Stephen Obeng-Agyapong Season 2012

Every Penn State player, coach and fan will be charged for the season-opener with Syracuse. But, for Bronx native Stephen Obeng-Agyapong and the other Nittany Lions from metropolitan New York City, playing in MetLife Stadium will be a special opportunity few college football players will have during their careers. The fifth-year senior safety will relish the chance to get back on the field after he was held out of contact during spring drills following off-season shoulder surgery. The starter at strong safety every game in 2012, the talented and hard-working Obeng-Agyapong will be one of the anchors of the Penn State secondary. Having played in all 38 career games on defense and special teams, he will join returning starters Adrian Amos and Malcolm Willis as the leaders in the secondary. The former John F. Kennedy High School all-state honoree is a strong and physical athlete who loves to hit. Last year, he registered 41 tackles (21 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss (minus-10), 0.5 sacks, four pass breakups and made one fumble recovery. Obeng-Agyapong graduated in May 2013 with a degree in information sciences and technology. He graduated with a cumulative 3.06 grade-point average, earning a 3.67 GPA during the spring semester for Dean[apos]s List honors. He is on schedule to earn a second degree, in security risk analysis, in the spring. He was an IT intern with State College Borough this past summer. Obeng-Agyapong is among five returnees from metropolitan New York City.

2012 Senior Season
Obeng-Agyapong started all 12 contests at strong safety and played in every game for the third consecutive season. He registered 41 tackles (21 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss (minus-10), 0.5 sacks and four pass breakups. He also picked up a fumble and returned it 20 yards into the Virginia red zone. Obeng-Agyapong played an instrumental role for a defense that ranked second in the Big Ten and No. 16 nationally in scoring defense at 19.1 ppg, holding six teams to 17 or fewer points. He made a career-high nine tackles, including one TFL for minus-five yards, in the 34-7 win over Navy for Bill O[apos]Brien[apos]s first career head coaching victory. He posted one solo stop and one pass breakup in helping hold Iowa to 209 yards of total offense in the 38-14 road win. He made one stop and two pass breakups against Ohio State and had four hits at No. 18 Nebraska. Obeng-Agyapong made three tackles in the victory over Indiana, including 0.5 sacks for minus-four yards. He delivered a strong effort with eight tackles (five solo) in the pulsating 24-21 Senior Day overtime win over Wisconsin.

2011 Junior Season
Obeng-Agyapong played in every game on defense and special teams, helping the Nittany Lions rank third in the Big Ten in pass defense. He recorded 11 total tackles, seven of which were solo hits. He made three stops against Indiana State in the season-opener and three more against No. 2 Alabama. He also made two stops against Eastern Michigan and had one tackle in three additional games. Obeng-Agyapong was on the field for 254 snaps, topped by 38 against Eastern Michigan and 29 at Wisconsin.

2010 Sophomore Season
Obeng-Agyapong played in every game on defense and special teams and recorded nine tackles. He made three tackles against Youngstown State and two hits in the shutout win over Kent State. Obeng-Agyapong saw action on 197 snaps, led by 30 against Youngstown State, 21 against Illinois and 19 against Florida in the 2011 Outback Bowl. He garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time.

2009 Freshman Season
Redshirt season.

High School
A team captain at John F. Kennedy High School, Obeng-Agyapong played on both sides of the ball for Coach Alex Vega. He earned all-state and all-city accolades. He gained 719 rushing yards and scored six touchdowns during his senior season, adding a pair of receiving scores. At free safety, Obeng-Agyapong recorded 130 career tackles and four interceptions. He played in the 2009 Empire Challenge game where New York City took on Long Island. Obeng-Agyapong also was a member of the track team, running in the sprint events and relays.

Personal
Full name is Stephen Obeng-Agyapong. He is the son of Stephen and Glorida Obeng-Agyapong. He has two younger brothers, David and Jeremiah, and an older sister, Esther. Obeng-Agyapong enjoys drawing in his spare time. Obeng-Agyapong graduated in May 2013 with a degree in information sciences and technology. He is on schedule to earn a second degree, in security risk analysis, in May 2014. Born February 20, 1991 in the Bronx, N.Y.