Penn State Football’s Departing Personnel Taking Time To Reflect Ahead Of Peach Bowl
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, 25 seniors were honored ahead of their last game inside Beaver Stadium.
It was a powerful moment for many Penn State seniors. Beaver Stadium is a sacred place to those who play in it, and safety Keaton Ellis called Senior Day his favorite moment of the season.
“Just running out of the tunnel to my parents, to my mom almost in tears, it was just a whirlwind of emotions,” Ellis said. “It was really a truly amazing experience to just see how proud of me they were and to reflect on all I’ve done here at Penn State.”
Even if it was the seniors’ last time suiting up in Beaver Stadium, it wasn’t the last time they’d suit up for Penn State. That moment comes this week inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Plenty of players talk about what Penn State means to them, but Ellis grew up in the shadow of Beaver Stadium while attending State College Area High School. Ellis hasn’t made an official announcement on his future yet, but he’s making sure to enjoy the Peach Bowl in case he moves on from the Nittany Lions.
Penn State has already had seven players declare for the draft with more players out of eligibility after the Peach Bowl. Even in the midst of preparing to play a New Year’s Six bowl, James Franklin has taken time to remind the departing players to soak in the moment before it’s gone. Franklin even had motivational speaker Inky Johnson attend practice to rally the troops ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Coach Franklin’s been big on reflection and just not taking these moments for granted,” defensive tackle Dvon Ellies said. “Twenty, 30 years down the road, you’re going to look back at the moments with your teammates and you’ll wish you appreciated it more in the moment.”
Ellies, however, says he won’t make a decision on whether or not to use his final year of eligibility until after the Peach Bowl.
Even though it’s some players’ last game with the team, there’s still a game to win. Penn State’s seniors are performing a delicate balancing act between taking in the moment and preparing to play a powerful SEC team in Ole Miss.
Having the chance to play in a New Year’s Six bowl is an experience in itself, but it’s not just the blue and white threads that make someone a Nittany Lion. Penn State’s departing defensive personnel are reluctant to leave the close-knit group the team is.
“I spent a lot of time reflecting these past couple weeks, just thinking about relationships that have been made and places I’ve been because of this that I otherwise wouldn’t have been,” linebacker Curtis Jacobs said. “It’s just about being thankful. I’m really thankful for the opportunities I was given, and I’m just continuing to try to be grateful.”
“It’s always going to be bittersweet when you leave, especially at Penn State, because there’s a lot of guys that I’m going to miss being around and miss playing with,” Ellis said. “I had that understanding that it was going to come to an end eventually. So I’m just proud of what I’ve and what we’ve accomplished.”
“Just over these last two years really, just building this chemistry, the defense especially, and building all these strong bonds and relationships that are going to last us well off from college,” linebacker Adisa Isaac said. “That’s what it’s all about, the relationships that you build.”
Cornerback Daequan Hardy is taking a different approach to his last time in a Penn State uniform. For him, the Peach Bowl is all business.
“It’s definitely a bittersweet moment playing your last game here,” Hardy said. “But at the same time, I’ve just got to go out there and just give it my all and then reflect on it later.”
The sentiments echoed by the seniors make sense, and Franklin has done a great job creating a family culture inside the program. That same culture created low transfer numbers and few opt-outs for bowl games.
“I know we try to focus on what’s next all the time,” Isaac said. “But look to your left and look to your right. Give the guy next to you a hug. That’s what we do in the defensive meeting room.”
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