National Football League training camps opened this week and 14 former Nittany Lions who played for Penn State in 2017 are on training camp rosters.
All told, over 60 former Penn State players and coaches are on NFL rosters and staffs this week.
The tally includes 42 players — the 14 rookies, plus 28 veterans — as well as 19 coaches who have Penn State ties.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the largest Penn State contingent, with four players and two assistant coaches — former longtime PSU defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, in his first season as the Steelers’ secondary coach, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak, an All-American O-lineman at Penn State and former NFL head coach with Tennessee.
The Pittsburgh Nittany Lions are veteran tight end Jesse James, second-year safety Malik Golden and rookies Marcus Allen (safety) and Parker Cothren (defensive line).
Of the 32 NFL teams, which all began official training camp this week, only two franchises don’t have a player or coach on their roster with Penn State ties — the New York Jets, which jettisoned quarterback Christian Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders in the offseason (where he was subsequently cut), and the Green Bay Packers, who in the offseason parted ways with longtime secondary coach and former Penn State safety Darren Perry.
Meanwhile, quarterback Matt McGloin (pictured here) is with his third team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Miami Dolphins’ defensive end Cameron Wake is the oldest former Nittany Lion in an NFL uniform, at 36 years old. Kicker Robbie Gould, now 35 and with the San Francisco 49ers, is second-oldest. Remarkably, wide receiver Allen Robinson II — who signed with the Chicago Bears in the offseason — is entering his fifth NFL season at age 24.
The Dolphins and the Detroit Lions each have four coaches and players on their rosters with PSU ties — and the Dolphins can count five, if you include associate head coach Darren Rizzi, whose daughter Mackenzie is a Penn State undergraduate. Rizzi is one of two Penn State students whose father currently coaches in the NFL; the other is Melana Brown, whose dad Gary Brown is the Dallas Cowboys’ longtime running backs coach and former Nittany Lion standout at the same position.
In addition to Hackenberg, the list does not include Michael Mauti, who has battled health problems bit has a good career in the NFL with Minnesota and New Orleans after playing a pivotal role in Penn State’s historic 2012 season. Most recently, Mauti played for the Saints; he is not on their official camp roster.
Former Kyle Carter has been on two rosters this week. A former Minnesota Viking, he was on the New York Giants’ roster on Wednesday, but was then waived and picked up by the Seattle Seahawks — who have two tight ends sidelined with injuries — on Thursday.
There’s an unusual pairing of sorts in Cinncinati, where former Nittany Lion star linebacker Brandon Bell is coached by Jim Haslett, the former NFL head coach who was a consultant on James Franklin’s staff in 0215.
Three veteran NFL assistants were on the Penn State coaching staff, along with Bradley, in 1982, when Penn State won its first national championship. They are: Pat Flaherty of Jacksonville (where he coaches with former PSU offensive coordinator John Donovan); Paul Alexander of Dallas (not the Paul Alexander who’s been a sports broadcasting fixture in State College, then Pittsburgh for decade); and Peter Guinta of the New Orleans.
Bill O’Brien, who succeeded Bradley as Penn State’s head coach in 2012-13, is the sole NFL head coach with Penn State ties. Interestingly, as the Houston Texans boss he does not have a single former Nittany Lion on his players roster.
But, O’Brien does have a former Penn State player on his coaching staff. That would be Texans assistant secondary coach D’Anton Lynn, who played corner for Penn State and whose father Anthony is head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. The younger Lynn works with Anthony Midget, who coaches Houston’s secondary and was Penn State’s assistant secondary coach at Penn State in 2013 under O’Brien.
THE ROSTERS
PLAYER KEY: Player, position — jersey number, ht. / wt., age, years in the NFL (on active roster, according to team’s official roster). COACH KEY: Coach — position, yrs. as NFL coach; ties to Penn State.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Tyler Davis, K – #9, 5-10 / 192, 23y, rookie
Miami Dolphins
Mike Gesicki, TE — #86, 6-6 / 245, 22y, rookie
Mike Hull, OLB — #45, 6-0 / 235, 27y, 3 yr.
Jordan Lucas, CB/S — #23, 6-0 / 190, 25y, 3 yr.
Cameron Wake, DE — #91, 6-2 / 263, 36y, 10 yr.
New England Patriots
Chris Hogan, WR — #15, 6-1 /210, 30y, 6 yr.
New York Jets (none)
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Bobby Engram — wide receivers coach, 5 yr.; PSU WR
Cincinnati Bengals
Brandon Bell, LB — #51, 6-1 / 230, 23y, 1 yr.
Jim Haslett — linebackers, 32 yr.; PSU FB consultant, 2015
Cleveland Browns
Carl Nassib, DL — #94, 6-7 / 275, 25y, 3 yr.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Marcus Allen, S — #27, 6-2 / 215, 21y, rookie
Tom Bradley — defensive backs coach, 1 yr.; PSU DB, PSU DC/head coach, 1979-2011
Parker Cothren, DT — #61, 6-4 / 304, 24y, rookie
Malik Golden, S — #39, 6-0 / 205, 25, 1 yr.
Jesse James, TE — #81, TE, 6-7 / 261, 24y, 4 yr.
Mike Munchak — offensive line coach, 22 yr.; PSU OL
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
Bill O’Brien — head coach, 5 yr.; PSU head coach, 2012-13
D’Anton Lynn — assistant secondary coach, 4 yr.; PSU DB
Anthony Midget — secondary coach, 5 yr.; PSU DB coach, 2013
Indianapolis Colts
Ross Travis, TE — #43, 6-6 / 248, 25y, 3 yr.
Jacksonville Jaguars
John Donovan — offense assistant coach, 3 yr.; PSU OC/QB coach, 2014-15
Pat Flaherty — offensive line coach, 19 yr.; PSU OL asst., 1982-83
Tennessee Titans
Brian Bell — asst. strength & conditioning coach; PSU S&C asst.
Austin Johnson, DT — #94, 6-4 / 314, 24y, 3 yr.
DaQuan Jones, DT — #90, 6-4 / 322, 26, 5 yr.
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
DaeSean Hamilton, WR — #17, 6-1 / 203, 23y, rookie
Kansas City Chiefs
Matt McGloin, QB — #5, 6-1 /210, 28y, 5 yr.
Oakland Raiders
Saaed Blacknall, WR — #80, 6-2 / 208, 22y, rookie
Jason Cabinda, LB — #46, 6-1 / 243, 22y, rookie
Los Angeles Chargers
Rip Scherer — tight ends coach, 6 yr.; PSU GA, 1974-75
Trevor Williams, CB — #24, 5-11 /191, 24y, 3 yr.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
Paul Alexander — offensive line coach, 27 yr.; PSU GA, 1982-84
Gary Brown — running backs coach, 10 yr.; PSU RB
Sean Lee, LB — #50, 6-2 / 245, 32y, 9 yr.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley, RB — #26, 5-11 / 233, 21y, rookie
Tyrell Chavis, DT — #62, 6-3 / 305, 24y, rookie
Grant Haley, CB — #34, 5-9 / 190, 22y, rookie
Philadelphia Eagles
Stefan Wisniewski, C/G — #61, 6-3 / 305, 29y, 8 yr.
Washington Redskins
Troy Apke, S — #30, 6-1 / 200, 23y, rookie
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
Adrian Amos, SS — #38, 6-0 / 214, 25y, 4 yr.
Charles London — running backs coach, 9 yr.; PSU RB coach, 2012-13
Allen Robinson II, WR — #12, 6-3 / 211, 24y, 5 yr.
Detroit Lions
Al Golden — linebackers coach, 3 yr.; PSU TE/co-captain; PSU LB coach, 2000
Paul Pasqualoni — defensive coordinator, 19 yr.; PSU LB
Steve Williams — defensive quality control assistant, 3 yr.; PSU GA, 2012-14
Anthony Zettel, DE — #69, 6-4 / 270, 25y, 3 yr.
Green Bay Packers (none)
Minnesota Vikings
Curtis Cothran, DT — #66, 6-5 / 283, 23y, rookie
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
Jack Crawford, DL — #95, 6-5 / 288, 29y, 7 yr.
Carolina Panthers
Brendan Mahon, G — #63, 6-4 / 320, 23y, rookie
New Orleans Saints
Joe Brady — offensive assistant, 2 yr.; PSU GA, 2015-16.
Peter Giunta — sr. defensive assistant, 27 yr.; PSU ass.t coach 1981 (def.), ’82-83 (TE)
Nate Stupar, LB — #54, 6-2 / 240, 30y, 6 yr.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin, WR — #12, 6-1 / 209, 2y, 2 yr.
Donovan Smith, OT — #76, 6-6 / 338, 25y, 4 yr.
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
Christian Campbell, CB — on physically unable to perform list (PUP); ankle
A.Q. Shipley, OL — #53, 6-1 / 307, 32y, 7 yr.
Los Angeles Rams
Sam Ficken, K — #5, 6-1 / 192, 25y, 1 yr.
Garrett Sickels, OLB — #56, 6-4 / 254, 23y, 1 yr.
San Francisco 49ers
Garry Gilliam, OL — #76, 6-5 / 305, 27y, 5 yr.
Robbie Gould, K — #5, 6-0, 190, 35y, 14 yr.
Seattle Seahawks
Kyle Carter, TE — # tba, 6-3 / 245, 25y, 2 yr.
