Penn State announced that eight players have been named captains for the upcoming football season.
The captains are:
**QB Sean Clifford
**TE Pat Freiermuth
**OL Michal Menet
**S Jonathan Sutherland
**S Lamont Wade
**LB Jesse Luketa
**DE Shaka Toney
**K Jordan Stout
Clifford, Freiermuth, Sutherland and Menet are captains for a second consecutive season.
Introducing Our 2020 Captains! โฌ๏ธ
๐ฐ: https://t.co/3Zsf9oIpdr#WeAre pic.twitter.com/wRsSHO9I6w
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 16, 2020
Love this team! Honored to be selected captain by my teammates and the staff again! Canโt wait for next Saturday ๐ค https://t.co/d4KocFbBpT
— Sean Clifford (@seancliff14) October 16, 2020
Some player notes, from PSU’s release:
**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).
**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.
**Menet started all 13 games at center in 2019 and has made 25 career starts entering the 2020 campaign.
**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.
**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.
**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.
**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.
**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).
