Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Toney ended his career with 20.5 sacks, the eighth-highest total in school history. He was a second-team All-Big Ten pick as a junior and a first-team choice as a se- nior. In 2021, he was chosen by Washing- ton in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and recently began his second season with the Commanders. 3. Journey Brown Class: 2017 Position: Running back On3 Consensus rating: H H H H H H What we said: "His size and speed (4.44 seconds in the 40) make him a very intriguing prospect. In addition to his potential on offense, he could also be an excellent return man on kickoffs. He will probably be redshirted as a freshman but could end up being one of the bigger sur- prises in this class." — Phil Grosz What happened next: Brown offered a tantalizing indication of his potential late in the 2019 season. Had his collegiate playing career lasted longer, he would as- suredly rank even higher on this list. Despite compiling eye-popping num- bers at Meadville (Pa.) High, including a 722-yard outburst in a 107-90 victory over DuBois in 2015, Brown had a low three-star rating when he gave Penn State a verbal commitment in January 2017. A few PSU fans wondered aloud why Franklin had accepted the commitment from such a lightly recruited prospect, and Brown's first two years on campus did little to persuade skeptics that the high school track standout would be able to parlay his incredible speed — he broke Olympian Leroy Burrell's state record with a 10.43-second 100-meter time at the PIAA track championships — into a stellar career in the Nittany Lions' back- field. In the second half of his redshirt soph- omore season, however, everything be- gan to click. Combining breakaway speed with a newfound decisiveness, Brown gashed Minnesota for 124 yards on just 14 carries and followed it up with 100 yards against Indiana and 103 against Rutgers. He finished his season by rushing for 202 yards in the Cotton Bowl against Mem- phis, setting a PSU postseason record. Brown finished the year with 890 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. That performance seemed to set him up for a thrilling future in football. The 5-11, 217-pounder had flashed his potential as a sophomore and appeared poised for an even bigger junior year, after which he seemed likely to join predecessors Barkley and Miles Sanders in the NFL. But a series of medical tests performed ahead of the 2020 season detected a heart abnormality, and Brown was forced to retire from football that November. The NFL had been his dream ever since high school, but as he acknowledged in an- nouncing his retirement, "I can walk away from the game knowing I truly gave my all at every practice, on every down and in the locker room every day. "You never know when you will play your last snap," he added, "but I know I left it all out there and have no regrets, other than wishing I could step on the field one final time. I won't miss the game of football because it will always be a part of me." 4. Kevin Givens Class: 2014 Position: Defensive tackle On3 Consensus rating: H H H H H H What we said: "Givens looks to be ca- pable of developing into an interior line- man. Having recently turned 17 years old, he is a young prospect who will almost cer- tainly redshirt this fall." — Phil Grosz What happened next: Givens was a very late addition to Penn State's 2015 re- cruiting class. He had been committed to Pitt for nearly a year, having chosen the Panthers over Temple and Western Mich- igan in February 2014. Even after then- coach Paul Chryst left Pitt for Wisconsin, Givens held firm to his commitment. Just before the February signing day, however, he changed his mind and Running back Journey Brown set a Penn State postseason record with his 202-yard outburst in the Cotton Bowl against Memphis. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL