Who will stay, who will go ahead of the 2022 season?

Penn State Football has already received notifications from two key players, Sean Clifford and Brandon Smith, where they will play in 2022, and we look forward to hearing from the rest of the team in the coming days.

As the Outback Bowl approaches Penn State Football, so will the announcements of players leaving for the NFL and returning in 2022.

Penn State Football has already learned about the future of two key players, quarterback Sean Clifford and lineman Brandon Smith.

Last week, Clifford announced he would return to State College for the sixth season and is likely to be a starting quarterback and have the opportunity to direct young incoming freshman players, including five-star recruited Drew Allar.

On Friday, Brandon Smith announced he would be leaving the Outback Bowl and participating in the NFL draw after three seasons with the Nittany Lions. Smith had a year of ups and downs, but that’s a huge loss for Manny Diaz’s defense in 2022.

We’re trying to predict what some other major Nittany Lions might do this offseason, but we’re not going to break down the decisions of Jahan Dotson or Jaquan Brisker. They’re both on their way to the NFL, and they should be.

Dotson seems to be almost locked in being the first-round pick, while Dotson could sneak his way into the first round, but at worst, he’s the second-round pick in the April NFL draft.

The only decision for each of them is whether they will play in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas on New Year’s Day.

Who will stay and who will go to Penn State Football in 2022?

Jesse Luketa – Defending Head / Line Defender

Luketa forced a change to a defensive end before the season, when Adisa Isaac was injured at the end of the season at a training camp.

The senior struggled in line-up in 2020 in the absence of Micah Parsons, but shone last season at the defensive end and even accepted the Senior Bowl invitation, a post-season premiere event for seniors with NFL draft ratings.

Last season, Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields both accepted the Senior Bowl invitation, but ended up returning to Happy Valley for the final season, and it really supported Brisker, who may even end up in the first round selection this April.

Read has already said he will definitely be playing in the Outback Bowl at Nittany Lions on New Year’s Day, mentioning that he has had good conversations with the team’s new defense coordinator, Manny Diaz, which could bode well for Penn State Football and his chance to return.

Luketa would benefit from a second season at the defensive end, but he’s still best friends with Micah Parsons, who lives an NFL lifestyle, and I think that charm will eventually take Luketa to the league.

Prediction: Read to write his name on the NFL draft after the Outback Bowl.