Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482664
3 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M know why. My mom did some reverse psychology. She was like, 'Yeah, you're probably not meant for this.' That just made me mad. That's how you don't quit." Amor ended up setting CB East records for longest punt (66 yards) and most field goals in a season (10) and career (14). He received first-team Suburban One League honors as both a kicker and punter. At Colgate, he didn't play until his red- shirt sophomore season when he averaged 42.1 yards to rank second in the Patriot League and 22nd in the FCS. But after that sudden burst of success came an- other prolonged period of inactivity. The Patriot League canceled its 2020 season because of the pandemic, and after trans- ferring to Penn State ahead of the 2021 season, Amor found himself backing up Big Ten Punter of the Year Jordan Stout. The newcomer didn't get on the field in his first year at PSU, but if nothing else, he had an opportunity to take stock of how much had changed during his transi- tion from the FCS to a Power Five football program. At Colgate, Amor had never gotten the opportunity to work with a football-spe- cific strength staff. Nor had he ever seen the kind of nutritional resources that were available at the Lasch Building, where the juice bar and the refrigerator were always stocked up. Said Amor, "I was shocked that there were apples in the fridge." Putting In The Legwork In addition to all the vitamin C, Amor absorbed the program's oft-trumpeted core values when he arrived. Plastered on the walls of the team's meeting room, the words are impossible to miss. Players are urged to maintain a positive attitude, work hard, compete at everything and be willing to sacrifice to achieve their goals. Amor bought into all of that, and he found a couple of kindred spirits in his two predecessors: Stout and Blake Gillikin. For the past two seasons, Gillikin has been the starting punter for the New Or- leans Saints. Even though their careers didn't overlap at PSU, Amor has gotten to know him well. "I spend a good amount of time talk- ing to Blake," he said. "If you talk to Blake and look at what he does, it's a work ethic thing. Blake will tell you to your face that he thinks he outworks everybody. It's the same thing with Jordan, and it's the same thing with me. I think I outwork every- body. "By just having that mentality — 'Oh, someone could be doing this right now, I have to outwork them and get better and compete with myself and compete with them' — and adding these core values into it, you're building something." Just ahead of the season, Amor was put on scholarship. Like so many other aspects of his career, the announcement was a little bit different. Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning had come to PSU to film a segment of his ESPN show, "Eli's Places." Manning donned a wig and a prosthetic nose and claimed to be an aspiring walk- on named Chad Powers. His ruse was practically engineered to go viral on social media, which it did. But there was also a moment of heartwarming sincerity at the end when the Super Bowl-winning quar- terback, no longer disguised, gathered the team at Holuba Hall and summoned Amor to join him in the front of his fellow players for an announcement. "Walk-ons are important, you've gotta have them," Manning said, wrapping an arm around the punter's shoulder. "But it's pretty damn cool when you're on scholarship, right?" The crowd of players erupted, shower- ing Amor with hugs and back slaps. Turns out it is cool to be on scholarship, and Amor has since shown that the coaches' investment in him was a smart one. He's been savoring his experience as one of Penn State's key contributors and, when time permits, reflecting on the road that brought him here. "There have been a lot of things throughout my journey that have kind of been uncontrollable," he said. "I've tried to make the most out of everything and just enjoy it. There are so many people who would kill to be in my position. You start to appreciate the little things, and it just makes the whole experience so much better." ■ Amor didn't see game action last year as a backup to Jordan Stout. He made his debut in this year's season opener at Purdue, a game in which he averaged 46.9 yards on 8 punts. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE