This Penn State Football $upa $ix Trio Hit It Big

Maybe they should rename themselves the $upa $ix.

Back in 2011, a half-dozen talented Nittany Lion football freshmen bonded and gave themselves a nickname that befit their status — all six were starting by the very next season.

The close-knit group still stays in touch and gets together once or twice a year. And when they do, you have to think that Allen Robinson II and Donovan Smith pick up the check.

That Supa Six duo ranks No. 1-2 in career earnings among the 375 former Nittany Lions who have been drafted by the NFL.

Counting guaranteed money, Robinson has earned the most of any Nittany Lion – ever – for playing pro football. The wide receiver, who had 102 receptions for Chicago in 2020, signed with the L.A. Rams in the offseason. Robinson’s contract is guaranteed through the 2023 season and will push his career earnings to $95.28 million.

Smith is a long-time starting left tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and protects Tom Brady’s blindside. His deal with the Bucs, which runs through 2023, will extend his career earnings to over $80 million, a nice complement to his Super Bowl LV championship ring.

Fellow Supa Six member Adrian Amos also has had a very successful NFL career, on and off the field. The Green Bay safety is rated “elite” by Pro Football Focus. His current guaranteed deal with the Packers ends in 2022, and will push his career earnings to $37.56 million.

Together, counting their guaranteed contracts that run through the 2023 season, the trio of Robinson-Smith-Amos will push their combined earnings to over $212 million, according to Sportrac and the NFLPA. Money is for on-the-field earnings, so endorsements and marketing deals are not included.

The other three members of the Supa Six have done well for themselves as well. Deion Barnes is a Penn State football graduate assistant and a vital part of the Nittany Lions’ recruiting efforts. Bill Belton is offensive coordinator for his high school alma mater, Winslow Township (N.J.), where he coaches alongside former teammate Christian Hackenberg. And Kyle Carter, after a brief stint in the NFL, is a performance coach at House of Athlete in Tampa.

Rounding out the Top 6 for career earnings for Nittany Lions currently playing in the NFL are:

Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin, whose guaranteed contract runs through 2023 and will push his career earnings to over $60 million; veteran San Francisco kicker Robbie Gould ($46.58 million, 2022); Buffalo defensive tackle DaQuan Jones ($39.63 million, 2023); and running back Saquon Barkley ($38.6 million), who is in the final year of his guaranteed deal with the New York Giants.

Topping the retired player list among former Nittany Lions is former Kansas City Chief linebacker Tamba Hali, who made $77 million in his NFL career. Quarterback Kerry Collins ($67.16 million) and defensive end Cameron Wake ($60.61 million) round out the top 3.

THE IVLER EFFECT: Smith, Gould and Hali all have something in common — beyond their Penn State roots. Their agent is a fellow Penn Stater, Jim Ivler, a 1990 PSU grad.

Ivler has been an agent with New York City-based Sportstars for nearly three decades, and while he has had scores of clients, he has a special affinity for Nittany Lions — football and otherwise. His wife Carrie, brother Dan, father Steven and daughter Randi are also PSU grads, and his daughter Traci is a Penn State undergrad.

Ivler has had 20 Penn State football players as clients; the latest is kicker/punter Jordan Stout, who was drafted in the fourth round in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Ivler’s last client who played for the Ravens was John Urschel, who left football to get his Ph.D. from MIT and is now a Junior Fellow at Harvard.

Ivler’s current NFL client list includes former Nittany Lions Cam Brown (New York Giants), Jason Cabinda (Detroit), Sam Ficken (free agent, last with Tennessee) and John Reid (Seattle).

Among his list of retired clients from Penn State are: Hali, Urschel, Barnes, Carter, Jordan Hill, Silas Redd, Anthony Zettel, Derek Moye, Rich Gardner, Michael Haynes, Saaed Blacknall, Chris Harrell and Deon Butler.

NIL may be all the rage. But for college football players, the real money is if they make it to the NFL — and stick. Ivler, who earned his law degree from Widener, prides himself on getting Penn State’s pro players the best deal possible.

“In these times of NIL, social media and building your brand, it’s easy for players and their families to lose sight of what truly is — and frankly always has been — by far the most important quality a football agent can bring to the table,” Ivler said.

“And that’s the experience, ability, relationships and knowledge to negotiate the absolute best NFL contract possible, on behalf of the player. It’s truly something that could be the difference between providing a player with generational wealth by the time he retires from the NFL, as opposed to that player having to get a full-time job once his career is over. I think our clients recognize that Sportstars is known as the best in the business when it comes to negotiating NFL contracts.”

IT’S CONTRACT SEASON: The Nittany Lions had eight players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and so far three have signed contracts, headed by first-round pick Jahan Dotson’s four-year, $15-million contract with the Washington Commanders. Offensive lineman Rasheed Walker has signed with the Green Bay Packers, and linebacker Jesse Luketa has signed with the Arizona Cardinals – both for four-year, $3.7-mllion deals.

Fellow 2022 draftees Stout, safety Jaquan Brisker (Chicago), cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields (San Francisco), edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie (Atlanta) and linebacker Brandon Smith (Carolina) have not yet finalized contracts.

A QB NUGGET: Collins clearly leads the way among former Penn State quarterbacks’ earnings in the NFL. The list below includes other former PSU QBs and what they earned in the NFL. Note that money playing in the AAF or the XFL is not included, and though Michael Robinson did not play quarterback in the NFL, I’ve included him as well. Robinson, now featured on the NFL Network, was a captain, a Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion as a fullback and special teams ace in the NFL.

The list: Collins, $67.16 million; Robinson, $7.96 million; Matt McGloin, $4.11 million; Trace McSorley, $2.73 million, if he makes the Arizona Cardinals roster in 2022; and Hackenberg, $2.69 million.

THE TOP 10 LISTS: Here’s my breakdown of the Top 10 highest paid Nittany Lions in two categories: current NFL players and retired NFL players. Numbers are based on guaranteed and earned money only, and are from information gleaned from Sportrac and the NFLPA. Money made from endorsements – i.e., Barkley’s deal with Campbell’s Soup – is not included. Earnings below are from the NFL only.

NITTANY LIONS: ACTIVE IN THE NFL

Rank/Player	Guaranteed/Career	Guaranteed Through
1. Allen Robinson, WR, LA Rams	$95.28 million	2023
2. Donovan Smith, LT, Tampa Bay	$80.03 million	2023
3. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay	$60.63 million	2023
4. Robbie Gould, K, San Francisco	$46.58 million	2022
5. DaQuan Jones, DT, Buffalo	$39.63 million	2023
6. Saquon Barkley, RB, NY Giants	$38.60 million	2022
7. Adrian Amos, S, Green Bay	$37.56 million	2022
8. Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami	$17.76 million	2022
9. Jesse James, TE, free agent	$17.70 million	2021
10. Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas	$17.08 million	2024

NITTANY LIONS: RETIRED

Rank/Player	Career Earnings
1. Tamba Hali, LB	$77.02 million
2. Kerry Collins, QB	$67.16 million
3. Cameron Wake, DE	$60.61 million
4. Sean Lee, LB	$51.05 million
5. Paul Posluszny, LB	$50.30 million
6. LaVar Arrington, LB	$44.37 million
7. Levi Brown, LT	$43.14 million
8. Courtney Brown, DE	$28.93 million
9. Jared Odrick, DT	$26.45 million
10. Larry Johnson, RB	$26.10 million