UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State football head coach James Franklin announced redshirt seniors Michal Menet and Shaka Toney, senior Lamont Wade, redshirt juniors Sean Clifford and Jonathan Sutherland, and juniors Pat Freiermuth, Jesse Luketa and Jordan Stout have been named team captains for the 2020 season. Clifford, Freiermuth, Menet and Sutherland are captains for the second-straight season.
Menet started all 13 games at center in 2019 and has made 25 career starts entering the 2020 campaign. Menet led an offensive line that helped the Nittany Lions to gain 529 yards in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic vs. Memphis, including a program bowl record 396 yards and a Cotton Bowl-record five rushing touchdowns. The Pennsylvania native earned the team's Dick Maginnis Memorial Award, recognizing an outstanding offensive lineman, and the Captain's Award at last year's team awards banquet. He was recently named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List. Menet is majoring in psychology.
Toney was an All-Big Ten second team selection by the media and a Phil Steele All-Big Ten third team selection after starting all 13 games in 2019. Toney recorded 41 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and a blocked kick last season. He enters 2020 with five career games with 2.0 or more tackles for loss and three games with 2.0 or more sacks, including a three-sack performance against Purdue in 2019. Toney has tallied 22.0 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in his Nittany Lion career. He is a rehabilitation and human services major.
Wade has established himself as a key member of the Nittany Lion defense, making 13 starts at safety last season. The Clairton, Pennsylvania native was selected All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media in 2019 and was tabbed Pro Football Focus All-Big Ten second team. Wade collected 67 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2019. A phenomenal performance at Ohio State saw Wade force three fumbles, tying a Big Ten record, and recover another, becoming the sixth FBS player since 2000 to accomplish that feat. The recreation, parks and tourism management major is a member of the 2020 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List.
Clifford completed 189 passes for 2,654 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first season as the starting quarterback in 2019. He ranked third in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns, yards per completion (14.04) and yards per attempt (8.32). Clifford tallied three games with 250 passing yards and three touchdowns last season, joining Trace McSorley (2017, 4 games) and Christian Hackenberg (2013, 3 games). He set a Penn State record with 287 passing yards in the first half at Maryland, ending the game with 398 yards. Clifford completed 39 passes for 20 or more yards, had four multi-touchdown pass quarters and four halves with three passing touchdowns. He enters the 2020 season tied for 13th all-time at Penn State with 25 career passing touchdowns, 18th all-time with 194 career completions and ninth all-time with 399 rushing yards by a quarterback. He is a member of the Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award and Wuerffel Trophy Watch Lists. The advertising and public relations major was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2019.
Freiermuth was tabbed AP and Athlon Sports Preseason All-America first team entering the 2020 campaign. He was named AFCA All-America second team and All-America second team by The Athletic in 2019. Freiermuth made 43 grabs for 507 yards, both good for second on the team, and seven touchdowns. His seven touchdown catches ranked fourth among FBS tight ends and seventh overall in the Big Ten. Freiermuth became the ninth player (11 occasions) and first tight end in program history with three touchdown catches in a single game at Michigan State (10/26/19). He followed that with a career-high 101 yards on seven receptions at Minnesota. Freiermuth is tied for ninth all-time at Penn State with 15 career touchdown receptions and is tied for the PSU career touchdown receptions by a tight end record with Mike Gesicki (2014-17). The labor and human resources major is on the Mackey Award and Biletnikoff Award Watch Lists.
Luketa leads the linebacker unit after tallying 24 tackles, a half-tackle for loss and four pass breakups in 13 games, including two starts. He registered three or more tackles in four games last season, including five stops at Maryland. Luketa is a criminology major.
Stout made a big impact on the special teams unit after joining the program in 2019. He ranked fourth in the FBS with 66 touchbacks, landing a touchback on nearly 80 percent of his kickoffs. Stout became the first Penn State kicker with multiple 50-yard field goals in a season, joining Kevin Kelly (2008). Stout converted a 53-yard field goal against Idaho. Two weeks later, Stout hit a program-record 57-yard field goal against Pittsburgh, tying a Beaver Stadium record equaling Ohio's Gary Homer in 1973. Against Idaho, Stout booted 12 touchbacks, the most by a Nittany Lion since the spot was moved to the 35-yard line in 2011. Stout is a telecommunications major.
Sutherland, who is a special teams captain, has developed into a major contributor on multiple special teams units. The two-time captain blocked two punts against Idaho (8/31/19), marking the first time Penn State blocked two punts in a game since 2000 vs. Louisiana Tech. Sutherland's two blocked punts is tied for the fourth-most in FBS history. He was one of only two FBS players with multiple blocked kicks in 2019. Sutherland is also a key member of the secondary rotation, tallying 23 tackles, 11 solo, and a half-tackle for loss in 2019. The Ottawa native earned the Captain's Award at the team's awards banquet. Sutherland is majoring in labor & employment relations.
Under current state guidance, public tickets will not be sold for 2020 Penn State football games. Fans are encouraged to cheer the Nittany Lions on from afar through virtual initiatives to be announced in the coming weeks. Tailgating is not permitted on game days in any University parking lots.
Capped by a 53-39 win over No. 17 Memphis in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 28, 2019, the Nittany Lions posted their third 11-win season in four years with an 11-2 record. It marked Penn State's 18th 11-win season overall and eighth since joining the Big Ten. Penn State's last stretch with 11 wins in three-of-four years was 1968-71.
Penn State finished in the Top 10 of the Associated Press (AP) poll and the Amway Coaches polls for its third Top 10 finish in both polls in the last four seasons. The Nittany Lions came in at No. 9 in the final AP and Amway Coaches polls. Additionally, Penn State was No. 10 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings. The Nittany Lions have ended the season in the AP Top 25 in four-consecutive seasons for the first time since a seven-year stint from 1993-99. Penn State is one-of-four teams (Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma) to rank in the Top 12 of the CFP final rankings in each of the last four seasons (2016-19).
The 2020 Penn State Football Season is presented by PSECU.
