Blue White Illustrated

October 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M From 2013 to 2022, eight prospects with five-star ratings in the On3 Con- sensus signed with Penn State. Three of those players — quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nicholas Singleton and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton — have only just begun their careers this year. Allar and Singleton have made strong first impressions, but it would be premature to assess the trajectory of players who are just getting started. However, the five other five-star players in that group have completed their Penn State careers. Here's a chronological summary of those players, along with a reappraisal of their star ratings based on what they did at PSU. Christian Hackenberg (2013): Hackenberg came to Penn State for the op- portunity to play under new head coach Bill O'Brien, a veteran NFL offensive coordinator. The Virginia native was a Day 1 starter for the Nittany Lions and won Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2013 with 2,955 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hackenberg could have followed O'Brien out the door in 2014 but opted instead to stay. In his last two seasons, Penn State's rickety, sanction-depleted offensive line took a toll on his productivity, but he still left PSU as the school's all-time leader in career passing yards (8,427) before being surpassed by his successor, Trace McSorley. Post-PSU rating: H H H H H H H H Shane Simmons (2016): Simmons was a highly regarded defensive end out of the storied DeMatha Catholic football program in Maryland. Injury prob- lems and a stacked depth chart kept him from fulfilling his collegiate potential, though. He played in 44 games and made two starts during his four seasons at Penn State, finishing his career with 10.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Post-PSU rating: H H H H Micah Parsons (2018): Parsons was Penn State's leading tackler each of his two seasons on campus and a consensus All-American as a sophomore. The only deficiency in his college résumé is that it's too short. Parsons sat out the 2020 campaign to prepare for the NFL Draft, where he was selected 12th overall by Dallas. He won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2021. Post-PSU rating: H H H H H H H H H H Justin Shorter (2018): Like his five-star classmate Parsons, Shorter spent only two seasons at Penn State. Unlike Parsons, the talented New Jersey re- ceiver never made much of an impact during his time with the Nittany Lions, partly due to injuries. He caught 15 passes for 157 yards before transferring to Florida ahead of the 2020 season. Post-PSU rating: H H H H Brandon Smith (2019): Smith played as a backup in 13 games during his true freshman season, then was miscast as a Sam outside linebacker during his sophomore year. He turned out to be a better fit at the Will linebacker spot as a junior, finishing second on the team with 81 stops, including 9 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Smith might have caught a few people off-guard with his decision to leave early for the NFL, but he was taken in the fourth round of the 2022 draft by Carolina and currently is a backup at the strong-side linebacker spot as a rookie. Post-PSU rating: H H H H H H — Matt Herb Outside linebacker Micah Parsons was a dominant force in the 2019 Cotton Bowl, finishing with 14 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 pass breakups against Memphis. It turned out to be the last game of his collegiate career. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Five-Star Prospects Experience Mixed Success At Penn State

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