Part V: THE TOP 25 PENN STATE PLAYERS OF THE MILLENNIUM

With the first 25 seasons of college football in the books, Penn State has left an indelible mark.

In this five-part series, I will be ranking the 25 best players Penn State football played in the first 25 seasons of the 21st century. 

You can read Part I that examines 25 to 21 here.

You can read Part II that examines 20 to 16 here.

You can read Part III that examines 15 to 11 here.

You can read Part IV that examines 10 to 6 here.

Without further ado, here are your top five players of the 21st Century. 

5. Tyler Warren

Penn State has been blessed at the tight end position. 

Joe Paterno once said of Ted Kwalick, “What God had in mind when he made a football player.” I could only imagine what Paterno would think of Warren, who was the 2024 recipient of the Big Ten Tight End of the Year Award, an award bearing Kwalick’s name.

Warren waited his time in the tight end group.

When it came up, he was the unquestioned leader of not only the tight end group but the entire 2024 offense.

During last season, I had many encounters covering Warren, he is incredibly humble but what struck me was at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis was how confident he was the offense was going to make that jump.

Warren responded in a way that I feel is the greatest individual offensive season of all-time by a Penn State player. I say that knowing Larry Johnson had 2,000+ yards rushing and the marvel that was Saquon Barkley – someone who should come up later. 

What made Warren’s season so remarkable is he literally rewrote every single season tight end receiving tight end record there seems to be, but it was also his versatility lining up in various passing positions and running route trees all over. He lined up as a running back. He even threw a few touchdowns.

Against USC, Warren was involved in arguably the most exotic play many of us have ever seen. Warren snapped the ball to Beau Pribula, then Pribula passed it to Drew Allar. Allar then located Warren in the end zone for a touchdown.

Warren set records that day that matched the FBS record for receptions by a tight end in a single game (17), and set the Penn State and Big Ten record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single game (224). 

For Warren, the 2024 ended with him awarded as the first players to win the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end snagging 104 receptions – the most by any pass receiver in Penn State history, 1,233 yards receiving – second only to Allen Robinson’s 1,432 mark in 2013.

4. Micah Parsons

 Parsons is a great ‘what if’ in Penn State lure. We just witnessed what Abdul Carter achieved on his switch from linebacker to EDGE. 

We saw Parsons’ one-game experiment in the 2019 Cotton Bowl, where he recorded 14 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles to earn Cotton Bowl defensive MVP honors. 

I will go this far with the superlatives of Parsons, had he played a 2020 season and took that jump like he did after his first full season of starting – Parsons would be the No. 1 player on this list. 

Everything with Parsons was big, even his commitment video. Parsons’ other contenders were Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Nebraska. As his video progressed he seemed to reject Penn State amongst others and teased Oklahoma fans with a “Boomer Sooner.” 

Then Parsons talked about the importance of being home and then committed to Penn State.

As a true freshman, Parsons saw the field early and demonstrated his dominance becoming the first true freshman to lead the team in tackles. 

It was his 2019 season that will always tease Penn State fans about 2020. The leap Parsons made earned him Consensus All-American honors, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year recording 109 tackles (52 solo), 14 tackles for loss (tied for fifth amongst Big Ten linebackers), 26 quarterback hurries, five sacks, five passes defended, and four forced fumbles.

As Parsons primed for a shift to the EDGE, COVID-19 hit and he opted out of the 2020 season to train for the 2021 Draft. What Parsons accomplished in two years is remarkable but it will always leave fans wanting more and what that next jump would have looked like in his progression. 

3. Paul Posluszny 

The most individually decorated and accomplished linebacker to ever dawn the Blue and White. 

I don’t think there is much argument to say that of Posluszny, who played from 2003 to 2006 being one of the foundation pieces that morphed the Penn State from one of the worst programs back amongst the nation’s elite. 

If you don’t believe me, arguably the dean of Penn State linebackers had the highest of praises for Posluszny. 

“I truly believe he’s the best linebacker ever to play at Penn State,” former linebacker Jack Ham said. 

Ham’s resume includes four Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers, named to the NFL 75 and NFL 100th Anniversary Teams, NFL record 53 turnovers by a non-defensive defensive back. At Penn State, Ham was a Consensus All-American, a key part of two undefeated teams in 1968 and 1969. 

Stealing legendary Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Ron Cook’s lede because it is so apropos: for a Penn State linebacker, this must be what it feels like to be touched by God.

When I think of Posluszny, the images are many. I think of his busted nose because of his no fear engaging the ball carrier to make the tackle. 

Moments that come to mind I think of the 2005 Minnesota game. Minnesota entered the game as the nation’s top rushing offense. Minnesota marched down the field and Penn State needed a goal line stand and Posluszny delivered.

Minnesota’s Gary Russell approached the goal line and Poslusny literally leapt at him like a mountain lion from Mount Nittany and wrestled him down short.

When it was all said and done, Posluszny broke Greg Buttle’s record for most career tackles (Posluszny got to hold it for a short time because Dan Connor broke his record a year later), the second Nittany Lion linebacker ever to be Consensus All-American twice (Dennis Onkotz was the first), second player ever to win the Chuck Bednarik Award twice (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald the first), and second Nittany Lion to receive the Dick Butkus Award (LaVar Arrington 1999 the first). 

2. Saquon Barkley

I don’t know if the English language has the proper lexicon for me to adequately describe how great Barkley was at Penn State.

While Penn State did not take home a national championship during Barkley’s time or Barkley himself didn’t get individual accolades like the Heisman Trophy or Doak Walker Awards, those missing accolades aren’t an indictment on what Barkley achieved at Penn State.

I firmly believe the biggest recruiting flip Franklin has had was luring Barkley to Penn State from Rutgers. I don’t think many would argue that point.

The eye test, which we all use and romanticize with, we got stories of grandeur about Barkley. You think of the opening kickoff at Ohio State, the Rose Bowl run, the Fiesta Bowl scamper, the hurdle against Iowa, the wheel route in the Big Ten Championship and countless others. They are too numerous to name. 

Even Barkley’s workout and practice footage have become legendary. Saquon squatting several hundred pounds or powercleaning nearly 400 pounds, you have to marvel at. At practice where it seems the defense has him bottled up and outmanned, he still evades for a win for the offense.

The feats Barkley achieved at Penn State are numerous. Barkley has the record for most all purpose yards with 5,538, the second most rushing yards (3,843), and many award wins. Notably the only Penn State player  with multiple Big Ten MVP, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and Big Ten Running Back of the Year wins.

1. Abdul Carter

You might be scratching your head at this one. Barkley or  Posluszny, both infinitely more decorated players, didn’t get my No. 1 nod here.

With Posluszny, you see the missing versatility and go I get why he isn’t No. 1. With Barkley, he was a running back, lining up at wide receiver, and even as a returner with his accolades – how isn’t Barkley No. 1?

It’s no disrespect to Barkley. He played big in some major moments for Penn State but at the end of the day he was a running back.

For Carter, he literally made a position change from linebacker – which he played at an All-American level to moving to defensive end and was arguably the best in the nation. How often does that even happen?

We could have seen it with Parsons. Not to beat the dead horse and I will die on this hill, Parsons has a normal 2020 season he has a season like Abdul Carter did in 2024. Since I don’t live with if’s, I deal with reality and what Carter did in 2024 blows my mind still. 

The eye test on Carter, once it all clicked, it was a poetry in motion of defensive excellence. Offensively lineman couldn’t single block him and when Carter used many of his moves in battle, he would make an impact on every single down.

Carter had 10 games with two or more tackles for losses to go along with four games with two or more sacks.

My measuring stick has always been Courtney Brown’s 1999 season – one of the many reasons the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year award bears his name with Carter being its 2024 recipient.

Carter has the second most tackles for losses (24) in program history since Brown (30) set the record in 1999. Carter had 12 sacks which was fourth amongst all Power 4 defenders, and his 66 pressures were second in the nation earning him Consensus All-American status. 

To me, Carter’s season is right there with Brown’s and something I will have to think about. At minimum, Carter had the ultimate defensive season in the 21st Century, his ability to move to an impact position and be the nation’s best is the reason I have him as the  No. 1 player Penn State has had in the 21st Century.