from
gopsusports.com
Long before he took the field in 2004, Paul Posluszny had established himself as one of the defensive unit's leaders as he attacked the weight room and off-season conditioning with infectious zeal and often awe-inspiring performance. If his true freshman campaign piqued anticipation as the next great player at "Linebacker U.," his sophomore year did nothing to quell the feeling as he led the Nittany Lions with 104 tackles and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. Just 19 games into his collegiate career, Posluszny's status as a truly remarkable player was further elevated with his election as a tri-captain for the 2005 season. A true junior, Posluszny is Penn State's first junior captain since standout defensive linemen Mike Reid and Steve Smear in 1968...
From
rivals.com
Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny is racking up postseason awards nearly as quickly as he piled up tackles this season.
The Nittany Lions' junior has already taken home the Bednarik Award for the best defensive player in the nation and the Butkus Award for the best linebacker in the nation. And that's not to mention being named to a number of prestigious All-American and All-Conference teams.
Add another honor to his postseason list Paul Posluszny is the Rivals.com Defensive Player of the Year.
Posluszny's stats were impressive, tallying 111 tackles, including 11 tackles for losses and three sacks, and the he showed a knack for stepping up against the better offenses.
Posluszny earned Big Ten Player of the Week honor for three consecutive weeks when Penn State defeated bowl-bound Northwestern, then-No. 6 Ohio State, and then-No. 18 Minnesota.
More important than mere box scores and awards, though, Posluszny is the unquestioned defensive leader of a resurgent Penn State program...
"Paul is as good of a linebacker as there is in the country," Paterno said last week at the College Football Awards. "I think he's done everything you could ask a kid to do. He's played almost every play. He's a great leader and the whole bit."
Paterno didn't hesitate to give his defensive leader his due, calling Posluszny "one of the best linebackers we've ever had." That's exceedingly high praise from the 'Linebacker U' coach who has mentored the likes of Jack Ham, Shane Conlan, and LaVar Arrington.
The praise keeps on coming for Posluszny. Ham, an eight-time NFL Pro Bowler in his own right, was recently quoted as saying of Posluszny: "I truly believe he's the best linebacker ever to play at Penn State."
From
Post-Gazette.com
Penn State's Paul Posluszny, who helped the No. 3 Nittany Lions earn a share of the Big Ten championship, won the Butkus Award as college football's best linebacker last night.
The award, given by the Orlando Downtown Athletic Club, is Posluszny's second national honor. He won the Bednarik Award as the best defensive player Thursday.
"They're both huge honors, but I'd have to say, as a linebacker, that this one means a lot more to me," Posluszny said.
Posluszny beat out A.J. Hawk of Ohio State and Alabama's DeMeco Ryans in becoming the second Penn State linebacker to win the Butkus Award in its 21-year history. Lavar Arrington won in 1999.
More from
post-gazette.com
Paul Posluszny said he never expected this, and such words aren't surprising, given the factors. First, he usually generates modesty like fire generates heat. Second, he knows the etiquette of the dinner-and-tux award galas he attended last weekend. (Acceptance speeches work best with humility.)
Still, when Posluszny, Penn State's sterling junior linebacker, mentions that he never expected this, he's not speaking about the Butkus Award, which he won Saturday night in Orlando, Fla. He's not referring the two All-American teams to which he was named this past week. He's not citing his award from Thursday night -- the Bednarik Award, given to college football's top defensive player, either.
No, something else surprised Posluszny Thursday night as ESPN cameras followed his walk across the stage at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Orlando.
It was Tommy McDonald, a former Oklahoma star who helped to present the award to Posluszny.
"That guy was nuts," Posluszny said by phone yesterday while traveling back to State College. "He was crazy. I walked up there and I was thinking, OK, a handshake or something. And he came flying in and gave me a chest bump."
The moment of unscripted awkwardness lingered as the only imperfection in a memorable weekend for Penn State's most-honored player in seasons.
"I'm really excited about it and also totally honored," Posluszny said of the Butkus Award, "especially when you consider the other guys who were up for it."
Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, for one. All season, Hawk and Posluszny -- already linked by their ferocity -- also were linked in debate. Television pundits and fans alike compared the two -- how they led their respective defenses, how they stopped the run, how they projected as future pros.
"It was good to meet him and talk," Posluszny said. "It's not like a rivalry, but he's somebody I recognize as a great linebacker. I hold him in high regard."
Hawk is a senior, but Posluszny must still debate whether to return to school for his final season. For months, he has wavered, but Saturday night, he told reporters in Florida that he would return for his senior year, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
No matter Posluszny's decision, he will return to Florida within the month. Penn State, preparing for its Jan. 3 Orange Bowl game against Florida State, will meet for practice Dec.20 in Florida. Posluszny said yesterday he isn't disappointed to face a team that stumbled through a four-loss season but earned a BCS trip by upsetting Virginia Tech in the ACC championship.
"Regardless of their record, they have a lot of talent," Posluszny said. "They're dangerous. They play a different style of football than what we're used to in the Big Ten."
