Former Penn State Football standout wide receiver Chris Godwin is one of four former Nittany Lions set to play in Super Bowl LV.
Big time players, make big time plays in big games.
Chris Godwin did just that on one of the biggest stages in college football, the 2017 Rose Bowl.
Penn State Football had a miraculous season turnaround when they defeated the 2nd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2016 season, propelling them to a Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans.
A battle of blue bloods on the biggest stage in the best setting in all of sports.
The Nittany Lions would go on to lose an instant classic to Sam Darnold and the Trojans, 52-49, but Godwin had a game for the ages. Hauling in nine passed for 187 yards and two touchdowns, including an insane one handed grab earlier in the game, and a tip-drill reception that went for a 72 yard touchdown in the second half.
After the season, Godwin would declare for the NFL Draft and be selected in the third round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. An NFL league source tells FanSided National NFL insider Matt Lombardo that Godwin’s Rose Bowl performance was what got him drafted in the third round. He torched eventual first round pick that day Adoree’ Jackson, which seemed to turn the heads of NFL scouts and teams.
Godwin now prepares for an ever bigger game, on a bigger stage as the Buccaneers prepare to take on the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
The Philadelphia native has caught 65 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns this season, quickly becoming one of quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite targets.
However, it comes to no surprise to his former head coach, James Franklin.
"“He’s a coach’s dream because he’s high production and low maintenance. He’s a quarterback’s best friend because he’s all substance and no flash” Franklin tells FanSided. “Chris is really a throwback.”"
That low maintenance mentality has come in handy this season and with the Bucs, as he must share the ball with fellow teammates Mike Evans and Antonio Brown. Brady does a great job of spreading the ball around to all of his targets as always, but Godwin has stayed patient as he watches Evans put together a season of 70 receptions, 1,000 yards and 13 scores. Brown who joined the team later in the season has put up good numbers even in less games, grabbing 45 passes for 483 yards and four scores.
Godwin is a free agent after this season, and according to Pro Football Focus, is in line for a big payday upwards of $20 million dollars a year. FanSided caught up with his former college offensive coordinator Joe Moorehead on what makes the wideout so good.
"“He’s a very refined route-runner,” Moorhead said. “He’s able to make contested catches in traffic look routine. He’s also got an incredibly wide catch radius and deceptive speed.”"
Godwin had a monster game in the NFC Championship game win with five receptions for 110 yards, including a a 52 yard grab where he went up and got it to keep the drive alive, setting upa Leonard Fournette touchdown.
"“We always said ‘there’s no such thing as a 50/50 ball, it’s a 100/0 ball” Moorehead explained to FanSided."
Godwin has made a living winning those 50/50 balls in the NFL, just as he did on that big stage in 2017 in the Rose Bowl.
Time will tell if he has another big performance in him for Sunday afternoon. What we do know though, is that the former Nittany Lion is a big time player, and if the past is any indication of the future, he will once again rise up on the biggest stage.