John Urschel started his college football career at Penn State and that’s where he’s going to end it, the Canisius High School graduate confirmed on Monday night.
“I’m a Penn-Stater all the way,” he said by phone.
Urschel’s future with the Nittany Lions, as well as teammate Akeel Lynch’s of St. Francis, got thrown into the spotlight when the NCAA announced a series of sanctions against the Penn State football program for its involvement in the sexual abuse scandal surrounding former coach Jerry Sandusky.
One of the sanctions opens the door for current and incoming Penn State football players to transfer to other schools without penalty. Typically, players who move from one Division I school to another have to sit out one season.
Urschel, a senior, expects to start on the offensive line when camp opens Aug. 6, while Lynch is an incoming freshman with a seemingly much tougher decision ahead of him.
Urschel graciously deflected questions about what factors led to his decision to stay, and how’s he’s been handling the situation. “Honestly, these aren’t really things we can talk about right now. We’re sending all things related to [head] coach [Bill] O’Brien. I’m a Penn State football player and that’s not going to change.”
Lynch was not available for comment on Monday.
---Mary Jo Monnin
