Former Penn State football players will represent their alma mater in the Big Game for the 53rd time.
With the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers both advancing to Super Bowl LVIII, Ji’Ayir Brown, Kevin Givens and Donovan Smith will have the opportunity for Penn State to add another Super Bowl champion.
Donovan Smith — Kansas City Chiefs
This is Donovan Smith’s second career Super Bowl appearance and his first came in the 2020-21 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that game, Smith helped Tom Brady and Co. defeat his current team — the Kansas City Chiefs.
After spending eight seasons in Tampa, the Buccaneers cut Smith in March as a salary cap move. With a hole at left tackle due to losing Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency, the Chiefs signed Smith to a one-year, $3 million contract.
This season, Smith appeared in 12 regular season games but missed the final five weeks due to a neck injury. He returned to the starting lineup in the Chiefs’ Wild Card matchup against the Miami Dolphins. With a victory, Smith would become the 12th Nittany Lion to win multiple Super Bowls.
Ji’Ayir Brown & Kevin Givens — San Francisco 49ers
On the NFC side, it’s been quite the rookie season for Ji’Ayir Brown, who will play in the Super Bowl in his first year in the league. Brown, who has recorded 22 tackles and two interceptions, has stepped into a starting role for San Francisco after the 49ers lost all-pro safety Talanoa Hufanga to injury midway through the season.
For Kevin Givens, this will be his second Super Bowl appearance, as he was previously a member of the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV team. Like that game, San Francisco will once again take on Kansas City in a revenge game for the 49ers’ 2019 loss.
Givens notched 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks during the 2023 season.
Super Bowl LVIII will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 11, on CBS.
