Jan. 27, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State defensive end C.J. Olaniyan has accepted an invitation to participate in the College Gridiron Showcase on Saturday, Jan. 31 in Arlington, Texas. He becomes the sixth Nittany Lion to receive an invitation to a 2015 post-season all-star game.
The contest will be played at Maverick Stadium on the University of Texas at Arlington campus and will kick at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Olaniyan joins safety Adrian Amos (Baltimore), defensive end Deion Barnes (Philadelphia), linebacker Mike Hull (Canonsburg) and offensive tackle Donovan Smith (Owings Mills, Md.), who accepted invitations for the 2015 Senior Bowl, and guard Miles Dieffenbach (Pittsburgh), who was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game. The Nittany Lions' four Senior Bowl invitees were their most since the 2003 Senior Bowl. Hull and Dieffenbach did not play in their respective games.
A 2014 team co-captain, Olaniyan ranked third on the team with 3.0 sacks (minus-19), was sixth in tackles for loss with 5.5 (minus-24) and eighth in tackles with 43 this past season. Olaniyan also had one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was an integral part of Penn State's FBS top 10 defensive unit.
The Warren, Mich., product ended his career with 111 tackles, including 52 solo stops, and 17.5 tackles-for-loss. He recorded nine quarterback sacks, broke up four passes, forced four fumbles, recovered two fumbles and collected one interception. He piled up a career-high 50 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss and five sacks during his junior campaign and his nine stops in the double-overtime thriller against Ohio State in 2014 were a career-high effort.
Olaniyan started 26 career games, including all 25 games during his junior and senior seasons, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades in 2013. He graduated with a degree in criminology this past August.
Penn State football will host "The Signature Event," on Wednesday, Feb. 4, giving fans an opportunity to learn more about the Nittany Lions' Class of 2015. Fans are invited to attend this free event in Rec Hall and hear from head coach James Franklin, as he discusses each signee on National Letter of Intent Day. The doors will open at 6 p.m. for general admission, first-come, first-served seating, with the program starting at 7 p.m. Parking is available in Lot Red A after 5 p.m. and the Nittany Parking Deck at the normal rate.
The Nittany Lions capped the 2014 season with a 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to earn at least 10 consecutive winning seasons. Franklin is among just three Penn State head coaches to win at least seven games in his first season in Happy Valley.
Penn State returns 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist), and 14 additional players who have started, for the 2015 season. The Blue-White Game is April 18 in Beaver Stadium and the season opener is Sept. 5 at Temple.
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