Much responsibility has been placed upon on the shoulders of safety Drew Astorino the past two seasons and he has responded with leadership and productivity for the secondary, the defense and special teams. A starter in 24 games the past two years, primarily at strong safety, he has asserted himself as the quarterback of the secondary, a unit that could have four senior starters this fall. The instinctive and intelligent athlete again logged considerable playing time on defense and special teams in 2010 and earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition for the second consecutive year. Astorino played an instrumental role in Penn State ranking second in the Big Ten and No. 16 in the nation in pass defense. He was fourth on the team with 70 tackles, grabbed one interception and was tied for the team lead with five pass breakups. Astorino is one of the squad[apos]s surest tacklers and ball-handlers and is a probable All-Big Ten candidate. With a nose for the football, he has a knack for being in position to make a play on any given down or specialty play. The aggressive, determined and quick safety is a hard worker who again will be counted on for substantial contributions and leadership, a role he is familiar with from throughout his athletic career. The 2006 Pennsylvania Class AAA Player-of-the-Year, he led General McLane HS to the PIAA Class AAA football and basketball state titles in 2006-07. General McLane became just the second school to win both state crowns in the same academic year. He scored the game-winning fourth-quarter touchdown in the 28-23 win over Pottsville in the 2006 PIAA title game. On the hardwood, he hit the game-winning shot with :02 left to play, giving his school a 57-55 win over Greencastle Antrim in the 2007 Class AAA state championship game in the Bryce Jordan Center. Astorino was on schedule to earn his degree in August. He is one of 17 returning Nittany Lions from Western Pennsylvania.
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2010 Senior Season
Astorino started 12 games, was fourth on the team with 70 tackles and grabbed one interception. He was tied for the team lead with five pass breakups and earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors. Astorino played an instrumental role in Penn State ranking second in the Big Ten and No. 16 in the nation in pass defense. He made three tackles against Youngstown State and five stops at No. 1 Alabama. Astorino recorded six tackles in the win over Temple, helping hold the Owls scoreless over the final three quarters and to 71 yards in the second half. He made eight stops at Iowa, with a pass breakup, and recorded a season-high nine tackles against Illinois. Astorino had five solo tackles, with a pass breakup, in the win at Minnesota. He recorded eight stops (six solo) and a career-high three pass breakups in the primetime win over Michigan. He made four stops in the historic 35-21 comeback win over Northwestern and had four hits at Ohio State. He recorded five tackles (four solo) and a diving interception in Indiana territory to set up a field goal in the win over the Hoosiers at FedEx Field. Astorino tied his season-high with nine stops against Michigan State. He was on the field for 820 snaps, topped by 94 and 80 in the wins over Minnesota and Michigan, respectively.
2009 Junior Season
Astorino earned the starting assignment at free safety and proved to be a productive and durable player. Playing in every game, with 12 starts, he led the team with nearly 950 plays. Astorino earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition, playing an instrumental role on Penn State[apos]s Top 10 defense. He ranked fourth on the team with 62 tackles (37 solo), the highest total among defensive backs and linemen. Astorino also had one interception, one sack, four pass breakups and tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries. He also saw duty on punt returns, with seven returns for a team-best 7.9-yard average. Astorino was intent on helping make sure cornerbacks A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons were victorious on Senior Day, as he recorded a career-high 10 tackles in the 31-20 victory over Indiana. In the 35-10 triumph at Michigan, Astorino made four tackles (three solo) and grabbed his third career interception, picking off Tate Forcier near the Penn State goal line and returning it 30 yards. The following week, he made five solo tackles (six total) in the 34-13 win at Northwestern, helping hold the Wildcats to less than half their season scoring average. Astorino[apos]s hustle and assertiveness helped him secure his second fumble recovery of the year, falling on a loose ball caused by a Kevion Latham sack. The hard-hitting Astorino also made six tackles each against Syracuse, Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Ohio State, with a tackle for minus-three yards in the win over the Orange. He made five stops and recovered a fumble against Temple that led to a field goal and made five tackles (four solo) in the regular-season finale, a 42-14 victory at Michigan State. He had a pass breakup in helping the Lions beat LSU, 19-17, in the 2010 Capital One Bowl. He led the team with 943 plays, topped by 97 at Northwestern and 92 against Indiana.
2008 Sophomore Season
Astorino logged considerable playing time amongst the senior-laden secondary. He saw action in every game, making three starts, as the top reserve to All-Big Ten free safety Anthony Scirrotto. He recorded 39 tackles (29 solo), with one tackle for loss and four pass breakups. Astorino also tied for second on the squad with two interceptions. He tallied five tackles (four solo) and one pass breakup in the 45-14 win over Oregon State. He grabbed his first career interception and had three tackles in the win at Syracuse. He made his first collegiate start against Temple, recording a season-high seven tackles (five solo) and one pass breakup. Against Illinois, Astorino had two tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass breakup. Earning a start at Purdue, Astorino tallied three solo tackles and returned an interception 29 yards into Purdue territory. He recorded three solo tackles and a pass breakup against Michigan and made two tackles in a start in the big win at Ohio State. Astorino finished the regular-season with a season-high tying seven solo tackles in the 49-18 win over Michigan State to clinch the Big Ten title. He was on the field for 483 snaps, led by 56 each in the victories over Michigan and Purdue. Astorino was selected to the Academic All-Big Ten team.
2007 Freshman Season
Redshirt season. Astorino made a game-high tying six tackles and grabbed an interception in the 2008 Blue-White game.
High School
An outstanding athlete at General McLane HS, Astorino was named the 2006 Pennsylvania Class AAA Player-of-the-Year after he led both the football and basketball teams to state titles. General McLane became only the second school in PIAA history to win both the football and basketball crowns in the same academic year. Playing for Coach Jim Wells, Astorino recorded 68 tackles, seven interceptions and two fumble recoveries during his senior year and rushed for 1,200 yards and 24 touchdowns. Astorino also was a two-time first-team all-state selection and a Big 33 pick. He scored the game-winning touchdown on a 20-yard run with 4:55 to play to lead General McLane to a 28-23 win over Pottsville in the 2006 Class AAA state title game. On the hardwood, Astorino hit the game-winning shot with :02 left to play, giving his school a 57-55 win over Greencastle Antrim in the 2007 Class AAA state championship game in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Personal
Full name is Andrew Jacob Astorino. He is the son of Gary and Terri Astorino. He has a younger sister, Lauren, and younger brother, Matt. His father wrestled at Edinboro University. When not on the playing field, Astorino enjoys fishing, golfing, movies and video games. He is an education major and aspires to be a social studies teacher. Born July 20, 1988 in Edinboro, Pa.
Astorino[apos]s 2008 Game-by-Game
Tackles (Total-Solo-Assists)
Coastal Carolina 1-0-1; Oregon State 5-4-1; Syracuse 3-2-1; Temple 7-5-2; Illinois 2-1-1; Purdue 3-3-0; Wisconsin 2-1-1; Michigan 3-3-0; Ohio State 2-1-1; Iowa 1-1-0; Indiana 1-0-1; Michigan State 7-7-0; USC 2-1-1.