12 Penn State Football Defenders and Specialists Earn All-Big Ten Honors

Twelve Penn State football defenders and specialists have earned All-Big Ten postseason honors, the conference announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Ten defensive players and two specialists earned the honors, as voted on by the media and the conference’s coaches.

Safety Jaquan Brisker and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie were named first-team All-Big Ten from the coaches and media, while linebacker Ellis Brooks and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches.

Linebacker Brandon Smith, safety Ji’Ayir Brown, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and defensive end Jesse Luketa earned third team honors, while cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and linebacker Curtis Jacobs received honorable mentions.

On the special teams side, the newly minted Big Ten Punter of the Year, Jordan Stout, was named first-team All-Big Ten. Star wideout Jahan Dotson made the third team as a return specialist.

The All-Big Ten offensive teams are set to be released on Wednesday.

Ebiketie transferred to Penn State in the offseason from Temple, and he made an immediate impact with his new team. He totaled 62 tackles, 18 for a loss, 9.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. His 9.5 sacks were good for third-best in the conference.

Brisker continued to be a staple at the back end of the Nittany Lions’ defense in 2021. The Pittsburgh native posted 63 tackles, five passes defended, and two interceptions for Brent Pry’s defense.

Brooks and Mustipher, two veterans on the team, helped lead Penn State’s defense. Brooks totaled a career-high 100 tackles, which ranked No. 5 in the conference. Before suffering a season-ending injury, Mustipher was crucial to the Nittany Lions’ run defense, posting 21 tackles, three of which were for a loss.

Smith, Brown, Porter, and Luketa all played important roles this season after showing signs of improvement last year. Smith served as an intimidating force with 81 tackles, five passes defended, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Brown was a ball magnet in 12 games played, totaling four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He posted 67 tackles, too.

Porter had his fair share of ups and downs in 2021, but he managed to have a solid season with four passes defended and an interception. Luketa took on a hybrid defensive end/linebacker role and played well, totaling 52 tackles, 7.5 for a loss, and a pick-six.

The former three earned the honors from the conference’s coaches, while Luketa was named to the third team by the media.

Stout finished the season with the highest Pro Football Focus grade among punters in the country (93.1), and he averaged the most hang time on his punts in the entire nation (4.36 seconds). Additionally, he averaged 46.5 yards per punt, which ranks second in the Big Ten.

While Dotson didn’t have many flashy plays as a punt returner this season, he did a solid job and didn’t make many mistakes at all, which is significant for a return man.