The Hidden College Power in the NFL
When an NFL fan thinks of the big college football powers, their mind will most likely fall on a few household names: Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame. These are schools that have produced top-flight and high quality talent for years now, and their success has been often documented every week in the NFL. The likes of Heisman-winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith, 2023 second overall pick CJ Stroud, or star guard Quenton Nelson are big names with success or high expectations to back up their touting from their college. These three schools outwardly appear on another tier to football fans, them and likely Michigan as well, but after those four, there is another tier of schools where more and more NFL names hail from: Georgia, Southern California (USC), Texas, Florida, and LSU, among others all have multiple big-name players in the league, who are instantly recognized partially for the college they were drafted or brought out of.
However, when thinking about these schools who are powers in the NFL, one flies under the radar for producing high-quality talent consistently, and creating players with a philosophy built in to lead their team and keep stability.
Adrian Amos, Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, Jahan Dotson, Pat Freiermuth, Miles Sanders, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, Mike Gesicki, Jaquan Brisker, Nick Scott, Odafe Oweh; all of these players are Nittany Lions hailing from the Pennsylvania State University.
Since their hiring of head coach James Franklin in 2014, Penn State has undertaken a new mentality, and their program has experienced an absolute renaissance, becoming a perennial contender for the Big Ten championship. Franklin’s coaching has gotten back to the old-school style of Penn State football; a focus on defense and the run game to wear down the opponent. In his system, there isn’t much of a need for a supremely athletic quarterback, or breakaway explosive receivers, because the rest of the offense and team is able to take care of the game from there.
However, this focus allows defensive schemes to back off of Penn State’s receivers and allow those receivers to have great success in focusing on fundamentals, making the easy catches and figuring out ways to turn those easy catches into easy yards. It is a philosophy that is very different from the current direction that football is going, and it allows Penn State’s offensive players to have success in the league.
Penn State’s defensive players are able to thrive in a system where they are coached by some of the best defensive minds in football, and the players learn and become able to read a play from any position; defensive tackle, middle linebacker, strong safety, it does not matter to Penn State, everyone knows the kind of play that is coming, and how to defend against it. This intelligence for the game is something that isn’t taught in every college football program, where sometimes it is moreover a matter of trust between a few defensive players and the rest of the front to coordinate. This intelligence for plays and knowledge of so many different schemes is what puts Penn State’s players ahead of other programs’ defensive talent.
This difference in philosophy and how much of a contrast there is between the way a typical NCAA football program is run and how Penn State is run is what makes that list of talents stand out, and those names are 14 of the 47 Penn State players currently in the NFL, with a few being key pieces to their team’s success!
Micah Parsons is an absolute difference maker for the Dallas Cowboys’ defense at linebacker, he is a force to be reckoned with, and his Defensive Rookie of the Year accolades along with already finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and 2 All-Pro selections to his name in his second season is a statement to Parsons’ talent and skill at his position.
After the loss of Orlando Brown Jr. this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs turned around and signed former Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith, the man who was trusted with covering Tom Brady’s blind side during his time in Tampa Bay.
Saquon Barkley’s 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns were the engine to the New York Giants’ offense this past season, and allowed the Giants the amount of success that they had. Without him, the Giants’ offense would have floundered, as Barkley brings an entire new element to that offense, both as a bell cow back, a receiving back, and a dynamic speedy back.
These are just three of many examples of former Nittany Lions being key pieces on their respective NFL teams. So, the next time someone says they think Alabama, Ohio State, or Notre Dame are the premier power for players in the NFL, here is an argument to include Penn State in that list as well.
