Penn State's Captains to Continue Their Lead at the Peach Bowl
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Even before the season, before he had made any substantial decisions about his future, Penn State football captain Theo Johnson knew one thing: He would play in a bowl game. So Johnson, who in December announced plans to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, also will join the Nittany Lions at the Dec. 30 Peach Bowl against Ole Miss.
And he's not alone. At least eight of Penn State's draft-eligible players will finish the season in Atlanta, each with individual programs concerning how many snaps they'll play. That includes left tackle Olu Fashanu, Penn State's first consensus All-American on the offensive line since 1995. Fashanu is a near-certain top-10 pick in the draft but is practicing with the Lions and has one more road trip to make with his team.
"I’m a captain," Fashanu said. "No matter what decision I make [regarding the draft], I made a commitment to this team until the end of the season. And the season’s still not over yet."
At Penn State's bowl media day Friday, eight draft-eligible players said they will travel with the Lions for the Peach Bowl game against Ole Miss. Joining Johnson and Fashanu on the bowl roster will be fellow captain Adisa Isaac, tight end Tyler Warren, cornerback Daequan Hardy, linebacker Curtis Jacobs (who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft on Friday), center Hunter Nourzad and defensive tackle Dvon Ellies. Some, such as Fashanu, were unsure how many snaps that would include. But all said they felt a need to close this season with their team. In particular, captains Johnson, Fashanu and Isaac described a leadership commitment to be there.
"You start something, you've got to finish it," Isaac said. "... Me leaving now wouldn't sit right with me."
Just one player, All-America defensive end Chop Robinson, has announced plans to opt out of the bowl game. Others still could follow. Among the draft-eligible players who did not attend Friday's day were cornerbacks Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, offensive linemen Caedan Wallace and Sal Wormley and receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
Penn State coach James Franklin has called himself a "big believer" that bowls benefit players and has had relatively strong buy-in with the idea. Though six starters opted out of the 2022 Outback Bowl, Penn State has brought largely full teams to bowl games. Saquon Barkley played in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl (which Franklin brings up often), Miles Sanders played in the 2018 Citrus Bowl and Ji'Ayir Brown was the defensive MVP of last year's Rose Bowl. Only cornerback Joey Porter Jr. opted out of that game, and he had an appendectomy late in the regular season.
They players have differing reasons. Johnson, Fashanu and Isaac cited their captaincies and a discussion that went back to last season. For that reason, Johnson called playing in the Peach Bowl a "no-brainer."
"Regardless if I was leaving or what, I knew I was going to play in the game," Johnson said. "We just have a culture at Penn State of guys finishing out the season. Obviously different guys make different decisions, but I think more times than not, guys decided they're going to stay. Being a captain, that was really important for me to make that decision. So I thought that was important for me and a promise I wanted to make to coach Franklin."
Hardy said he wanted to showcase his three-position skills at cornerback, nickel and punt returner. And Jacobs, whose first season was 2020, sought closure from that year. Later Friday, Jacobs declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
"Obviously I didn’t have the best start at Penn State," Jacobs said. "When I first got here we were 0-5, so I just wanted to do something for this team that we could hang our hats on. I feel like this season has been a big part of that."
Added Jacobs, "These are the guys we struggled with early Tuesday and Thursday mornings during the winter and struggled with during the summer in those dog days. I just feel like for me personally it’s important to finish it out. I feel like we have a lot to play for, and this could be a chance for us to win every New Year’s 6 bowl. So I think we could really be a team that’s special."
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