UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State junior tight end Pat Freiermuth has been voted one of the Big Ten's 10 Players to Watch, it was announced by the league office on Friday. A media panel selected the 10-member preseason list, with five representatives each from the East and West Divisions.
Freiermuth adds the Big Ten's honor to his list of preseason accolades. For the second consecutive year, the junior is on the Mackey Award watch list. He additionally is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list entering the 2020 season.
Pat Freiermuth Bio:
- Named a 2019 second team All-American by the AFCA and The Athletic.
- Voted a 2019 All-Big Ten second team by the coaches and media.
- Named the team's 2019 Most Valuable Offensive Player at the awards banquet.
- Has caught a pass in 25-straight games.
- Has 15 career touchdown receptions, tied with Mike Gesicki (2014-17) for the PSU record for tight ends.
- The 15 TD grabs are good for a tie for ninth all-time at Penn State with current Penn State assistant head coach Terry Smith (1988-91), Joe Jurevicius (1994-97) and Mike Gesicki (2014-17).
- Made 13 starts and was a team captain during his sophomore season in 2019.
- Ranked seventh in the Big Ten with seven touchdown receptions and held fourth among FBS tight ends with the seven scores.
- Hauled in a career-best eight receptions for 99 yards in the victory over Buffalo (9/17/19), pulling in two touchdown receptions.
- Made a seven-yard touchdown grab in the win over Purdue (10/5/19).
- Scored on a 17-yard touchdown grab in the victory over Michigan (10/19/19).
- In the win at Michigan State (10/26/19), made five receptions for 60 yards and caught a career-high three touchdown receptions, becoming the ninth time in program history that a player has caught three touchdown passes in a single game.
- Caught seven passes for a career-high 101 yards at Minnesota (11/9/19).
- Made eight touchdown receptions his freshman year in 2018 (No. 2 among PSU tight ends and tied for No. 11 overall among PSU receivers).
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.