Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
1 0 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. Tyler Warren | TE The Virginia native came to Penn State as a quarterback with plans to transition to tight end. Before last season, he would cer- tainly have been somewhere on this list, but not at No. 1. However, by the end of the 2024 campaign, he was a shoo-in for the top spot. Warren did a little bit of every- thing as part of an attack designed by first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to fully exploit his wide-ranging skill set. Warren won the Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end, was a con- sensus All-American and shattered a variety of Penn State and Big Ten records for tight ends. Perhaps most impressive, he became the first Nittany Lion ever to surpass 100 receptions in a season, finishing with 104 for 1,233 yards and 8 touchdowns. Along the way, he tied an FBS record for single- game catches by a tight end with 17 for 224 yards at USC. 2. Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT Fashanu came to national prominence in 2022 after a quiet first two years in State College during which he suited up for only nine games. He took over the Lions' left tackle spot as a redshirt sophomore and earned All-America honors from Walter Camp (second team) and Phil Steele (third team) despite playing in only eight games before suffering a season-ending injury. While the injury may have cost him some playing time during the 2022 campaign, it did not slow his progress. As a redshirt junior in 2023, he earned Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year honors and became the program's 44th consensus All-American. A team captain, he didn't allow a single sack in 382 pass-blocking snaps during his final sea- son, per Pro Football Focus. 3. Ji'Ayir Brown | S Brown will likely go down as one of the more underrated players of this recruiting class and perhaps the James Franklin coach- ing era. A two-time third-team All-Big Ten selection, he started 26 games during his final two seasons in blue and white, and was both a high-impact defender and a model of consistency. During his time in State College, he racked up 153 tackles in 35 games. He was also a takeaway machine, totaling 10 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. 4. Parker Washington | WR Washington caught a pass in every game in which he played for Penn State, finishing with 146 receptions to rank 10th in program history. He amassed 1,920 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over 32 games, which included 24 starts in three seasons. He was a Freshman All-America pick by multiple outlets in 2020 before earning third- team All-Big Ten notice from Pro Football Focus in 2021. In addition to his offensive contributions, Washington returned punts for the Nittany Lions in his final season. 5. Curtis Jacobs | LB Jacobs made at least one All-Big Ten team in each of his three seasons at Penn State. After totaling 61 tackles over 12 games (with 11 starts) as a sophomore in 2021, he turned in a 52-tackle season in 2022 that also included an in- terception return for a touchdown. In his final season as a Nit- tany Lion, the Maryland native made 50 stops over 13 games and added a pair of fumble recoveries. Year-By-Year Record 2020: 4-5, 4-5 Big Ten, no bowl appearance. Final rankings: AP unranked, Coaches unranked 2021: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten. Final rankings: AP unranked, Coaches unranked 2022: 11-2, 7-2 Big Ten, Rose Bowl vs. Utah (W, 35-21). Final rankings: AP No. 7, Coaches No. 7 2023: 10-3, 7-2 Big Ten, Peach Bowl vs. Ole Miss (L, 38-25). Final rankings: AP No. 13, Coaches No. 13 2024: 13-3, 8-1 Big Ten, Fiesta Bowl (CFP quarterfinal) vs. Boise State (W, 31-14), Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal) vs. Notre Dame (L, 27-24). Final rankings: AP No. 5, Coaches No. 5 Five-Year Record Overall: 45-19 (.703) Big Ten: 30-15 (.666) Bowl Games: 3-3 Big Ten Teams' Overall Winning Percentages 2020-24 Rk. School Rec. Pct. 1. Ohio State 54-8 .871 2. Michigan 50-12 .806 3. Oregon* 49-13 .790 4. Penn State 45-19 .703 5. Iowa 42-20 .677 6. Washington* 38-19 .667 7. USC* 36-23 .610 8. Minnesota 35-24 .593 9. UCLA* 33-24 .579 10. Wisconsin 32-26 .552 11. Maryland 29-27 .518 12. Illinois 30-28 .517 13. Michigan State 27-29 .482 14. Indiana 26-31 .456 15. Rutgers 26-34 .433 16. Purdue 24-33 .421 17. Northwestern 23-35 .397 18. Nebraska 22-35 .386 *Completed first year in the Big Ten in 2024 Olumuyiwa Fashanu started only 21 games for the Nittany Lions but still devel- oped into a first-round draft choice of the New York Jets in 2024. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL