The 36-year-old Lynn was a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention pick who appeared in 47 games from 2008-11 and started 37 of his final 38 games. He finished his career with 162 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four interceptions and one fumble recovery.

He has spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator at USC, where the Trojans held opponents to 24.1 points per game in 2024 and 23.0 in 2025 after allowing 34.4 the season before he arrived there.

This season, USC ranks 49th in total defense, 51st in scoring defense, 47th in passing yards allowed and 58th in rushing defense.

In his only season as defensive coordinator at UCLA in 2023, the Bruins went from 89th in total and scoring defense to 10th in total defense and 14th in scoring defense. They ranked second in the country in rushing defense and 19th in pass defense efficiency.

Since 2023, Lynn ranks fifth among defensive coordinators in fewest yards per completion and red zone rushing touchdowns, eighth in fewest fourth quarter points and 10th in fewest rushing touchdowns per season and red zone TD percentage.

Before he arrived at UCLA, he spent nine seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL with Baltimore, Houston, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Chargers.

In a related matter, Penn State has hired Ikaika Malloe as defensive line coach. Malloe was on the UCLA staff with Lynn in 2023 and coached the defensive line, including end Laitu Latu, who led the nation in tackles for loss (1.8 per game) and was fourth in sacks (1.08).

Latu won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s outstanding lineman or linebacker and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s outstanding defensive end. The Indianapolis Colts selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Malloe, a native of Hawaii, was on the University of Washington staff from 2016-21 and coached the defensive line, including 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Vita Vea. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Vea in the first round of the 2018 draft.

Malloe began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Washington in 1997 and also has coached at Western Illinois, UTEP, Hawaii, Yale, Portland State and Utah State.

In other news, two assistant coaches on James Franklin’s former Penn State staff are leaving for other jobs.

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has returned to Kansas, where he’ll be the associate head coach for Lance Leipold and where he enjoyed much success from 2021-23. He spent the last two seasons at Penn State with mixed results.

Co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter is going to Tennessee, where he’ll rejoin defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on the Volunteers’ staff.

Poindexter spent the last five seasons at Penn State and coached such safeties as Jaquan Brisker, Ji’Ayir Brown, Jaylen Reed and Kevin Winston Jr. A College Football Hall of Fame inductee, he served as interim defensive coordinator for the Lions’ 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Safety King Mack, who started eight games after returning to the Nittany Lions, is the latest and most surprising player to enter the portal. He emerged as a team leader after James Franklin was fired as head coach and Terry Smith was named interim coach.

A junior from Miami, Fla., he began his career at Penn State in 2023, transferred to Alabama for the 2024 season and came back to the Lions for this season. One report said that he might be headed to Tennessee, where he would join defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, who’s leaving Penn State for the Volunteers.

Mack is one of several front-line Penn State players who plan to transfer, joining quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan, tight end Luke Reynolds, defensive ends Zuriah Fisher, Jaylen Harvey and Chaz Coleman, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Keon Wylie and cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington II.

Ryan Barker, the most accurate kicker in school history, announced early Friday morning that he’s returning to Penn State, along with linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback Audavion Collins, safety Dejuan Lane and others.

The Penn State roster tracker below will be updated frequently.

Players returning

Owen Aliciene: offensive lineman, freshman

Ryan Barker: kicker, redshirt sophomore

Henry Boehme: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore

Audavion Collins: cornerback, redshirt junior

Cooper Cousins: offensive lineman, sophomore

Daryus Dixson: cornerback, freshman

Anthony Donkoh: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore

Finn Furmanek: tight end, redshirt sophomore

Max Granville: defensive end, redshirt freshman

Koby Howard: wide receiver, freshman

Yvan Kemajou: defensive end, freshman

Dejuan Lane: safety, sophomore

Quinton Martin Jr.: running back, redshirt freshman

Chimdy Onoh: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore

Andrew Rappleyea: tight end, redshirt sophomore

Tony Rojas: linebacker, junior

Garrett Sexton: offensive lineman, redshirt freshman

Alex Tatsch: linebacker, freshman

Vaboue Toure: safety, redshirt freshman

Players in the transfer portal

Alex Birchmeier: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore

Eagan Boyer: offensive lineman, redshirt freshman

Josiah Brown: wide receiver, redshirt freshman

Chaz Coleman: defensive end, freshman

Aaron Enterline: wide receiver, redshirt freshman

Jeff Exinor Jr.: wide receiver, freshman

Zuriah Fisher: defensive end, redshirt senior

Xavier Gilliam: defensive tackle, redshirt freshman

Ethan Grunkemeyer: quarterback, redshirt freshman

A.J. Harris: cornerback, junior

Jaylen Harvey: defensive end, redshirt freshman

Anthony Ivey: wide receiver, redshirt junior

Kari Jackson: linebacker, redshirt freshman

Daniel Jennings: defensive end, freshman

Karson Kiesewetter: safety, redshirt sophomore

Bekkem Kritza: quarterback, freshman

King Mack: safety, junior

Lamont Payne Jr.: safety, redshirt sophomore

Luke Reynolds: tight end, sophomore

Kaden Saunders: wide receiver, redshirt junior

Joey Schlaffer: tight end, redshirt sophomore

T.J. Shanahan: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore

Sam Siafa: defensive tackle, redshirt junior

Corey Smith: running back, redshirt freshman

Jaxon Smolik: quarterback, redshirt sophomore

Anthony Speca: linebacker, redshirt freshman

Cam Wallace: running back, redshirt sophomore

Elliot Washington II: cornerback, junior

J’ven Williams: offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore

Keon Wylie: linebacker, redshirt junior

A quarter-century later, he’s the first of a trio that includes Moravian’s Mary Beth Spirk and DeSales’ Fred Richter slated to depart.

Rohn announced in August that he planned to retire after the 2025-26 season. Saturday he will guide Muhlenberg against Spirk and Moravian in his final matchup against a Lehigh Valley rival. Rohn said he hadn’t given much thought to Saturday marking the end of a unique era in local women’s basketball. His focus has been on preparing the Mules (6-5 overall) to return from their holiday break.

Rohn acknowledged the matchups against Moravian and DeSales always provided extra juice given the success of all three programs. Consider that:

• Rohn has won 433 games with the Mules, making him the winningest coach in any sport in Muhlenberg history. He has guided the Mules to eight Centennial Conference titles and nine NCAA Division III tournament berths.
• Spirk has won 651 games in 38 seasons at Moravian. She has also led nine teams to the NCAA tournament.
• Richter has won 687 games in 36 seasons with DeSales. The Bulldogs have captured 14conference titles and reached the NCAA tournament 15 times.

“Looking back, the rivalry with both Moravian and DeSales has been great,” Rohn said by phone Monday. “We had many years where two of us or all three of us were nationally ranked kind of teams. They wound up being really big games from a national perspective, not just a local perspective.

“It’s great programs with great coaches,” he added. “It always made for exciting nonleague games. Sometimes your nonleague games don’t have the same intensity and pizzazz, but obviously those games always did.”

Spirk is looking forward to sharing the sidelines with Rohn one more time. She sat out last season while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Moravian announced in early November that Spirk would return to coaching this season. She has missed a few practices for scheduled treatments but has coached the Greyhounds (3-7) in every game.

“Every day I get up and I sit at the end of the bed, get dressed and say, ‘Hey, let’s go,’ ” Spirk said Sunday. “I give myself a pep talk, say a little prayer and get through each day.”

Inconsistency, especially with shooting, has hindered Moravian and Muhlenberg so far. Moravian is shooting 38.4% from the field and 27.3% from 3-point range. Muhlenberg is shooting 32.3% from the field and 25.4% from 3-point range.

Spirk and Rohn share optimism that 2026 could bring improved performance from their teams. The Greyhounds and Mules both feature rotations with limited experience.

“One of the things that’s been interesting — and I don’t know who the favorite will be going in Saturday against Moravian — but the Moravian series since I’ve been here has often been hallmarked by whoever’s the underdog being the team that wins,” Rohn said. “So, we can be the underdog going in if that helps us at all.”

Regardless of which role each team occupies Saturday, Rohn and Spirk will coach hard. It’s what’s they’ve done whenever they’ve faced each other since 2001 and contributed to 2 ½ decades of compelling matchups.

“Obviously he’s intense, coaching against him,” Spirk said with a laugh. “I’m going to miss that, looking down and sometimes smiling and going, ‘Come on, Ron.’ Or even yelling at him. We’re both intense; it’s just like with Fred [Richter]. Fred and I laughed about it. That’s what we’ve done over the years.

“You say things to each other, and then you’re hugging each other after the game. Hopefully it’s a mutual respect between Ron and myself. It’s certainly been fun.”

Coval comes close to home: Parkland graduate Nick Coval will make his nearest appearance to the Lehigh Valley this season when Davidson visits St. Joseph’s for its first Atlantic 10 road game Saturday (6 p.m.).

Coval, a redshirt freshman, is averaging 23 minutes per game for the Wildcats (8-5 overall). He is averaging 9 points per game (fourth on the team) while shooting 45.5% from 3-point range and 90.3% from the foul line.

Coval sat out Davidson’s 89-83 double-overtime loss to Duquesne on Tuesday with an injury.

Tip-ins: The Moravian men won the 45th Steel Club Classic by beating FDU-Florham and Ursinus. Marquis Ratcliff (Pottsville Nativity BVM) was named the tournament MVP after scoring 23 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out three assists in the title game. … The Lafayette women headed into Patriot League play leading the Patriot League in field-goal percentage defense (37.2%).

Stephen Miller is a freelance writer.

ESPN reported that Grunkemeyer intends to enter the portal, which opens Friday, after starting the final seven games of the season and leading the Nittany Lions to a 4-3 record. He completed 69.1% of his passes this season for 1,341 yards and eight touchdowns with four interceptions.

His decision apparently means that new Penn State coach Matt Campbell will bring in a quarterback from the portal, most likely Iowa State’s Rocco Becht, who played for Campbell the last four seasons. Becht could become the first transfer to start at quarterback for the Lions.

Former Wyomissing star J’ven Williams also will enter the portal. A former five-star prospect, Williams was the crown jewel of Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class. He played in two games this season as a reserve, all 16 games last season primarily on special teams and three games as a freshman.

It also was reported Thursday that tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman T.J. Shanahan and wide receivers Josiah Brown and Jeff Exinor Jr. are headed for the portal.

Reynolds caught 26 passes for 259 yards this season and nine for 111 yards and one TD last season. His most memorable play came on a successful fake punt run in a narrow victory at Minnesota last season. Shanahan, a transfer from Texas A&M, played in every game this season and made five starts, including the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Lions did receive some good news when linebacker Tony Rojas, cornerback Audavion Collins and safety Dejuan Lane all announced Thursday they would return.

Rojas started four games this season before suffering a season-ending knee injury during practice between the Oregon and UCLA games. He started every game in 2024 and made a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown against SMU in a first-round College Football Playoff game.

Collins, a transfer from Mississippi State, started every game this season, had 47 tackles, including 2.5 for losses, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Lane played in every game this season and had 29 tackles, 2.5 for loss, one sack and one pass breakup.

In addition, defensive end Max Granville, linebacker Alex Tatsch and offensive lineman Chimdy Onoh also announced they’d be returning.

Granville missed the 2025 season after sustaining an injury during spring practice. Tatsch played in six games as a true freshman and had 14 tackles, one in the backfield and one pass breakup before sustaining an injury last month. Onoh played in 12 games as a reserve after seeing action in five games in 2024 as a freshman.

On the coaching front, former Penn State wide receivers coach Marques Hagans is accepting a job with Michigan as assistant wide receivers coach, according to an ESPN report. He spent three seasons with the Lions.

At least 20 players from the 2025 team are planning to put their names in the portal. At least 23 others have exhausted their eligibility.

With only 10 commitments from high school seniors so far, Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer have to add quite a few players through the portal or through the next signing day on Feb. 7 to fill out the roster.

“I know there’s a great foundation here with some great players,” Campbell said last month when he was hired. “We’re going to have to do a great job of making sure those young men stay, then build the right group around them and still not flinch away from development and recruiting high school players.”

Many of Penn State’s targets from the portal probably will be players from Iowa State, where Campbell was the head coach the last 10 seasons. More than 40 Cyclones reportedly plan to transfer somewhere.

One of those Penn State targets very well might be quarterback Rocco Becht, who started the last three seasons for the Cyclones and who has passed for 9.274 yards and 64 touchdowns. He has one year of eligibility left.

Penn State has Ethan Grunkemeyer, who was recruited by Campbell and Iowa State and who played well in seven starts after Drew Allar’s season-ending ankle injury.

But Grunkemeyer plans to enter the transfer portal, according to a report late Friday afternoon by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

That probably indicates that Grunkemeyer has been told that he won’t be Penn State’s starter next season and that he’s looking for a place where he would start immediately. Whether that means Becht is headed to State College was unclear.

Grunkemeyer has three seasons of eligibility left, so he could conceivably have been Becht’s backup in 2026 and then become the starter in 2027 and ’28. But it doesn’t look like that will happen.

“One of our greatest successes during our time at Iowa State was always being able to find a quarterback and develop a quarterback to be really special,” Campbell said last month before mentioning former Cyclone Brock Purdy and Becht. “Quarterback is funny. It’s fit. It’s the relationship with the head coach. The head coach and the quarterback better be linked at the hip.

“I feel like the quarterback has to have the leadership ability, the toughness and the grit to control the locker room. I think you’re always looking for the right intangibles. Everybody likes fast. Everybody likes arm strength, but those things don’t win.”

Campbell and the Nittany Lions need reinforcements at multiple positions, especially the defensive line. Promising freshman Chaz Coleman, Jaylen Harvey, Xavier Gilliam, Zuriah Fisher, Sam Siafa and Daniel Jennings are all expected to be in the portal on Friday.

That’s on top of losing seniors Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant and Alonzo Ford Jr.

Linebacker also is an area of need, where Keon Wylie, Anthony Speca and Kari Jackson are expected to leave and where Dominic DeLuca is out of eligibility.

It’s unclear whether Amare Campbell, who was Penn State’s leading tackler and a godsend, will stay, enter the portal or declare for the NFL draft. Keeping him would help the defense immensely.

Matt Campbell also will likely be in the market for wide receivers. Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson, Penn State’s top three receivers, are out of eligibility. He presumably would like to keep freshman Koby Howard, who showed flashes in the second half of the season.

The Lions received a boost this week when offensive linemen Anthony Donkoh, Cooper Cousins and Owen Aliciene announced they’re staying, along with tight end Andrew Rappleyea.

Campbell still has to fill out his on-field coaching staff, including assistants to coach the running backs and the defensive linemen. It’s unclear which position Terry Smith will coach after serving as interim head coach. It’s also unclear if linebackers coach Dan Connor and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter will stay.

Penn State will make plenty of roster moves over the next month, starting Friday. Change is coming.

“(At Iowa State) we didn’t have those resources (that blue-blood programs like Penn State have),” Campbell said. “So we almost had to be better evaluators in high school and better evaluators in the transfer portal because it was the only shot that we could get.

“We have a process. We know what we’re looking for in the transfer portal and have to use that to continue to supplement our football team.”

More like rebuilding it.

Special teams coordinator Justin Lustig will remain with the Nittany Lions, according to a report by Daniel Gallen of Lions 247. Lustig’s second season at Penn State was very successful.

Ryan Barker was one of the most accurate kickers in the country, making 18-of-19 field goal attempts for a school-record 94.7% and 44-of-45 extra points. In two years with Lustig, Barker has made 33-of-37 field goal tries for an 89.2 percentage, which is first in school history.

Gabe Nwosu finished with a school-record 46.1 punting average and helped the Lions rank 12th in the country in net punting.

Nwosu was named to the All-Big Ten third team, and long snapper Tyler Duzansky, kick returner Nick Singleton and Barker all received honorable mention.

In addition to Lustig staying, it has become more evident that former Penn State defensive back D’Anton Lynn will join the staff as defensive coordinator.

Lynn served as USC defensive coordinator the last two seasons and was expected to remain with the Trojans for Tuesday night’s Alamo Bowl, which they lost 30-27 in overtime. It was reported earlier Tuesday that Lynn would not be at the game, by mutual agreement between him and head coach Lincoln Riley, because he had accepted the Penn State job.

On the personnel front, offensive linemen Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins and tight end Andrew Rappleyea have announced that they are staying with the Lions and not pursuing other opportunities in the transfer portal, which opens Friday.

Donkoh started all but two games this season, nine at right guard and two at right tackle. Cousins played in 12 games and made two starts, at Ohio State when Penn State opened with seven offensive linemen and the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson when he started at guard.

Rappleyea caught 20 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yarder in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson.

As of Wednesday morning, nine Penn State players have expressed their intention to enter the portal. They are cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington II, defensive ends Chaz Coleman and Daniel Jennings, linebacker Kari Jackson, offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier, wide receiver Aaron Enterline, quarterback Bekkem Kritza and tight end Joey Schlaffer.

The 36-year-old Lynn, who played cornerback at Penn State from 2008-11, is ending his second season as defensive coordinator with the Trojans, who rank 47th in total and scoring defense this season, 62nd in rushing defense and 80th in pass defense efficiency.

He’s staying with USC until after the Trojans meet TCU on Tuesday night in the Alamo Bowl.

He previously served as UCLA defensive coordinator in 2023 and as an NFL assistant coach for nine seasons with Baltimore, Houston, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Anthony Lynn, his father, is an assistant coach with the Washington Commanders.

Jon Heacock, who served as defensive coordinator for Campbell for 12 years at Iowa State and Toledo, recently announced his retirement.

In other news, three Penn State players plan to place their names in the NCAA transfer portal when it opens Friday, according to a report Monday by On3.

Defensive end Zuriah Fisher, linebacker Keon Wylie and wide receiver Anthony Ivey, a Manheim Township grad, are all expected to leave the Lions.

Fisher played in 11 games this season, starting each one, and had 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and five quarterback hurries.

Wylie played in every game, including three starts, and had 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup and three quarterback hurries.

Ivey has played sparingly during his four seasons at Penn State. He saw action in 22 games, including 10 this season, and had one catch in his career for 15 yards last year against Kent State.

The Nittany Lions began the season ranked second in the top 25, dropped six straight games and then won their final four.

They saw their head coach, James Franklin, fired the day after a second straight loss to a prohibitive underdog and nine months after he led them to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

They lost their starting quarterback, Drew Allar, to an ankle injury at the season’s midpoint.

They endured a two-month search for their next head coach.

They watched several assistant coaches leave and then 12 regulars and others opt out of the Pinstripe Bowl.

All of it was disquieting, to put it mildly.

They needed stability, leadership and reassurance. Terry Smith provided it abundantly.

Smith, a former Penn State receiver and highly successful high school head coach, became the interim head coach when Director of Athletics Pat Kraft dismissed Franklin. In the midst of turmoil, he calmed the locker room, gave the Lions direction and established an identity.

And Saturday, Penn State dismantled Clemson 22-10 in the bone-chillingly cold Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium to finish the season with a winning record and give Smith a victory that he’ll cherish.

“It means everything,” he said. “We lived on this model of sharpening the pencil and writing your own script. We dictated the terms in the last four games. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids. They played their hearts out. What a resilient group. They could have laid down and quit. They played really, really hard. It’s a testament to Penn State and the character it builds.”

Smith had been a loyal soldier to Franklin, who hired him as cornerbacks coach in 2014 as part of his first staff. He has sent eight players to the NFL. Inside the Lasch Building, Franklin counted on his honesty, which was blunt at times.

Smith was an easy choice to be the interim coach because of how well he’s respected by the players and fellow coaches.

“Terry’s been a big impact on the whole team,” said freshman cornerback Daryus Dixson, who left his California home to play for Smith. “Nobody really got to see Coach Smith’s personality (until now). He’s showing his character. He’s enthusiastic and just a hard worker.”

Smith took over six days before Penn State played at Iowa in prime time in quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer’s first start. The Lions blew a fourth-quarter lead there and lost by one point.

After a bye, they stayed with then-No. 1 Ohio State for a half before the Buckeyes pulled away. They returned home to face then-No. 2 Indiana, rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead and lost it on a spectacular touchdown pass from Fernando Mendoza to Omar Cooper Jr. in the final minute.

Then Penn State rolled past Michigan State for Smith’s first win, and Nebraska at home, where fans chanted his name for the first time. The Lions became bowl eligible with a narrow victory at Rutgers.

Less than a week later, Kraft finally ended his search by hiring Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as the next head coach. Campbell, who has known Smith for a long time, decided to keep him on his staff.

Smith had one last task as the interim coach, and that was preparing the Lions for the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, which also began the season with high hopes. He had to do it without several star players who opted out and others who left the program, including cornerbacks A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington II.

Grunkemeyer passed for a career-high 262 yards and two touchdowns. Quinton Martin Jr. rushed for 101 yards with his first 20 carries of the season behind a makeshift offensive line. Senior Dani Dennis-Sutton, who played when many of his classmates didn’t, had two sacks.

“I love Terry,” said center Dominic Rulli, who made his first career start. “Everybody in that locker room loves Terry. We play for Terry. I’ll give everything to Terry like I did today. We always say the team with the most enthusiasm is going to win. Terry has been preaching that all week and getting us excited.”

When it was over, Smith’s emotions overcame him again.

“This is the greatest moment in my life,” he said before choking up. “It’s just a great moment for me, my family and Penn State. I’m just so happy for our guys. I love Penn State. I love football. The game and Penn State have done amazing things for me and my family. I’m just thankful and grateful.”

No. Everyone at Penn State should be thankful and grateful to Terry Smith for a job well done.

Quarterbacks

A: Ethan Grunkemeyer was outstanding, especially in the second half when he was 11-for-13 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

Running backs

A: Quinton Martin Jr. ran for 101 yards with his first carries of the season, and Penn State finished with 135 yards on the ground.

Receivers

B: Trebor Pena and Devonte Ross combined for 13 receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown, but Ross had at least two drops.

Offensive linemen

B: They played very well with four new starters, including two who were making their first career starts.

Defensive linemen

A: Dani Dennis-Sutton had two of Penn State’s four sacks and Jaylen Harvey had another as they helped limit Clemson to 43 rushing yards.

Linebackers

A: Amare Campbell made seven solo tackles, Dominic DeLuca had a tackle for loss and Keon Wylie had a sack.

Defensive backs

A: Daryus Dixson broke up three passes, Vaboe Toure had a sack and others made big plays to contain Clemson.

Special teams

A: Ryan Barker made 3 of 3 field goals and Gabe Nwosu averaged 45 yards on three punts.

Coaches

A: Interim coach Terry Smith and coordinators Anthony Poindexter and Andy Kotelnicki enjoyed one last ride together and kept the team motivated despite 16 players opting out.

Until Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Martin ran 20 times for 101 yards behind a makeshift offensive line and helped Penn State beat Clemson 22-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl.

“I did not think I was going to get 20 carries,” Martin said. “My mentality coming into this game was about effort and playing the best I can.”

Martin was a Pennsylvania high school star who led Belle Vernon to the PIAA Class 3A championship two years ago. But he’s been stuck the last two seasons behind Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, two of the best running backs in school history.

Allen, who was in uniform, and Singleton, who was not, did not play Saturday.

“This was an honor,” Martin said. “It meant a lot to me. I’ve been waiting two years behind Nick and Kaytron. I learned a lot from them. They showed me a lot about this game and what you need to play at this level. I’m very grateful for today. It was amazing. I was tired at times, but it’s football. What’s there not to love?”

Martin was a three-time all-state selection who rushed for 1,181 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 53 passes for 764 yards and 11 TDs as a senior at Belle Vernon.

“He’s an extremely talented young man,” interim head coach Terry Smith said. “He’s a tall, lean guy and a slasher. Today’s game required downhill running. He displayed it. He displayed tough running. He showed that he could be a slasher and a physical back in one game.”

“We didn’t have the two backs with all the yards. He stepped right in and didn’t miss a beat. We took an old-school approach and he stepped up to the challenge.”

Next men up: Four of Penn State’s five starting offensive linemen opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl, but Anthony Donkoh and the four backups performed admirably.

Donkoh slid from right guard to right tackle and joined center Dominic Rulli, guards Cooper Cousins and T.J. Shanahan and left tackle Eagan Boyer. They protected quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer well enough for him to pass for a career-high 262 yards and two touchdowns. They opened enough holes for Martin to rush for 101 yards on 20 carries.

They replaced center Nick Dawkins, guard Vega Ioane and tackles Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci, who are all draft eligible. It was the first career starts for Rulli and Boyer.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Rulli said. “I’ve been behind some guys (Dawkins, Hunter Nourzad and Juice Scruggs) who have led the way and who have set the standard. I’m just so happy that I got my chance. It felt like we’ve been playing all year, to be honest with you. I’m extremely blessed.”

Money kicker: Penn State sophomore Ryan Barker continued his terrific kicking, going 3-for-3 on field goal attempts of 22, 48 and 43 yards in wintry conditions.

“It took me back to SMU last year,” Barker said about the College Football Playoff first-round game played in similar conditions at Beaver Stadium. “You have to change up the swing a little bit with the ground being really hard. It makes it a bit harder to get that plant foot into the ground.”

Barker became the first Penn State kicker to make at least two field goals of at least 43 yards in a bowl game. He finished the season 18-for-19 on field goals, his .947 percentage the best in school history.

“I would say I took an exceptional step forward this year not only mentally but on the field with the statistics,” Barker said. “I’m proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish. I always believed in myself but I never thought I would succeed as much as I did this year.”

Stadium update: Vinny James, the Penn State deputy director of athletics for internal operations, offered an update on the Beaver Stadium renovation project during a pregame news conference.

“We remain on schedule, targeting a completion date of fall 2027,” James said. “Our fans can expect to see (in 2026) the structure of the new west side or the visiting side. You’ll see that structure come to form. You’ll be able to see the volume and magnitude of what that west side will ultimately be. There’s a lot of infrastructure work behind it.”

James was filling in for Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and Director of Athletics Pat Kraft. Bendapudi was unable to attend the game because of travel issues. Kraft’s arrival was delayed, also because of travel issues.