The Penn State football Seniors will get one more chance to play in Beaver Stadium this weekend as they host Illinois. Will some of them take advantage of an NCAA rule and run it back in 2021?
Penn State football entered Saturday’s game against Michigan State honoring the 12 Seniors on this team, not knowing that 24 hours later the Big Ten would announce that during “champions week” the Nittany Lions will host Illinois at Beaver Stadium this coming Saturday, in what will be the regular season finale of 2020.
Those Seniors will get a second crack at Senior Day, but thanks to an NCAA rule put in place this season, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all players will receive a make good on this season. Meaning that 2020 will not count towards their eligibility, so all Seniors could return in 2021 for a victory lap. If they and the program so choose.
Penn State football not only has those 12 Seniors, but a handful of draft eligible Juniors who will have to make a tough decision whenever this season comes to an end.
All programs across the college football landscape will have Seniors and draft eligible Juniors who will be faced with this decision, and it could have a big impact on not only how we view teams in 2021 but also the NFL Draft in April.
Let’s take a look at the Nittany Lions who will be faced with this decision, and take our best guess at who will be back in 2021 and who will be playing on Sundays.:
Will Fries – Guard/Tackle
Redshirt Senior Will Fries has played a lot of football for head coach James Franklin in his five years at Penn State. The New Jersey native has started 40 games along the offensive line during his tenure in Happy Valley, while appearing in seven others.
Not many players across the country will have played in almost 50 games during their college careers. Fries graduated prior to last season’s Cotton Bowl appearance, leading many to believe that would be his last game. The Senior’s draft stock is mostly unknown at this time, as he has not been invited to any post season all-star games to this point.
He made mention to this decision in a press conference last week, and certainly left the door open to returning in 2021.
Prediction: Fries stays and continues to add veteran leadership to this offensive line group in 2021.
Antonio Shelton – Defensive Tackle
Defensive tackle Antonio Shelton is another redshirt Senior who has played a lot of football in the blue and white.
Shelton has played in 32 games and made 19 starts for the Nittany Lions, a mainstay in the middle of this defensive line for two years now, anchoring one of the best rush defenses in the country.
The redshirt Senior is 23 years old already, and six years is a LONG time to be in college. Shelton falls into the same category as Fries in that he has not been invited to any post season all-star games, and could easily go undrafted.
Shelton has had a solid year, with 2.5 sacks and three and a half tackles for loss, and could be a nice undrafted free agent for an NFL team this spring.
Prediction: Shelton leaves for the NFL and will sign with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
Tariq Castro-Fields – Cornerback
Earlier this season cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields was awarded an invitation to the 2021 Reese’s Senior in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is the premiere post season all-star game for Seniors across the country to showcase their talents for NFL teams.
Castro-Fields has missed the last five games due to injury, and whether or not we see him again this season it would not make much sense for him to return in 2021.
Some draft sites have him as high as a 3rd or 4th round pick in April’s NFL Draft, and the Senior Bowl is a chance for him to solidify or possibly improve on that draft stock.
Castro-Fields has 12 total tackles and one pass breakup in his three starts this season.
Prediction: Castro-Fields will enter the NFL Draft and get drafted and be playing on Sundays next fall.
Shaka Toney – Defensive end
Senior defensive end Shaka Toney will join teammate Tariq Castro-Fields at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama after this season.
Toney, a redshirt senior has started in 20 games and appeared in 33 in is time with Penn State football, and has put together a nice career. The Philadelphia native has 19.5 sacks and 28.5 tackles for loss in his career, and should hear his name called sometime in the 3rd or 4th round during the NFL Draft.
Toney is a leader on this team, and was another senior many thought played their last game during the Cotton Bowl, however decided to stay in school for one last ride with his teammates in 2020.
Franklin will not be as lucky this time around, as Toney should rightfully go get his money.
Prediction: Toney enters the NFL Draft and will hear his name called on Day 2.
Jaquan Brisker – Safety
Senior safety Jaquan Brisker is only in his second season with the Penn State football program after spending his first two years of eligibility at Lackawanna Community College.
Rated as the 12th best JUCO player in the country according to 247, Brisker was a big get at the time for Franklin and the Nittany Lions. He is only in his first year starting, but did appear in all 13 games last season and received almost starter reps as the third safety in dime and nickel packages.
Brisker is getting better with every passing game, totaling 50 tackles this season, three tackles for loss and an interception, building on last seasons two interception performance. At six-foot-one and 212 pounds the Pittsburgh native looks the part of an NFL safety, however a lack of film might hurt him come draft time.
Draftscout.com has Brisker as potentially a 5th or 6th round pick, but another season of big time college football could do wonders for him, and potentially even net him a Senior Bowl invite.
Prediction: Brisker shocks a lot of people and returns, anchoring a young secondary in 2021 and vastly improving his draft stock along the way.
Lamont Wade – Safety
Senior safety Lamont Wade was one of the first truly highly touted recruits of the James Franklin era, a high 4-star recruit out of Clairton, Pa.
Wade started his career at cornerback before he was ultimately moved to safety where he has made 20 starts and appeared in 33 games. Fans were excited about Wade’s potential in 2020 after a 2019 campaign where he was all over the field for Brent Pry’s defense, tallying two sacks and three forced fumbles.
The senior has been a punching bag for Penn State fans this season, as he has been the target of blame for subpar secondary play, and at times, rightfully so. Wade has one interception this season, but no sacks, no forced fumbles or tackles for loss.
He is another Nittany Lion with a cloudy draft stock, but was honored with a selection to the 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl. Unfortunately for him, that game will not be played due to Covid-19 concerns.
Prediction: Wade will leave for the NFL Draft, possibly going undrafted but will find himself on a NFL roster next fall.
Michael Menet – Center
Not many players on this roster have played more college football then redshirt senior Michael Menet.
The Pa native has started 32 games at center, appearing in 44 for the Nittany Lions, and will join his teammates Shaka Toney and Tariq Castro-Fields at the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl this offseason.
Profotballnetwork.com just recently listed Menet as one of the biggest risers in draft stock, and labeled him one of the best kept secrets at the center position in this year’s draft. Draftscout.com has him as a 4th or 5th round pick at the moment, but like his teammates, a solid performance in Mobile, Alabama could improve on that.
After five years with the program, a Senior Bowl invite and all this game film for NFL teams, it is fair to assume coming back for another season could actually do more harm then good for Menet.
This feels like one of the easier predictions.
Prediction: Menet will enter the NFL Draft and be anchoring an NFL offensive line this time next year.
Jahan Dotson – Wide Receiver
Jahan Dotson is not a senior, but is a draft eligible junior, and after putting together a stellar junior campaign could be on his way out to the door to the NFL.
Coming into the season, the wide receivers unit had a lot of question marks, one being whether or not Dotson could take over as the No. 1 wideout in the wake of KJ Hamler leaving early for the NFL.
The Nazareth, Pa native has answered those questions and then some, leading the Big Ten with 695 receiving yards. He has 46 receptions and six touchdowns this year, and even got in the mix on special teams Saturday when he ran a punt back 81 yards for a touchdown, earning Big Ten special teams player of the week honors because of it.
Dotson presumably made himself a lot of money in Penn State’s week 2 prime time matchup with Ohio State, when he torched Buckeyes cornerback Sean Wade for eight receptions, 144 yards and three touchdowns. Wade is almost certainly a first round pick in this April’s draft, and potentially even the first corner off the board.
Dotson’s stock may never be higher then it is right now, and most likely could only hurt that if he returns for his senior season.
Prediction: Dotson cashes in on his spectacular junior season and will forego his senior season and hear his name called in the 2nd or 3rd round of the NFL draft in April.
Jayson Oweh – Defensive End
Defensive end Jayson Oweh is only a redshirt sophomore but is draft eligible and seems like maybe the most predictable of all the Nittany Lions when it comes to this decision.
Oweh is being mocked and projected as potentially a first round draft pick in the NFL draft, along with former teammate linebacker Micah Parsons.
You hate to read too much into a player’s social media, however, this offseason Oweh seemed to be around Parsons a lot, training out in California, and even led some to think he would opt out of this season to prepare for the draft.
Oweh is still rather raw, only having made eight starts in his Penn State football career. He has not had the 2020 season many expected, as he has not recorded a sack, but does have six and a half tackles for loss. He did record seven sacks in his two years prior, including five in 2019.
Despite a lack of production or game film, Oweh is going to be a combine freak and paired with his athleticism and bend, he is going to be a high draft pick. This one is a no brainer.