Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 111 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M tential; the Pittsburgh native started eight games as a redshirt freshman and never looked back, totaling 31 starts in three years. In addition to earning All-Big Ten honors all three seasons, he finished his career as a second-team Associated Press All-American. Porter had only 1 interception in his career, but that was at least partly because opponents were wary of challenging him. He totaled 94 tackles and 19 pass deflections before heading to the NFL as a second- round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. Ta'Quan Roberson QB 0 Roberson was a four-star prospect coming out of Orange, N.J., but he didn't end up seeing much action at Penn State. He'll best be remembered for what happened when he replaced an injured Sean Clifford on the road against Iowa in October 2021. PSU had jumped out to a 17-3 lead, but after Clifford left the game, the Lions' offense struggled badly. Roberson went 7 for 21 with 2 interceptions, and the Lions lost, 23-20. Roberson later transferred to Connecticut and threw for 2,085 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. He's set to play his final col- lege season at Kansas State. Tyler Rudolph S 0 Rudolph was another four-star player who never quite panned out at Penn State. The Waterbury, Conn., native did have 5 tackles against Ball State early in the 2021 campaign, but he was suspended later that season and ultimately transferred to Mas- sachusetts. Rudolph has capitalized on that oppor- tunity, playing in 22 games and totaling 102 tackles the past two seasons. He'll be a redshirt senior for the Minutemen this fall. Brandon Smith LB 21 The highest-rated player in Penn State's class, Smith saw action in all 13 games as a true freshman. In 2020, he led the Lions with 8 tackles for loss, and he enjoyed his best season a year later, totaling 81 stops, including 9 for loss and 2 sacks. After win- ning third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021, Smith declared for the draft and was selected in the fourth round by Carolina. He spent one year with the Panthers before being released last August. Smith was on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad last season. Brenton Strange TE 31 A four-star recruit from Parkersburg, W.Va., Strange made an immediate impact with a 4-yard touchdown reception in his first collegiate game, PSU's 2019 opener against Idaho. He ended up redshirting that year but showed he was on the fast track in 2020, playing in all nine games, mak- ing five starts and finishing with 17 catches for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns. Strange went on to start all 26 games in his last two seasons. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2021 and a third-team choice in 2022. During his four seasons, he caught 75 passes for 755 yards and 11 touchdowns. Strange was chosen in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Jack- sonville Jaguars. Smith Vilbert DE 1 Vilbert is back for his sixth and final season in 2024. After redshirting as a true freshman and playing in only four games during the COVID- shortened 2020 campaign, he had a big impact as a redshirt sophomore. Vilbert saw action in 12 games that year, including a 3-sack performance against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. Since then, the Monsey, N.Y., native has been limited, missing most of the 2022 season for academic reasons and then sitting out the 2023 campaign with an injury. Caedan Wallace OL 40 Wallace had an up-and-down career with the Lions. After redshirting in 2019, he started seven games in 2020 at right tackle. Wallace started 20 more games the next two seasons but also struggled at times, leading some fans to call for Drew Shelton to replace him. To Wallace's credit, he bounced back in 2023 with his best season, allowing just 1 sack on 359 pass-blocking snaps. He was the third Nittany Lion selected in the NFL Draft this past April, going in the third round to the New England Patriots. Anthony Whigan OL 0 A four-star prospect coming out of Lackawanna College, Whigan never made a major impact at Penn State. He did contribute on special teams in 2020 and totaled 102 snaps along the offensive line the following year. When it became clear that oth- ers were passing him on the depth chart, Whigan transferred to Akron for his final season in 2022. He played in all 12 games for the Zips that year. Marquis Wilson CB/WR 2 We'll never know how Wilson's career would have gone if he had focused on a single position. He played 19 games (with two starts) in his first two seasons as a defensive back. Then he began moon- lighting at wide receiver in 2021, and his playing time declined. Wilson finished his third season with 3 catches for 29 yards in addition to 6 tackles and a pass breakup on defense. By 2022, he had gone back to playing defense full time, but he was behind others on the depth chart and saw snaps in only 10 games before transferring to Purdue. During his lone season with the Boilermakers, Wilson returned punts and also had 20 tackles. He has yet to be signed by a pro team after going undrafted in 2024. Sal Wormley OL 26 Wormley enters his third season as a starter in 2024. He played in just four games over his first two seasons and then missed all of the 2021 slate due to an injury. The Newark, N.J., native then became the team's primary starter at right guard in 2022, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten laurels along the way. He manned the position again in 2023 while earning the same honors from the coaches and media. Wormley is set to be back at right guard again this fall. Final Grade: B- With four of its 23 members still on the roster, it feels a little premature to render a "final" verdict on this class. Guard Sal Wormley and defensive linemen Dvon J-Thomas, Hakeem Beamon and Smith Vilbert could still have something to say about the grade above. For now, a B- sounds about right. Several of the four-star prospects in this class didn't develop into difference-makers at Penn State, whether because of injuries (Noah Cain), positional uncertainty (Marquis Wil- son) or difficulty parlaying their high school success into productivity at the Power Five level (Lance Dixon, Tyler Ru- dolph, John Dunmore, Ta'Quan Roberson). However, the Lions did find some major contributors in Joey Porter Jr., Brenton Strange, Adisa Isaac and others, and they hit home runs with three-star defensive backs Jaquan Brisker and Daequan Hardy. NFL Draft Picks • Jaquan Brisker — Chicago Bears, second round, No. 48, 2022 • Daequan Hardy — Buffalo Bills, sixth round, No. 219, 2024 • Adisa Isaac — Baltimore Ravens, third round, No. 93, 2024 • Joey Porter Jr. — Pittsburgh Steelers, second round, No. 32, 2023 • Brandon Smith — Carolina Panthers, fourth round, No. 120, 2022 • Brenton Strange — Jacksonville Jaguars, second round, No. 61, 2023 • Caedan Wallace — New England Patriots, third round, No. 68, 2024 Note: Noah Cain signed with Cincinnati in April as an undrafted free agent.