Nov. 30, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the 2015 regular season in the books, a host of Nittany Lions were honored on Monday evening when the conference unveiled its 2015 All-Big Ten selections for the defensive side of the ball.
Headlining the list is Carl Nassib, who was tabbed as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Take a look inside Penn State's All-Big Ten selections for 2015.
First Team All-Big Ten (Media and Coaches): DE Carl Nassib - Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year Senior Carl Nassib has etched his place among the all-time greats in Penn State lore following a record-breaking season after becoming the program's all-time season leader in sacks. Nassib's statistics speak for themselves, but it has been the approach to every snap on the practice field, in the weight room and on the game field that has separated him from the best in the conference. Simply put, Nassib is a relentless worker with a never-ending drive to do everything in his power to ensure the Penn State defense is among the nation's elite. A former walk-on, Nassib has the utmost respect from all of his peers in the locker room for his efforts on and off the field. He will head into the bowl season as the nation's leader in sacks and forced fumbles. Nassib is a deserving recipient of the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year honor, but he would be the first to tell you that he doesn't play for individual accolades. Always humble, Nassib's preparation, effort, intensity and production put him a cut above the rest of the defensive players in the Big Ten this fall. And in doing so, Nassib joins an elite list of Nittany Lions who hold the honor of being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
"It's incredible. I'm so happy to be here and represent Penn State the right way," Nassib said. "I'm happy to show that hard work does pay off, and I couldn't be happier (to receive the award)."
- While making his first career start (high school or college), Nassib made a career-high 10 tackles with a sack and 2.5 TFLs in the season opener at Temple.
- Nassib had at least one sack in 10 consecutive games, which is the longest streak by a Penn State player since sacks became an official NCAA statistic in 2000.
- His 19.5 tackles for loss this season are the most by a Nittany Lion since Aaron Maybin had 20 in 2008. Nassib's TFL total is the fourth-most by a Penn State player since 2000.
- Nassib's six forced fumbles are the most by a Penn State player since Michael Haynes had a school-record seven forced fumbles in 2002.
- Nassib is the first Penn State player to force two fumbles in two games in the same season since Maurice Evans did it in 2007.
Click here for much more on the All-Big Ten defensive selections.