April 11, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach James Franklin announced the members of his 2017 Leadership Council, which consists of 30 members of the Penn State football team, today. The Council, which is comprised of 21 seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen, serves as the voice for the team.
"We have a terrific group that will represent us on our Leadership Council this year," Franklin said. "This group is a diverse collection of student-athletes, who represent our four core values on a daily basis. We value their opinions and know they will drive our program's culture and core values."
This year's Leadership Council members are: seniors Marcus Allen, Troy Apke, Saeed Blacknall, Jason Cabinda, Christian Campbell, Tyrell Chavis, Curtis Cothran, Parker Cothren, Desi Davis, Tyler Davis, Mike Gesicki, Grant Haley, DaeSean Hamilton, Cody Hodgens, Brendan Mahon, Josh McPhearson, Andrew Nelson, Tom Pancoast, Daniel Pasquariello, Brandon Smith and Mitchell Vallone; juniors Saquon Barkley, Trace McSorley, John Reid and Nick Scott; sophomores Ryan Bates, Juwan Johnson and Tommy Stevens; and freshmen Michal Menet and Jake Zembiec.
This group is not only charged with leading the team, but the expectation is to also uphold the program's four core values: positive attitude, great work ethic, competitive in everything and must be willing to sacrifice. The Leadership Council meets at least twice a month in Franklin's office.
The Nittany Lions have opened spring practice, which culminates in the Blue-White game on Saturday, April 22 at 3 p.m. Admission is free. Penn State opens the 2017 campaign against Akron at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2.
More than 5,600 new season tickets have been sold for the 2017 campaign. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2017 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.