Blue White Illustrated

a statement announcing his departure that he was proud to have been a part of the Nittany Lions' re-emergence as a nationally relevant program. "I came to Penn State not only to pur- sue a degree from the greatest university in the nation, but also to play in the best atmosphere in college football and bring Penn State back to prominence," he said. "Through a lot of hard work over the last three years, I'd like to believe that myself and my brothers have successfully ac- complished that." Listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, God- win led the Nittany Lions in receiving the past two seasons. He finished his ca- reer ranked fourth in school history with 2,404 receiving yards and seventh with 153 catches and is tied for fourth place with 18 career receiving touchdowns. A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, he's only the third Penn State player to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in a season, join- ing Bobby Engram and Allen Robinson in that exclusive club. Godwin was especially effective in bowl games. He played in three, and he shined in all of them, catching seven passes for 140 yards and a touchdown against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl as a true freshman, then totaling six catches for 133 yards against Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl a year later. And then came his marvelous night in Pasadena, a game in which he set Penn State bowl records for most catches, most yards and most touchdowns and prompted lots of gushing on Twitter from the likes of SBNation ("Chris God- win is a dang Jedi"), North Carolina standout Ryan Switzer ("#12 for Penn St is puttin' on a show") and former NFL great Chad Johnson ("Chris Godwin is snagging everything out there!!"). Godwin was one of the top prospects in James Franklin's first recruiting class at Penn State. He had been recruited by the previous staff, with then-receivers coach Stan Hixon taking the lead, and he committed to the Lions in the spring of 2013. He held firm to that commitment after the coaching change, in part be- cause he was already familiar with Franklin and receivers coach Josh Gattis, who had tried to recruit him while still at Vanderbilt. Godwin said at the time, "I know that the coaches there will really teach me the kind of stuff that will take me to the next level." Now that the allure of a pro career is drawing Godwin away, Franklin said he's grateful for the contributions the re- ceiver made to the team during his three seasons in University Park. "Chris has been a leader in our wide receivers' room and on this team throughout his Penn State career," Franklin said. "He is one of the top re- ceivers in Penn State history and has made numerous memorable catches throughout his career. We are thankful for all of Chris's contributions to Penn State football and look forward to seeing him excel on the next level." Godwin is rated the 12th-best wideout in the draft by CBSSports.com and a third-round pick. USA Today draft ana- lyst Luke Easterling said Godwin "has the size of an NFL starter, and despite a lack of elite deep speed, has an other- wise well-rounded skill set that could make him a Day 2 pick." Godwin was one of two Penn State juniors to announce plans to enter the Now that Penn State junior receiver Chris Godwin has announced that he will forgo his final season of eligibility with the Nittany Lions to enter the NFL Draft, it's time to take a look back at the wideout's unique talent. We've put to- gether our list of his top five receptions this past season, ranked according to their significance, degree of difficulty, game context and sheer enjoyment fac- tor. 1 PENN STATE vs. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Jan. 2, 2017 Oh, who are we kidding? There's no way to narrow Godwin's incredible Rose Bowl performance down to a single catch, so let's just work our way through the four that stand out most. We're never going to forget his 72-yard touch- down grab in the third quarter. Showing remarkable concentration, Godwin bat- tled Southern California defensive back Iman Marshall down the sideline, bob- bled the ball briefly, then secured it just as Marshall was falling to the ground, sprinting into the end zone for a 72-yard score. Next up, we're going with his 30- yard touchdown grab in the back corner of the end zone, which brought the Nit- tany Lions back from a 20-7 deficit in the second quarter. To set up that play, Godwin also made a fantastic 29-yard grab in traffic. And then there was the remarkable one-handed catch he made on a ball that was thrown a yard behind him on a crossing route. That catch went for 10 yards on third-and-9, ex- tending a critical possession for the Nittany Lions at the end of the second quarter and allowing them to go into the second half with only a six-point deficit. C H R I S G O D W I N ' S T O P C A T C H E S O F T H E Steve Manuel

• Cover