2020 • REDSHIRT JUNIOR SEASON
Awards: Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Season: Appeared in six games, making three starts at right guard.
at Indiana (10/24): Helped the Nittany Lion offense gain 488 yards, including 250 on the ground...Led the way for Penn State to convert 27 first downs...Protected Sean Clifford as he threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 119 yards and a score. Ohio State (10/31): Led the way for the Nittany Lions to gain 325 yards...Allowed Sean Clifford to throw for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Maryland (11/7): Aided the Penn State offense to gain 434 yards...Helped Sean Clifford throw for 340 yards and three touchdowns…Offense totaled a season-high 30 first downs. at Nebraska (11/14): Paved the way for the Nittany Lions to gain 501 yards, including 245 on the ground...Aided Devyn Ford to find the end zone on a five-yard run and helped Keyvone Lee score on a 31-yard rush...Protected Will Levis as he threw for 219 yards…The Penn State offense matched a season high in first downs with 30. Iowa (11/21): Protected quarterbacks Will Levis and Sean Clifford as they threw for a combined 280 yards...Aided Keyvone Lee to find the endzone on a six-yard rush. at Michigan (11/28): Helped the Nittany Lions rush to a season-high 254 yards on the ground, the most since the 2019 Cotton Bowl...Helped Keyvone Lee rush for 134 yards...Aided Keyvone Lee, Sean Clifford and Will Levis to rushing touchdowns...Paved the way for 50 total rushing attempts and four rushes over 20 yards...Helped the offense to total 417 yards.
2019 • REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE SEASON
Awards: Postseason: Selected Academic All-Big Ten. Midseason: Tabbed with the offensive line unit for the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll. Weekly: Named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week first team following the Michigan State game (10/26).
Season: Made 13 appearances, including five starts at right guard...One of 18 Nittany Lions to make their first career start.
Idaho (8/31): Helped the Nittany Lions to gain 673 total yards, their third-most in a game since 1947...Sprung Nittany Lion rushers for 331 yards and seven touchdowns...Did not allow a sack while helping Sean Clifford to throw for 280 yards and two touchdowns and Will Levis to throw for 62 yards and a score...Aided Penn State to earn 35 first downs. Buffalo (9/7): Led the way for the Penn State offense to gain 357 total yards...Protected Sean Clifford as he threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns...Helped the Nittany Lions to score 38 points in the second half, including 28 in the third quarter. Pittsburgh (9/14): Helped the Nittany Lions to gain 389 yards, including 222 through the air... Led the way for Journey Brown's first career 100-yard game...Paved the way for rushing scores by Noah Cain and Devyn Ford. at Maryland (9/27): Led the way as the Nittany Lions gained 613 yards, its third-most in a Big Ten game...Helped the Nittany Lions to throw for 421 yards, their most in a Big Ten contest...Aided PSU to gain 30 first downs...Helped Sean Clifford to throw for 398 yards, the third-most in program history, including a program-record 287 yards in the first half...Helped the Nittany Lions to score five rushing touchdowns. Purdue (10/5): Helped the Nittany Lion offense to gain 460 total yards...Led the way as Sean Clifford threw for three touchdowns and rushed for one score...Aided Clifford to record his fifth-straight 200-yard passing game...Helped Noah Cain to earn his first career 100-yard game with 105 yards and a touchdown...Paved the way for the PSU offense to score 21 points in the first quarter. at Iowa (10/12): Helped the Penn State offense to gain 294 total yards, including 177 on the ground...Led the way for Noah Cain's second-straight 100-yard rushing game and 5-yard score in the fourth quarter. Michigan (10/19): Helped the Nittany Lions gain 283 total yards, including 101 on the ground...Aided Sean Clifford to throw for three touchdowns...Led the way for Clifford's 2-yard rushing touchdown. at Michigan State (10/26): Led the way for Penn State to gain 302 total yards, including 189 through the air...Protected Sean Clifford to throw for a career-high-tying four touchdowns...Paved the way for Clifford to score on a two-point conversion. at Minnesota (11/9): Guided the Nittany Lion offense to 518 total yards, including 340 passing yards...Protected Sean Clifford to throw for 340 yards and a touchdown...Led the way for Journey Brown to rush for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Indiana (11/16): Paved the way for the Nittany Lion offense to gain 371 total yards, including 192 on the ground...Guided Journey Brown to 100 rushing yards on 21 carries...Protected Sean Clifford to throw for one touchdown and rush for two scores...Led the way on an 18-play, 75-yard drive covering 9:01 to seal the game...Selected as the coaching staff's Offensive Player of the Week. at Ohio State (11/23): Helped the Nittany Lion offense to gain 227 yards...Led the way for rushing touchdowns by Journey Brown and Will Levis. Rutgers (11/30): Led the way for the Penn State offense to gain 333 yards, including 252 on the ground...Helped Will Levis (108) and Journey Brown (103) to rush for 100 yards, the first Penn State teammates to run for 100 yards since Saquon Barkley (195) and Akeel Lynch (120) against Rutgers in 2015...Paved the way for Brown to rush for a career-high three touchdowns...Protected Will Levis to find Jahan Dotson for a 44-yard touchdown. vs. Memphis (12/28): Led the Nittany Lion offense score a program-bowl record 53 points...Helped the Penn State offense to gain 529 total yards, the program's second-most in bowl games...Paved the way for Penn State to tie a Cotton Bowl record with five rushing touchdowns...Helped Penn State run for 396 yards, a program bowl record and the second-most in Cotton Bowl history...Helped Penn State to set program bowl records for points in a first half (35), a Cotton Bowl record...Aided the Nittany Lions to tie a program bowl record with 28 points in the second quarter, also a Cotton Bowl record...Led the way for Journey Brown to run for a program bowl record 202 yards.
2018 • REDSHIRT FRESHMAN SEASON
Awards: Was an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Season: Appeared in 13 games...One of 40 players to make their first Penn State appearance...Moved from offensive line to defensive tackle after Illinois (9/21) game.
Appalachian State (9/1): Made collegiate debut, seeing time on special teams. Ohio State (9/29): Played first game as a defensive tackle...Recorded a solo tackle. Michigan State (10/13): Assisted on one tackle. Wisconsin (11/10): Earned playing time on defense and special teams...Had a 10-yard kick return. Maryland (11/24): Made a career-high two tackles. vs. Kentucky (1/1): Assisted on a sack in the second quarter.
2017 • TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON
Redshirt season.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-time letterman for head coach Terry Totten at Central Catholic High School...Served as team captain in senior season...Helped the Vikings to a runner-up finish in the PIAA 6A State Championship with a 14-2 record in 2016...Guided the Vikings to district and state titles with a 15-1 record as a junior...Named Under Armour and Army All-American...Played in the Under Armour All-American Game...Selected first-team USA Today All-State as a senior...Named Pennsylvania Football News’ 2016 Class 6A Lineman of the Year...Selected to Pennsylvania Football News’ Class 6A All-State first team as a senior...Earned first-team all-state honors in junior and senior seasons...Garnered second-team all-state honors as a sophomore and honorable-mention distinction as a freshman...Was a candidate for Pennsylvania’s 2016 Mr. Football Class 4A-6A...Named to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Fabulous 22 team in 2016...Named to the All-District 6A first team in junior and senior seasons, earning second-team honors as a sophomore and honorable-mention accolades as a freshman...Invited to the USA Football All-Star Game and the Big 33 Football Classic...Rated a four-star recruit by all four recruiting services – 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout...Ranked No. 78 in the Rivals100, as well as the No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania and No. 5 offensive guard in the nation by Rivals...Ranked No. 132 in the ESPN300...Ranked as the No. 3 player in Pennsylvania, No. 8 prospect in the region and No. 5 offensive guard by ESPN...Rated No. 166 on the Scout300 list...Ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania, No. 3 in the East and No. 10 overall among offensive guards by Scout...Ranked as the No. 5 recruit in Pennsylvania, the No. 6 offensive guard and No. 111 player overall by 247Sports...Earned three letters in track & field...Claimed a spot on the honor roll for three years.
PERSONAL
Full name is Christopher Neal Thorpe Jr....Son of Nikki and Chris Thorpe...Has one sister, Christin, and one brother, Niko...Father, Chris, played for the Nittany Lion football team from 1985-88 as a linebacker and halfback...Brother, Niko, played football at Fordham (2014-17)...Cousin, Geno Thorpe, played basketball for one season at Penn State before transferring to South Florida...Cousins, Summer and Aja Thorpe, competed in track at Notre Dame and Yale, respectively...Cousin, LaRue Bradley, played football at Trinity...Majoring in philosophy...Intends to pursue a career in the field of law...Born March 3, 1999 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.