Blue White Illustrated

F O O T B A L L Freiermuth, linemen will return to Penn State in 2020 Pat Freiermuth didn't play a starring role against Rutgers in Penn State's reg- ular-season 7nale, catching just one pass for 4 yards in a workmanlike 27-6 victory. But the sopho- more tight end did have a great postgame. Freiermuth an- nounced, to consider- able fanfare, that he was planning on re- turning to Penn State for his junior season. He made the an- nouncement via a post on social media in which he said that he wasn't ready to walk away just yet from the camaraderie he'd found in his two seasons with the Nittany Lions. "The brotherhood and family atmos- phere in this program is something that I am not ready to leave," Freiermuth said. "The culture Coach [James] Franklin and the sta8 have created here is something very special and I love being part of it." Freiermuth also said it was important to him to get his degree before leaving University Park. In order for players to be eligible for the NFL Dra9, they typically must be three years removed from high school. That means a player must have com- pleted either his junior or redshirt soph- omore season at the college level before he can move on to the pros. Freiermuth is getting set to 7nish up his true sophomore season, but he spent 7ve years at Brooks School in North An- dover, Mass., with his last year becom- ing, in essence, a prep year, making him eligible to leave Penn State a9er only two seasons. In announcing his decision to return, Freiermuth said he had only recently discovered that he had the option of coming out a9er his sophomore year. When he was asked in November about the possibility of leaving Penn State fol- lowing the 2019 season, he said, "I haven't really thought about it at all. Haven't talked to my parents or the coaching sta8, anything like that." Freiermuth was beginning to get some attention from dra9 scouts, having been dubbed "Baby Gronk" due to his resem- blance to former New England Patriots All-Pro Rob Gronkowski. The 2020 dra9 class isn't considered deep at the tight end position, especially in comparison to last year's class, in which two tight ends from the same school – Iowa's T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant – both were selected in the 7rst 20 picks. Washing- ton's Hunter Bryant and Purdue's Brycen Hopkins are considered the top tight end prospects available in the up- coming dra9. Freiermuth could have deepened that talent pool considerably, but he'll in- stead rejoin a Penn State o8ense that is expected to return nine starters in 2020. That means he'll have another season to add to an already impressive statistical portfolio. Freiermuth was the Nittany Lions' FREIERMUTH | Junior defensive end Yetur Gross- Matos announced on Dec. 3 that he plans to forgo his senior season to enter the 2020 NFL Dra9. Since enjoying a breakthrough sea- son as a sophomore in 2018, Gross- Matos has been touted by many dra9 experts as a potential 7rst-round pick. A recent mock dra9 by CBS- Sports.com had him going to the Seat- tle Seahawks with the 29th pick overall. He was described as "a physi- cal freak who has yet to scratch the surface on just how good he can be." A two-time 7rst-team All-Big Ten selection, Gross-Matos has been in- strumental in helping the Nittany Lion defense become one of the best in the country. He has 14 tackles for loss, in- cluding 8.5 sacks, in 11 games this sea- son. For his career, Gross-Matos has 36 TFL and 18 sacks as part of his 110 tackles. He was the team's Reid- Robinson Award winner as the most outstanding lineman in 2018 and was an honorable mention All-Freshman Team selection by BTN.com in 2017. In 2018, Gross-Matos became the 11th Nittany Lion to record 20 tackles for loss in a season (12th occasion). His 20 TFL from last season are tied for the eighth-highest single-season total at Penn State. As a junior, Gross-Matos ranks sev- enth in the Big Ten and 27th nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.3) and is 79h in the conference and 23rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks per game (0.77). He was a semi7nalist for the Bednarik Award and was a Sport- ing News Midseason All-American. He collected Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week accolades three times this season (Michigan State, Iowa, Bu8alo). "Yetur has grown so much as a foot- ball player, leader and young man dur- ing his time at Penn State," coach James Franklin said. "He has been a shining example of resiliency for his teammates and our sta8. ... We could- n't be more proud of him and appreci- ate everything he has done for our program." ■ Gross-Matos set to forgo final season, will enter 2020 NFL Draft

• Cover