Penn State guard Hunter Nourzad plans on coming back next season, he announced via Twitter Tuesday morning.
— Hunter Nourzad 🇮🇷 (@NourzadHunter) November 8, 2022
He wrote that he’s “grateful to be surrounded every day by a group of people who are hardworking, passionate and leaders in the community.”
”The coaches, staff and my teammates have helped push me to be a better athlete, student and man,” he wrote. “After careful thought and consideration with my family and coaches, I have decided to take advantage of my extra year of eligibility and return for my final season at Penn State in 2023.”
Nourzad has been playing college football since 2018, when he began his career in the Ivy League at Cornell. He didn’t play as a freshman, but became a starter in 2019 and earned second-team all-conference honors. COVID-19 wrecked the 2020 Ivy League season, but Nourzad and Cornell returned to the field on 2021. That season, Nourzad earned first-team All-Ivy League.
He also received All-America accolades from the AFCA (second-team) and Phil Steele (third-team). Steele also picked Nourzad as his Ivy League Offensive Lineman of the Year. He then entered the transfer portal and picked Penn State.
In his first season at Penn State, Nourzad started out as a reserve, but has become the team’s regular left guard, starting the last four games with Landon Tengwall on the shelf with injury.
Nourzad ended his statement by saying he’s “thankful for all the people in my life who have played a part in this journey.”
”My work here isn’t done,” he wrote “and I look forward to returning to work alongside my brothers.”
