May 3, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Former Penn State offensive lineman Miles Dieffenbach (Pittsburgh) has signed a National Football League rookie free agent contract with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. He is the first of several Nittany Lions expected to officially sign NFL rookie free agent contracts.
Dieffenbach is the fourth player of the 2014 Penn State squad to be drafted or signed by NFL teams this spring. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected tackle Donovan Smith (Owings Mills, Md.) in the second round of the 2015 National Football League Draft. The Chicago Bears picked safety Adrian Amos (Baltimore, Md.) in the fifth round, while the Steelers took tight end Jesse James (Glassport) off the board in the fifth round.
"I am so excited to see Miles have this opportunity," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "He is such a terrific story to go from missing most of his senior season to now becoming an NFL free agent. He put in a lot of work in the training & weight room during the season to give himself a chance play last season. What I appreciate the most about Miles is his leadership through his injury and I am excited for him to earn this opportunity. He made the most of his five years, earning a degree in four years and starting work on a second degree this past season."
"Miles was great to coach," Offensive Line Coach Herb Hand said. "He has a good understanding of concepts and scheme and is very athletic. In the right situation, Miles could be a nice addition as an interior player with his best opportunity to contribute coming at the center position."
Dieffenbach was injured during spring practice in 2014, but managed to work his way back to play the final five games of his senior season with three starts. He was elected a team co-captain prior to the season. Dieffenbach saw his first action of the season at both guard spots against Indiana. He made 25 career starts, which rank tied for fifth on the team. Lining up next to LT Donovan Smith for the first time, Dieffenbach played left guard as he helped Penn State rush for a season-high 254 yards against the Owls (5.4 avg.), including 130 yards from Akeel Lynch and 92 yards from Bill Belton, both of whom scored a rushing touchdown.
The Pittsburgh native made his first start of the season at Illinois, at left guard, helping Lynch gain a career-high 137 rushing yards, including a touchdown on the ground. Dieffenbach also earned the start against Michigan State and in the comeback win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. He helped Christian Hackenberg go 34-of-50 for 371 yards and four touchdowns en route to MVP honors.
He graduated in May 2014 with a degree in advertising/public relations.
There were 28 former Nittany Lions with NFL teams during the 2014 season, again placing Penn State in the top 20 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players. Penn State was ranked No. 2 among Big Ten teams in players on 2014 NFL rosters.
For the 44th time in the Super Bowl's 49-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the participating teams (18 times in last 20 years). Thirty-seven former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 54 Super Bowl rings, most recently Jordan Hill and since-retired running back Michael Robinson with Seattle last year. A total of 105 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.
The Nittany Lions open the 2015 campaign on the road against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 5.
Season tickets for the 2015 campaign are on sale, with nearly 3,000 new season tickets having been sold. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.