Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M NFL Draft Picks Ji'Ayir Brown — San Francisco 49ers, third round, No. 87, 2023 Olumuyiwa Fashanu – New York Jets, first round, No. 11, 2024 Theo Johnson — New York Giants, fourth round, No. 107, 2024 KeAndre Lambert-Smith — Los Angeles Chargers, fifth round, No. 158, 2025 Tyler Warren — Indianapolis Colts, first round, No. 14, 2025 Parker Washington — Jacksonville Jaguars, sixth round, No. 185, 2023 Note: Coziah Izzard (Kansas City Chiefs) and Fatorma Mulbah (New York Jets) each signed undrafted free agent contracts following the 2025 NFL Draft. TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES 1. Tyler Warren versus USC, 2024 None of the many highlights from Warren's 2024 campaign were more memorable than his extraordinary afternoon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Penn State trailed USC 20-6 at halftime and needed a spark. It got just that from a trick play on which Warren lined up at center and snapped the ball to second-team quarterback Beau Pribula, who then lobbed it backward to first-team quarterback Drew Allar. While the quarterbacks were buying time, Warren headed for the end zone. Allar launched a deep pass, and the tight end caught it with a defender in his face for a 32-yard touchdown. Warren finished with 17 catches for 224 yards, and PSU rallied for a 33-30 overtime victory. 2. Parker Washington versus Ohio State, 2022 When Washington caught a slant from Allar in the second quarter of a home game against the Buckeyes, a first down appeared to be the best possible outcome. But Washington was thinking bigger. The receiver spun away after two would-be tacklers failed to wrap him up, then sprinted to the end zone for an electrifying 58-yard touchdown reception. He finished with 11 catches for 179 yards, though it wasn't enough to stave off a 44-31 loss. 3. Tyler Warren versus Ole Miss, 2023 Warren didn't start attracting national attention until his breakout game against USC last October. However, as far as Nittany Lion fans were concerned, he had already broken out. In a shootout with Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, Warren led all Penn State pass catchers with 5 grabs for 127 yards. Those totals included a wild catch-and-run in the first quarter, during which he snared a tipped pass that Allar had thrown into traffic and dashed 75 yards to set up PSU's first touch- down in what would turn out to be a 38-25 loss. 4. Ji'Ayir Brown versus Wisconsin, 2021 With Penn State trying to preserve a 16-10 lead late in the fourth quarter of its season-opening game in Madison, Brown ended the Badgers' march toward what they had hoped would be the go-ahead touchdown. The second-year Nittany Lion defensive back made a leaping interception of a Graham Mertz pass that might as well have been intended for his waiting arms. The Lions ran out the clock for a sea- son-opening road win. 5. Curtis Jacobs versus Michigan, 2022 Jacobs gave Penn State a 14-13 lead in Ann Arbor thanks to his first and only pick six as a Nittany Lion. Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy took the snap, rolled to his right, and tried to unload a short pass. Defensive end Chop Robinson batted it toward defensive tackle Coziah Izzard, and the ball then caromed off of Izzard into Jacobs' arms. He raced to the end zone for an improbable second-quarter touchdown, one of the few highlights for Penn State in a 41-17 loss. Parker Washington caught at least 1 pass in all 32 games he played for the Nittany Lions. His 146 career catches rank 10th in program history. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 10 9