UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Feb. 9, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Five Penn State football student-athletes have been invited to participate in the National Football League's 2015 Scouting Combine, the second-highest total in the Big Ten Conference.
The members of Coach James Franklin's squad participating in the NFL Combine are: defensive back Adrian Amos (Baltimore), placekicker Sam Ficken (Valparaiso, Ind.), linebacker Mike Hull (Canonsburg), tight end Jesse James (Glassport) and offensive tackle Donovan Smith (Owings Mills, Md).
The 2015 NFL Combine is set for Feb. 20-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Penn State's five-player contingent is its highest total to be invited to the NFL Combine since six Nittany Lions participated in the 2010 event. Michigan State (6) and Penn State (5) led all Big Ten teams in 2015 NFL Combine invitations.
Amos made a team-high 38 starts, including the last 37 games of this career. A starter at safety and cornerback the past three seasons, he recorded 42 tackles (30 solo), and was tied for the team lead with three interceptions during his senior campaign. The former Calvert Hall College High School standout also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and was second on the team with seven pass break-ups. An honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection, Amos helped the North squad win the Reese's Senior Bowl on Jan. 24. Amos graduated in December.
Ficken was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media after breaking the Penn State season record with 24 made field goals in 2014. He also was named to the Associated Press and SI.com All-Bowl Teams after connecting on a 45-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to tie the game, 24-24, and then sparked the celebration as he converted his fourth extra point of the night to give Penn State the 31-30 victory. Ficken's 54 career field goals are No 2 in school history and he is fourth on the career scoring list with 264 points. The former Valparaiso High School standout was selected Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week four times in his career. A co-captain, Ficken is on schedule to graduate in May.
Hull earned eight All-America recognitions last fall, including FWAA, Sporting News and USA Today second-team honors and Associated Press third-team accolades. The 2014 Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, Hull led the conference with 140 tackles (9th in FBS) and had 10.5 TFL (minus 28), 2.0 sacks, one interception, a forced fumble, one fumble recovery and three pass break-ups. He was selected first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media, as well as BTN.com and ESPN.com. The Nittany Lions' team MVP, Hull ranks No. 6 on Penn State's career tackles list with 294 and also tied for No. 4 on the Penn State season tackles list with 140. The former Canon-McMillan High School All-American was among the four Nittany Lions invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl. He graduated last spring.
James recorded 11 career touchdown reception as a Nittany Lion, breaking a tie with College Football Hall of Fame inductee Ted Kwalick for the school record by a tight end. Named honorable-mention All-Big, James was third on the squad last season with 38 receptions for 396 yards (10.4), leading the Nittany Lions with three touchdown catches. He made a season-long 44-yard touchdown catch and run in the win over Akron, for his third career scoring grab of 40 yards or longer. The former South Allegheny High School standout made at least one catch in each of his final 18 games, including three catches for 27 yards in Penn State's 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. A starter in 31 career games over his three seasons, James made a career-high seven catches for 60 yards in the season opening win over UCF in Dublin, Ireland.
Smith started 31 of 37 career games at left tackle, missing two games this past season due to injury. He helped pave the way for 19 100-yard rushing games during his career, including a 200-yard rushing game by Bill Belton. Smith was instrumental in helping quarterback Christian Hackenberg set the Penn State freshman and sophomore passing records in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and Matt McGloin top the senior passing mark in 2012. The former Owings Mills High School standout helped the North squad win the Reese's Senior Bowl on Jan. 24. A pre-season candidate for the Outland Trophy, Smith graduated in December.
The NFL Network and NFL.com will have coverage of the Scouting Combine daily from February 20-23. The NFL Draft is April 30-May 2.
There were 28 former Nittany Lions with NFL teams during the 2014 season, again placing Penn State in the top 20 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players. Penn State was ranked No. 2 among Big Ten teams in players on 2014 NFL rosters. Ten Nittany Lions were on NFL playoff teams, with at least one Penn Stater on eight of the squads who were vying for a berth in Super Bowl XLIX.
For the 44th time in the Super Bowl's 49-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the participating teams (18 times in last 20 years). Thirty-seven former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 54 Super Bowl rings, most recently Jordan Hill and since-retired running back Michael Robinson with Seattle last year. A total of 105 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.
Penn State has had at least three NFL Draft picks 16 times since starting Big Ten Conference competition in 1993. A total of 335 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, including 36 in the first round.
Penn State announced its Class of 2015 signees on Feb. 4. The class of 25 signees was ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference and in the top 15 nationally by the major recruiting services. Franklin and his staff signed seven of the top 10 players in Pennsylvania and 10 of the top 15. The Nittany Lions signed a total of 11 Keystone State high school standouts. All three Pennsylvania totals are the highest for Penn State in more than a decade.
The Nittany Lions capped the 2014 season with a 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to earn at least 10 consecutive winning seasons. Franklin is among just three Penn State head coaches to win at least seven games in his first season in Happy Valley in the program's 128 years.
Penn State returns 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist), and 14 additional players who have started, for the 2015 season. The Blue-White Game is April 18 at 4 p.m. And the season opener is Sept. 5 against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Penn State season ticket renewal deadline was February 1, with more than 20,000 season tickets renewed the last week of January alone. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays, 10 a.m-6 p.m.
Penn State Football is on Twitter (@PennStateFball) and Facebook.