UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; December 16, 2013 -Eight Penn State football student-athletes have been named All-Big Ten and Freshman All-Big Ten as selected by ESPN.com and BTNcom.
Junior All-America wide receiver Allen Robinson (Southfield, Mich.) was named to both the ESPN.com and BTN.com All-Big Ten teams. The two-time Big Ten Receiver of the Year was named a Sporting News first-team All-American last week after breaking the Penn State season records with 97 catches for 1,432 yards.
Senior guard John Urschel (Williamsville, N.Y.) was selected to the BTN.com first-team and senior defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (Johnson City, N.Y.) was a BTN.com second-team selection. Both earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades from the coaches, as did Robinson, from Coach Bill O'Brien's squad.
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg (Palmyra, Va.) was selected BTN.com's Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the offensive captain of ESPN.com's All-Freshman team. Hackenberg, who broke 11 Penn State freshman passing and total offense records, previously had been selected the Big Ten Thompson-Randel El Freshman of the Year.
Defensive tackle Austin Johnson (Galloway, N.J.) and linebacker Nyeem Wartman (Philadelphia) joined Hackenberg on the BTN.com and ESPN.com Freshman All-Big Ten teams. Linebacker Brandon Bell (Mays Landing, N.J.) and running back Akeel Lynch (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) also were named to the BTN.com All-Freshman team, giving Penn State a conference-high five honorees on the squad.
Penn State returns 16 starters for the 2014 season (8 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist), which begins August 30 vs. No. 15 UCF in the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland. Public tickets for the Nittany Lions' first international game are available at ticketmaster.com.ie/psufootball and by entering the passcode, PSUDUBLIN14. The public ticket offering will end December 31.
Penn State season ticket renewals are underway for the 2014 campaign. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing 2014 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium and the Croke Park Classic, fans can visit GoPSUsports.com/tickets or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.