Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M C hase Meyer was wrapping up his freshman season at the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania in 2022 when he got the call that he had feared for years. On the other side of the country in his hometown of Costa Mesa, Calif., Meyer's father was locked in a fight for his life. At that time, the unfortunate victor was becoming evident. It was cancer, and Peter Meyer was given six months left to live. The battle with sarcoma had been raging since Chase's sophomore year at California high school powerhouse Mater Dei. He had been a two-time all-state selection during his tenure with the Monarchs and opted to fur- ther his career in the Ivy League, even if it meant being away from his family. The education would certainly set him up for success, just like his fa- ther. Peter Meyer, a former Yale soccer player in his own college days, was a highly successful manager and agent to some of Hollywood's biggest stars, starting out at the William Morris Agency before founding his own firm, Meyer Management. Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner, William Shatner and Chris- topher Walken were just a few of the names on his extensive list of clients. After playing as a true freshman kickoff man for the Quakers, Chase Meyer made the decision to return home to California for the spring of 2023. He remained by his father's side until his death in May of last year. It was a decision he didn't think twice about. "That's something I use for motiva- tion every single day," Meyer said. "I wear his necklace. If you ever see me playing around with my necklace dur- ing the game, it's my dad's, to remem- ber him. That's something that I take with me every single day. A lot of peo- ple never have to deal with what I dealt with last offseason. That's made me 100 times stronger, mentally, physically, spiritually, everything." Following his father's passing, Meyer looked for another opportunity. He found it as a walk-on at Tulsa in the summer of 2023. Meyer won the start- ing job in preseason camp and went on to hit 17 of 20 field goals and earn All- American Athletic Conference honors for the Golden Hurricane in the fall. He capped the season with a 37-yard game- winner in Tulsa's season finale against East Carolina. When Meyer entered the transfer portal in December, it wasn't long be- fore he heard from a familiar coach. Stacy Collins, Penn State's special teams coordinator at the time, had re- cruited him out of high school and was interested in bringing him into the Nit- tany Lions' program as a walk-on kicker for the spring. The interest was mutual. Meyer agreed to join Penn State, and the 5-foot-10, 183-pound junior held firm to his commitment even after Collins left for Boise State in January. With Jus- tin Lustig arriving from Vanderbilt to take charge of the Nittany Lions' kick- ing game, Meyer focused on establish- ing himself in his new home. He spent spring practice battling redshirt junior Sander Sahaydak and redshirt fresh- man Ryan Barker for the job left vacant by Alex Felkins' graduation. That com- petition has continued into preseason camp. "I think it's taken him a while to just get comfortable with a new environ- ment, a new program, but he's consis- tently gotten better through the spring," Lustig said. "So, we've got a great battle going on. I'm really excited about it. The old adage of iron sharpening iron is at play. They know that spot is open." The jump from the AAC to the Big Ten has been a big one, but Meyer is hopeful that he can break through in what has been his first true offseason. If he's able to do so, he'll trot out onto the Beaver Stadium turf, give a tug on that necklace and know that his biggest fan will be right there with him. "My mom always says he has a front row seat to every game," Meyer said of his father. "He'll always be looking down on me, especially for those big games. The White Out games, I know he'll always be there. "Bottom line, I think my dad would be so proud of me. He's always wanted me to take every single opportunity just to further my career. My dad will always be there, always looking down. He'll have the best seat in the house." ■ "I think my dad would be so proud of me. He's always wanted me to take every single opportunity just to further my career. My dad will always be there, always looking down. He'll have the best seat in the house." M E Y E R A POWERFUL PRESENCE A POWERFUL PRESENCE Penn State kicker Chase Meyer draws inspiration from his father's memory S E A N F I T Z | S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M