Penn State Football’s 4 Greatest Defensive Players Ever, And Why They Still Define ‘Linebacker U
We have officially made it to the point in the offseason where we can take a step back from the practice field and position battles and think about Penn State Football’s history.
Penn State has been one of the top programs in college football history, and the program has been particularly known for its stellar defenses through the decades.
While Penn State may not yet have a first-round NFL draft pick at defensive back, along the defensive line and at linebacker (where Penn State is known as “Linebacker U”), the Nittany Lions have produced no shortage of NFL talent over the years.
Here are the top 4-ranked defenders in Penn State Football History
Defensive Tackle Mike Reid
College Football Hall of Famer, and Penn State standout defensive tackle Mike Reid was a two-year captain for Penn State head coach Joe Paterno’s undefeated 1968 and 1969 teams, anchoring Penn State’s defensive line.
Reid won both the Outland Trophy for the best interior lineman in college football and the Maxwell Trophy for the best all-around player in the country, as well as being selected as a unanimous all-American in 1969 and a second-team all-American in 1968. Reid was a first-round draft pick in the 1970 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and finished fifth in Heisman voting in 1969.
After his five-year NFL career (where he was selected to two Pro Bowls), Reid launched a music career that ended with his induction in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
Linebacker Paul Posluszny
Linebacker Paul Posluszny is the most decorated linebacker in the history of “Linebacker U” at Penn State.
In his four seasons with the Nittany Lions, Posluszny won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation’s top defensive player twice (2005 and 2006), the Dick Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker in 2005, and was a two-time All-American and first team All-Big Ten selection in both 2005 and 2006.
Posluszny was a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 2007 NFL draft. After an 11-year NFL career, Posluszny was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
Defensive End Courtney Brown
Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown is the only Penn State defender (and only the second player all-time: Ki-Jana Carter) to be selected first overall in the NFL draft.
At the time he left Penn State, Brown held the NCAA record for career sacks and tackles for a loss, while earning recognition as the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. Like the next player on this list LaVar Arrington, Brown was selected as a unanimous All-American in 1999.
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Linebacker LaVar Arrington
From a purely athleticism standpoint, LaVar Arrington is the biggest athletic freak defender to ever step foot on Penn State’s campus.
In his three seasons in Happy Valley, Arrington won the Chuck Bednarik award for the nation’s top defensive player (1999), the Dick Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker (1999), and the Jack Lambert Trophy for the top college linebacker, was named the Big Ten Co-Defenisve Player of the Year in 1998, and was named a first team All-American in 1998 and a unanimous All-American in 1999.
Arrington also finished ninth in Heisman voting in 1999 before being selected second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL draft, behind only the previous player on this list Courtney Brown.
Penn State has had no shortage of elite defensive players throughout the Nittany Lions’ history. There are plenty of other elite players who could have easily ranked among the top four (and probably do, depending on which Penn State fan you ask).
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