Penn State may be known as Linebacker U, but the Nittany Lions have a pretty strong legacy on the defensive line playing in its favor as well.
Coming up with an all-time roster for the defense was a pretty easy task for the most part, but there just was not enough space to include some very worthy and memorable names.
For example, Sean Lee is one of the best linebackers in school history and recently brought a close to a stellar NFL career.
Yet, he couldn’t quite make the cut on this all-time roster. That should give you an idea of how stacked Penn State’s defenses have been over the course of the program’s history.
This is our first crack and putting together an all-time defense on Nittany Lions Wire, but feel free to reach out to us and let us know who would make your roster.
Starting DE1: Dave Robinson Robinson is in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Having played under Rip Engle and assistant head coach Joe Paterno, Robinson was a first-team All-American in 1962 and the MVP of the 1962 Gator Bowl even though Penn State lost.
Starting DE2: Courtney Brown Courtney Brown was two-time consensus All-American and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2000 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. Brown was the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.
Backup DE1: Tamba Hali Tamba Hali had a breakout 2005 season for the Nittany Lions and made one of the signature plays of the Big Ten championship season with his sack of Ohio State’s Troy Smith to help seal the biggest win of the season. Hali was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and went on to be a six-time Pro Bowl player in the NFL.
Backup DE2: Bob Higgins One of Penn State’s earliest stars, Bob Higgins was a three-time All-American in 1915, 1916, and 1919. Higgins went on to eventually be the head coach of his alma mater from 1930 through 1948 and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Starting DT1: Matt Millen Matt Millen was an All-American defensive lineman for the Nittany Lions and he went on to have a solid NFL career with four Super Bowl championships.
Starting DT2: Jimmy Kennedy Jimmy Kennedy was the Big Ten’s defensive lineman of the year in 2002 and was a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2003.
Backup DT1: Bruce Clark Bruce Clark was the first junior to ever win the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top defensive lineman in 1978.
Backup DT2: Mike Reid He may be more known today for his post-football music career, but Mike Reid is a former winner of the Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award, along with being a unanimous All-American in 1969 for the Nittany Lions. He was also a two-time Pro Bowl player in the NFL.
Starting LB1: Jack Ham Penn State has plenty of linebackers to consider for all-time roster spots, but it should start with Jack Ham, who helped make Linebacker-U what it has become. Ham is a member of the College Football Hall of fame for his time at Penn State and the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his successful career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Starting LB2: LaVar Arrington LaVar Arrington is arguably the best linebacker Penn State has had in its Big Ten era. Arrington took home plenty of individual hardware and was the second overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft, one pick behind his teammate Courtney Brown.
Starting LB3: Paul Posluszny Pau Posluszny is a two-time winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award and a two-time consensus All-American. Posluszny gobbled up opposing offensive players with regularity and helped anchor the 2005 Big Ten championship defense.
Backup LB1: Shane Conlan Shane Conlan is a College Football Hall of Fame member and a key defensive player in the 1986 national championship season, with two interceptions in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl national championship victory over Miami.
Backup LB2: Micah Parsons One of the more recent products of Linebacker-U certainly left his mark on the Penn State program and wasted no time having an impact in the NFL. Micah Parsons was the unanimous selection for NFL defensive rookie of the year in 2021.
Backup LB3: Dan Connor Dan Connor played with Paul Posluszny and still managed to make his own name for himself as a tackle machine and winning his own Bednarik Award.
Starting CB1: Alan Zemaitis Alan Zemaitis was a three-time captain, two-time All-Big Ten player, and a two-time semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He was also a member of the 2005 Big Ten championship squad.
Starting CB2: Kim Herring Kim Herring was one of the defensive standouts in Penn State’s early Big Ten days, and he had an interception of his former teammate Kerry Collins in a Super Bowl victory for the Baltimore Ravens.
Backup CB1: Adrian Amos Adrian Amos played a couple of different positions in the Penn State secondary and has gone on to establish himself in the NFL as a solid player.
Backup CB2: Bryan Scott Bryan Scott played 48 games for Penn State with 202 tackles and five interceptions. He was also named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2012.
Starting S1: Michael Zordich A former All-American and four-year letterman at Penn State with a national championship ring, Michael Zordich may be one of the more underrated all-time defensive players in Penn State history.
Starting S2: Neal Smith Neal Smith holds the school record for the most interceptions in school history with 19, so his inclusion here is automatic. Smith was also an All-American in 1969.
Backup S1: Darren Perry Darren Perry was known for making big plays on defense by getting big returns on his interceptions. No player has more career interception return yards in school history than Perry.
Backup S2: Jaquan Brisker Another recent product of Penn State’s secondary, Jaquan Brisker was one of the top safeties in all of college football during his time at Penn State.