Predicting which Penn State Football players will stay or go
Penn State Football has already gotten announcements from two key starters in Sean Clifford and Brandon Smith on where they will play in 2022, and we expect to hear from further members of the team in the coming days
As the Outback Bowl nears for Penn State Football, so too does the announcements of players that will head off to the NFL, and which will return in 2022.
Penn State Football has already learned of the future of two key players in quarterback Sean Clifford and linebacker Brandon Smith.
Last week, Clifford announced he will come back to State College for a sixth season and most likely be the starting quarterback and have a chance to mentor the young incoming freshman signal callers, including five star recruit Drew Allar.
Friday, Brandon Smith announced he will be opting out of the Outback Bowl and entering the NFL Draft after three seasons with the Nittany Lions. Smith had an up and down year, but is a huge loss for Manny Diaz’s defense in 2022.
We are going to take a shot at predicting what some of the other key Nittany Lions might do this offseason, but we are not going to disect the decisions for Jahan Dotson or Jaquan Brisker. They are both headed off to the NFL, and should be.
Dotson looks to be almost a lock to be a first round pick, while Dotson could sneak his way into the first round but at worst will be a second round pick in April’s NFL Draft.
The only decision pending for each of them will be whether or not they decide to play in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas on New Year’s Day.
Who stays, and who goes for Penn State Football in 2022?
Jesse Luketa – Defensive End/Linebacker
Luketa made the position switch to defensive end before the season out of necessity, after Adisa Isaac went down with a season ending injury in training camp.
The senior struggled at linebacker in 2020 in the absence of Micah Parsons, but shined at defensive end this past season, even accepting a Senior Bowl invitation which is the premiere post season event for seniors who have NFL draft grades.
Last season, Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields both accepted Senior Bowl invited but ultimately ended up returning to Happy Valley for a final season, and it really paid off for Brisker, who may even end up being a first round pick this April.
Luketa already said he will absolutely play in the Outback Bowl for the Nittany Lions on New Year’s Day, and mentioned he has had good conversations with Manny Diaz the teams new defensive coordinator which could bode well for Penn State Football and the possibility of him returning.
Luketa would benefit from another season at defensive end, however he is best friends with Micah Parsons who is living the NFL lifestyle, and I think that allure will pull ultimately lead Luketa to the league.
Prediction: Luketa will enter his name into the NFL Draft after the Outback Bowl.