16 college football greats who’d lead their former team to the 2017 title
By Zach Bigalke
The defending holder of the Big Ten title enters 2017 with a clear shot at reaching the College Football Playoff. There are few deficiencies on their roster, as most of their key players return. Nine starters are back on offense, led by quarterback Trace McSorley. Running back Saquon Barkley is also back for the Nittany Lions, as are four of five starters on the offensive line. Chris Godwin is perhaps the biggest loss on offense, but plenty of receivers are ready to step up.
On defense, seven starters return. The most glaring issue, though, is depth in the front seven. Linebacker U has plenty of experienced talent at the second level. But five of the top eight linemen on the post-spring depth chart are redshirt freshmen or sophomores. What if James Franklin could draw upon one defensive lineman from past Penn State rosters?
To seal up a title on the defensive end, this year’s Nittany Lions team could really use Courtney Brown. A three-year starter at defensive end, Brown still holds school records in career sacks (33) and tackles for loss (70).
In 1999, he was a consensus All-America selection and the Big Ten defensive player of the year. Though he never lived up to being the first overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, Brown in his college prime would boost Penn State’s title chances.