Penn State Football: Top-25 players of the James Franklin Era
By Brad Weiss
Penn State Football: Top-25 players of the James Franklin Era
player. 806. . Safety. Nittany Lions . Marcus Allen. 3
When it comes to defensive backs, Marcus Allen stands alone as the best to ever do it for head coach James Franklin. After racking up 81 tackles as a sophomore, Allen returned in 2016 with an even bigger season, posting 110 tackles while being named third-team all-Big Ten.
It was during that 2016 season that Allen etched his name in Penn State history, as his block of an Ohio State field goal attempt led to Grant Haley returning the ball 60 yards for a touchdown, a play that proved to be the difference in a monster upset win over the No. 2 Buckeyes. In 2017, Allen would be named the semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe award alongside Haley, and his 22 tackles against Minnesota is the third most all-time in NCAA history in a single game.
Allen finished his career fifth all-time in Penn State history in tackles with 321, becoming the sixth player in program history to have 300 tackles in a career. He capped off his career by being named Defensive Most Valuable Player of the Fiesta Bowl and would go on to be a fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.