Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 111 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M GOLDEN ISRAEL-ACHUMBA OL 0 Israel-Achumba appeared in 16 games be- fore entering the transfer portal following the 2023 season. He did not end up resuming his playing career elsewhere. COZIAH IZZARD DT 7 Izzard had a more impactful role at Penn State than his seven starts might indicate. He was a key part of the defensive line in 2023 and '24 when he appeared in 26 games and totaled 31 tackles, including 10.5 for loss and 5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Izzard signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs after going undrafted this past April. CURTIS JACOBS LB 36 Jacobs' pick six against Michigan in 2022 was a career highlight, but he was a solid player throughout his time in State College, finish- ing with 162 tackles and 9.5 sacks. In 2023 at Iowa, he also became the first Nittany Lion to have 2 fumble recoveries in a single game since Mark D'Onofrio did it against Temple on Oct. 5, 1991. ENZO JENNINGS S 0 Jennings made just one game appearance in two seasons with the Lions before entering the transfer portal. He recorded no counting stats at Penn State and never did resume his playing career elsewhere. JOSEPH JOHNSON CB 0 Johnson spent just one season with the Lions and did not see game action. He later transferred to Campbell. THEO JOHNSON TE 29 Johnson was part of an outstanding tight ends room during his time at Penn State. In 2023, he combined with Tyler Warren and current senior Khalil Dinkins for 16 touch- downs, the most in the country for any tight end group. In 44 games with the Nittany Lions, Johnson tallied 77 receptions for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is preparing for his second NFL season after having been chosen in the fourth round by the New York Giants in 2024. KEANDRE LAMBERT-SMITH WR 38 Lambert-Smith tallied 116 receptions for 1,721 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2020- 23. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick in 2023 before moving on to Auburn last spring. In his lone season with the Tigers, Lam- bert-Smith caught 50 passes for 981 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was a fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2025 NFL Draft. KEYVONE LEE RB 7 Lee got off to a strong start at Penn State. During his true freshman season, he led the team with 438 yards on 89 carries. The fol- lowing year, he carried 108 times for 503 yards. However, when Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen arrived as true freshmen in 2022, Lee saw his role diminish. He played in only five games that year before moving on to Mississippi State. In two seasons with the Bulldogs, he ran for 1,277 yards and 7 touch- downs on 263 carries while earning playing time in 39 games. He has since transferred to UNLV, where he will play his final college sea- son this fall. MALICK MEIGA WR 0 Meiga was a special teams ace and team captain who saw limited offensive duty in his four seasons with the Lions. He hauled in 7 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown before leaving for Coastal Carolina last year. Meiga caught 7 passes for 117 yards in 2024 and returns for a final season with the Chanticleers this fall. BRYCE MOSTELLA DL 0 Mostella spent just one season at Penn State and did not see game action. The for- mer three-star prospect entered the transfer portal but did not resume his playing career elsewhere. FATORMA MULBAH DT 0 Mulbah played primarily on special teams for three seasons before leaving for West Virginia after the 2022 campaign. He made 25 tackles while playing in all 13 games and starting one for the Mountaineers in 2023 be- fore racking up 50 tackles and a sack last fall. Mulbah signed a free agent contract with the New York Jets after not being selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. BRANDON TAYLOR DL 0 Taylor was dismissed from the team before the 2020 season. He never landed at a new college after that. IBRAHIM TRAORE OL 0 Traore appeared in just one game during his first four seasons. He transferred to Toledo prior to the 2024 campaign and played in 12 games as a reserve offensive lineman. He is back with the Rockets this fall. AMIN VANOVER DE 0 Vanover had an up-and-down career at Penn State but appeared in all 16 games last fall, making 21 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 3.5 sacks. He had hoped to return in 2025, but his petition for a sixth season of eligibility was denied by the NCAA, bringing his college career to a close. Vanover did not sign with an NFL team after going undrafted in April. TYLER WARREN TE 31 Warren had an important role at Penn State even before his final season, which is when he turned into a superstar and even- tual first-round NFL Draft pick of the India- napolis Colts. From throwing passes to run- ning for touchdowns and of course catching them, he finished 2024 with 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and 8 touchdowns, while adding 218 rushing yards and 4 TDs on 26 carries. He even had a scoring toss to Nicholas Singleton. Warren was the Mackey Award winner last year, a unanimous first- team All-Big Ten selection and a consensus All-American. He's the only Nittany Lion to ever top 100 receptions in a single season. His career receiving stat line stands at 153 catches for 1,839 yards and 19 scores. War- ren accounted for 25 total touchdowns, which is tops among Penn State tight ends all-time. PARKER WASHINGTON WR 24 Washington had a rather short but impactful career in blue and white. He caught at least 1 pass in all 32 career games and finished with 146 receptions for 1,920 yards and 12 touchdowns while also serving as the team's leading punt returner in 2022. His 9 receptions against Maryland in 2020 are still a PSU single- game record for a freshman. Washington was named a Freshman All-American by The Ath- letic that year and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice in 2022. He is now with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Final Grade: C This group was top heavy, to say the least, and greatly impacted by trans- fers. While Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Tyler Warren helped lift this grade immensely in addition to what Ji'Ayir Brown, Curtis Jacobs and Theo John- son, among others, did in blue and white, 14 of the signees — more than half the class — hit the portal, and the majority did so after doing little to nothing in State College. Zuriah Fisher and Nick Dawkins still have a chance to pull this mark higher. For now, though, this is a class with not enough con- tributors, let alone stars.