Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
6 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F ormer Penn State star and four- time All-Pro Micah Parsons is back on the practice field. The standout Green Bay Packers pass rusher, who tore his ACL last Decem- ber, had hoped to miss maybe a month of the season, and, at most, six to eight weeks. However, his first practice was Nov. 5, before Green Bay's Week 9 clash with the New England Patriots. Per The Athletic, a realistic target date for him to return to the field is Week 12, when the Packers battle the Los Angeles Rams on Thanksgiving Eve. Even that is far from a guarantee. "I won't say too much, because even if I did play, I don't want them to game plan," Parsons said in early November. "I just want it to be a surprise, and I just want it to be a fulfilling moment for myself, the staff and just to enjoy that day and not put too much pressure on that day. "My family has even been asking me, 'You going to play? Should we buy flights to come out there?' And I'm tell- ing them, 'I've still got two weeks of practice. … You can buy your flight and cancel last minute. That's up to you.' But I'm not going to pinpoint a day to disap- point anyone or get people's expecta- tions [up] that I can't meet. I've got to stack 20 days [of practice], and hope- fully on that 21st day, I feel incredible." Parsons' goal is to use the full 21 days he is allowed to practice after being ac- tivated from the physically unable to perform list before making a decision on when he will return. If things go well, he'll be progressing from individual work toward being more of a full par- ticipant in practice by mid-November. In the interim, Parsons is focused on being as close to 100 percent as pos- sible when he returns. He's been having fun watching fellow Penn State football alumnus Dani Dennis-Sutton thrive during his rookie year with the Pack- ers. Selected in the fourth round of last April's NFL Draft, the former Nittany Lion defensive end has impressed, to- taling 3 sacks through nine games. With the Packers eyeing the playoffs at 6-3, Parsons has been helping him get ready for what comes next. "I said, 'I get it, you're at Penn State last year, you're getting ready to think about the bowl game you're heading to,'" Parsons said. "But I said November gets ready for December, and December tells us who we're going to be for the playoffs. … You're going to have all the film out, six, seven games, so it's go- ing to get harder. It's going to be more challenging, but we've got to be ready to step up. That's what I'm excited for. "I came back for the greatest time of football, and that's November football and December football." FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL As of Nov. 9 Drew Allar (Played at Penn State from 2022-25), QB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Allar is the Steelers' fourth-string quarterback. He has yet to see any game action. Kaytron Allen (2022-25), RB, Miami Dol- phins: Miami claimed Allen off waivers on Oct. 9. He contributed on special teams in Week 8, playing 16 snaps and recording 2 tackles on punt coverage. No offensive sta- tistics were listed through Week 9. Saquon Barkley (2015-17), RB, Philadel- phia Eagles: Barkley has rushed for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns on 69 carries in seven games while adding 7 receptions for 41 yards. He scored a rushing touchdown in each of Philadelphia's Weeks 7, 8 and 9 games, including a 22-yard rushing perfor- mance against the Giants on Nov. 8. Micah Parsons Looking To Return For Playoff Push G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS Out of action since sustaining a torn ACL against Denver last December, Parsons returned to the practice field for Green Bay on Nov. 5. PHOTO COURTESY GREEN BAY PACKERS