Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1 0 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 1. Yetur Gross-Matos, defensive end Gross-Matos came to Penn State as a four-star prospect with immense potential. He did not disappoint. The Virginia native earned an honorable- mention All-Freshman nod from BTN.com after the 2017 season, and he continued to develop in Year 2. During the 2018 season, Gross-Matos ranked second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally with an average of 1.5 tackles for loss per game. He finished that season as a first-team All-Big Ten honoree af- ter racking up 20 for loss and 8 sacks. In his final year before leaving school early, Gross-Matos shined again. He had 14.5 tackles for loss and 9 sacks in 2019 and was named a third-team All-American by Phil Steele. He also was a finalist for both the Lombardi and Bednarik awards. 2. Sean Clifford, quarterback Clifford enters his fourth season as Penn State's starting quarterback in 2022. A former four-star recruit, he bided his time behind Trace McSorley be- fore taking over the reins of the offense in 2019. Hailing from the Cincinnati area, Clifford has had an up-and-down career hampered by injury and inconsistency. After throwing for 2,654 yards with a 23-to-7 touchdown-interception ratio during his first year as a starter, Clifford struggled in 2020, tossing 9 interceptions while passing for only 1,883 yards in the shortened season. His most recent season was a tale of two halves. When he was healthy during the first part of the year, he was trending upward. However, an injury against Iowa in Week 6 caused problems that lingered into the second half of the season. He did throw for 3,107 yards and has twice been an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice. 3. KJ Hamler, wide receiver Known as the Human Joystick during his time in State College, Hamler was a shifty receiver who used his speed to burn defenders time and time again. He became the 33rd Penn State player to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau as a pass catcher and finished with 13 touchdowns in an all-too-brief tenure at PSU. Hamler redshirted as a true freshman while recovering from a high school knee injury and ended up leaving Penn State after just two full seasons. Nev- ertheless, he's one of only 19 PSU players to surpass 3,000 all-purpose yards in his career, thanks largely to his success as a return specialist. Hamler holds the Penn State freshman record for all-purpose yards with 1,417. 4. Journey Brown, running back Brown's career was cut short after he was diagnosed with a heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ahead of the 2020 season. Prior to that shock- ing revelation, the Meadville, Pa., native was on track to follow in Saquon Barkley's oversized footsteps. Brown redshirted in 2017 and played in only four games the following year, finishing with just 44 yards on 8 carries. Those meager numbers turned out to be the prelude to a breakthrough in 2019. Brown had the third-most rushing touchdowns in the Big Ten with 12 and ran for 890 yards. He also had scores in five consecutive games to end the season, capped off with an incredible 202-yard, 2-touchdown performance in the Lions' win over Memphis in the Cotton Bowl — a game that would turn out to mark the end of his playing career. 5. Tariq Castro-Fields, cornerback An Upper Marlboro, Md., native, Castro-Fields played parts of five seasons for Penn State. He was named to BTN.com's All-Freshman squad in 2017 and had a team-leading 7 pass breakups the following year. Castro-Fields became a full-time starter in 2019, when he had 52 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups while earning third-team All-Big Ten honors. During the 2020 season, Castro-Fields played in only three games due to an injury. He used his bonus year in 2021 and finished with 32 tackles and 6 pass breakups while starting 12 of 13 games. For his career, he started 30 of the 52 games in which he saw action. Defensive end Yetur Gross- M a t o s w a s a t w o - y e a r s t a r t e r f o r P e n n S t a t e , to t a l i n g 1 9 s a c ks i n h i s career before leaving early to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL NFL Draft Picks Yetur Gross-Matos • Carolina Panthers, second round, No. 38, 2020 KJ Hamler • Denver Broncos, second round, No. 46, 2020 Tariq Castro-Fields • San Francisco 49ers, sixth round, No. 221, 2021 TOP FIVE PLAYERS