears' season following a breakout 2017 cam- paign and is joined by former Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson II, who is coming o; an ACL injury he su;ered in last season's opening week. Place kicker Robbie Gould, a 14-year vet who has earned All-Pro recognition in San Francisco, is Penn State's elder statesman. In the NFC East, Pro Bowl linebacker Sean Lee returns for his ninth season with the Cowboys, while sixth-year o;ensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski is looking to help the Ea- gles defend their Super Bowl title. Ten players from PSU's 2017 team are on NFL rosters. In addition to Barkley, Marcus Allen (Pittsburgh Steelers), Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins), Brendan Mahon (Carolina Panthers), DaeSean Hamilton (Denver Broncos) and Troy Apke (Washington Redskins) are on ac- tive rosters, while Curtis Cothran (Min- nesota Vikings), Grant Haley (New York Giants), Saeed Blacknall and Jason Cabinda (Oakland Raiders) started the season on practice squads. Hogan, a former Penn State men's lacrosse player, is returning to the Pa- triots for his sixth season in the NFL. Additionally, former men's basketball player Ross Travis is with the Indi- anapolis Colts for his third NFL season but is on injured reserve. ■ F O O T B A L L Lions abundant on NFL rosters P E N N S T A T E R S I N T H E N F L * position, but God had other plans for me," he tweeted. "I would like to thank Coach Franklin and staff for honoring my scholarship and still allowing me to stay with the team. It's a blessing in dis- guise and I would like all of you to stay in my life as I continue my new journey." Asiedu announced in June that he had been forced to give up football due to a genetic heart condition called hyper- trophic cardiomyopathy. The former four-star prospect from Stafford, Va., enrolled this past summer and is contin- uing to pursue his degree at Penn State. Buchholz, Zembiec and Miner are also planning to remain at PSU. Franklin said he empathized with the players because "this is their ultimate dream." "In our game, it's going to come to an end at some point," he added. "They have to shift their vision. They all kind of envision and plan in their mind how it's going to go for them, and then it changes. But I feel really good about the support system that we have. This isn't something that just came upon us. This is something that's been going on for a while, so we just want to support those guys and their future endeavors." Under NCAA rules, athletes who are unable to continue their careers for health reasons are permitted to retain their scholarships without counting against the team's 85-player scholarship cap. Franklin called it "one of the better things [the NCAA] did." In other personnel news, linebacker Manny Bowen and defensive end Brailyn Franklin left the team over the summer for unspecified reasons. Bowen's rein- statement following a pair of earlier sus- pensions had been one of the bigger storylines of preseason camp, but his comeback ended before it had really even begun. Fellow linebacker Cam Brown said the senior was leaving the team to focus on academics. James Franklin wished Bowen well. "We love Manny," he said. "We want nothing but success for him and his fu- ture. We think Manny has a very, very bright future." Penn State also lost offensive lineman Robbie Martin in May. The redshirt freshman explained that he had left the program after deciding that he no longer wanted to pursue a football career. "My love for playing has just decreased for a while," he tweeted. –M.H. TEAM PLAYER (SEASONS) Arizona Cardinals...............A.Q. Shipley IR (9) Gerald Hodges (7) Atlanta Falcons.................. Jack Crawford (7) Carolina Panthers.............. Brendan Mahon (1) Chicago Bears..................... Adrian Amos (4) Allen Robinson II (5) Dallas Cowboys..................Sean Lee C (9) Denver Broncos.................. DaeSean Hamilton (1) Indianapolis Colts..............Ross Travis IR (3; MBB player) Kansas City Chiefs............. Jordan Lucas (3) Los Angeles Chargers....... Trevor Williams (3) Los Angeles Rams............. Garrett Sickels IR (2) Miami Dolphins.................. Mike Gesicki (1) Mike Hull IR (4) Cameron Wake (10) New England Patriots....... Chris Hogan (6; MLAX player) New York Giants................. Saquon Barkley (1) Nate Stupar (7) Philadelphia Eagles...........Stefen Wisniewski (8) Pittsburgh Steelers........... Marcus Allen (1) Malik Golden IR (2) Jesse James (4) San Francisco 49ers..........Garry Gilliam (5) Robbie Gould (14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers....Chris Godwin (2) Donovan Smith (4) Carl Nassib (3) Tennessee Titans...............Austin Johnson (3) DaQuan Jones (5) Washington Redskins....... Troy Apke (1) PRACTICE SQUAD Cincinnati Bengals.............Christian Hackenberg (3) Minnesota Vikings............. Curtis Cothran (1) New York Giants................. Grant Haley (1) Oakland Raiders.................Saeed Blacknall (1) Jason Cabinda (1) * As of opening day | C: captain | IR: injured reserve TEAM PLAYER (SEASONS) PRACTICE SQUAD

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