Arnold Ebiketie is latest Penn State player to opt out of Outback Bowl
Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie has opted out of the Outback Bowl.
The senior said in a statement posted to social media on Tuesday that he will start preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft instead of facing Arkansas on New Year’s Day in Tampa, Fla
A Silver Spring, Md., native, Ebiketie was perhaps Penn State’s best portal addition since the NCAA put the mechanism into place. After earning second-team AAC honors at Temple, Ebiketie joined the Lions for just a single season. He was disruptive from his end spot in 2021. The first-team All-Big Ten selection had 62 tackles and a team-high 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. His best statistical effort in blue and white came against Michigan when he had seven tackles (two for loss) and two sacks.
Ebiketie had a season left to use at the college level if he wanted to thanks to the free year granted to all players by the NCAA because of the coronavirus pandemic. He elected not to use it. Linebacker Brandon Smith was the first Nittany Lion to announce that he would not play in the bowl game and head to the draft. Ellis Brooks and Jaquan Brisker have as well. Jahan Dotson will mot play, either.
“As you see this across college football, this is going on, so we’ll see how it goes, but there are still ongoing conversations,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said during the team’s local bowl media day on Dec. 17.
How will Penn State replace Ebiketie at the Outback Bowl?
This is a question that can only be answered with answers to other questions.
With Smith opting out, will interim defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter keep Jesse Luketa at defensive end or shuffle his linebacker rotation to include the veteran who has played both spots this season? Beyond that, will any other linebackers opt out of the game?
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After those two considerations, the other options are clear. Nick Tarburton is guaranteed to see a season-high number of snaps after sharing a starting role with Luketa for much of the year. Smith Vilbert and Zuriah Fisher have played plenty as the season progressed. They will likely see as many snaps as they have all year, too.
“Zuriah Fisher’s been doing really well,” Penn State guard Caedan Wallace said Friday.
“He’s improved so much since camp.”
Position coach John Scott Jr., has kept his rotation relatively tight throughout the season. That could be what he chooses to do in the bowl game. It’s also true that he did that because Luketa, Ebiketie, and Tarburton were the superior options. Time will tell what he, Poindexter, and the staff decide to do in Tampa.
Penn State and Arkansas meet at Noon ET on New Year’s Day at Raymond James Stadium. ESPN2 will televise the contest.
