Penn State names former QB Kerry Collins honorary captain for Peach Bowl

The honorary captains for Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta have been decided and on the Penn State side, it will be legendary quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins will meet former Ole Miss wide receiver Donte Moncrief at midfield of Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the Noon ET kickoff. 

Collins played at Penn State from 1991-94 and spent the ‘93 and ‘94 seasons as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback. Across his career, he threw for 5,304 yards which ranks ninth in Penn State history, but his 2,679 yards and 21 touchdowns in 1994 was enough to finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, and be named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and an All-American. 

Penn State has never participated in the Peach Bowl, but Collins is no stranger to a New Year’s Six Bowl. In his senior season, he led Penn State to the Rose Bowl with an 11-0 regular season and beat Oregon 38-20 to finish No. 2 in the country. 

If the Nittany Lions do beat Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl, they will become the first program in the country to win all six New Year's Six bowl games.

In the 1995 NFL draft, Collins was selected fifth overall by the Carolina Panthers and spent 17 years in the NFL. In 2018, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, which he'll be able to visit in Atlanta. He was the 22nd Nittany Lions inducted into the Hall and was followed by LaVar Arrington in 2022.