Which Penn State Football Players Would Have Benefited From NIL?

5. Allen Robinson

Allen Robinson was a star on the 2012 and 2013 Penn State teams.

The wide receiver was the go-to target for both Matt McGloin and Christian Hackenberg. In his three years at Penn State, Robinson caught 177 passes for 2,479 yards and 17 touchdowns. He capped off his Penn State career with a senior season of 97 catches for 1,432 yards and six touchdowns.

While his numbers were impressive, there’s a few other factors that would have made Robinson a big player in NIL.

As Penn State fans know, the 2012 and 2013 seasons were some rough years. The NCAA sanctions were in full affect and a lot of star players left the program prior to the 2012 season. Instead of leaving, Robinson, then a sophomore, decided to stay and turn into a star.

Any player who stayed automatically became a fan favorite and had the full support of the fan base. Add on that Robinson was the best player of those teams, and you could see how his phone would be ringing off the hook with calls asking him to do appearances at a local restaurant or business.

There is one play that would have made Robinson one of NIL’s biggest beneficiaries, and that’s his leaping grab against Michigan in the 2013 Whiteout game. The Nittany Lions upset Michigan in four overtimes and it would not have been possible without Robinson’s catch on the final drive of the game that put the Nittany Lions on the one-yard line and allowed them to score the game-tying touchdown.

Almost every Penn State fan has either a framed photo, a poster or a flag of that play somewhere in their house.  Imagine how much Robinson would’ve made if he was able to sign the photos and sell them or put the picture on shirts. The possibilities would have been endless.