Brenton Strange says he'll play in Rose Bowl, NFL decision 'coming soon'
Brenton Strange produced his best season at Penn State in 2022. Now, with the Rose Bowl up next and his fourth year in the books, he’s acknowledging a coming reality.
He needs to choose between returning for a fifth year or endeavoring toward an NFL opportunity. And, at Penn State’s bowl media day on Friday afternoon at Beaver Stadium, Strange provided feedback to that end.
“For sure, I got a decision to make. Most definitely,” he said. “But right now, I’m just really focused on going to Pasadena and winning this game.”
Asked whether or not he’d gotten any feedback on where he might project in the 2023 NFL Draft, however, Strange likely clarified the direction he’s presently leaning.
“I’ve gotten all types of feedback,” Strange said. “They’re saying really like two to four right now, but we’ll see what goes on with a good combine and all that. So, we’ll see.”
But, what Strange doesn’t need to decide is his status for the Rose Bowl. Coming out of a productive redshirt junior season in which he finished third on the team in receptions, Strange affirmed he’ll be playing when the Nittany Lions and Utah square off on Jan. 2.
Brenton Strange’s next steps
This season, Strange notched 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns through the air. Both his total receiving touchdowns and his season-long reception of 67 yards represent team highs.
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Strange’s improvement wasn’t limited to the stat page, though. Finishing with better grades in every major category according to PFF College than in any of his three prior seasons, Strange’s performance helped revitalize a Nittany Lion offense that’d struggled each of the past two seasons.
In the process, he also found many of his preseason goals coming to fruition.
“I had a lot of goals this year for sure. I’m not gonna say I reached all of those goals, but being 10-2, there’s not much more you can ask for,” Strange said. “A 10-win season, I haven’t been a part of that since freshman year. And I didn’t really get to play that much.
“So just to come out and be able to be a leader for this team and help get 10 wins, it means a lot to me. I’m not sure how many 10-win seasons there have been since Franklin’s got here. So it just means a lot to be able to lead a team to 10 wins.”
Whether Strange returns to do so again with the Nittany Lions next season or not remains to be seen, but it’s a decision he expects to have solidified soon.
“We’ve had conversations already. It’s a life-changing decision, obviously,” Strange said. “I haven’t made any decisions yet, but I expect the decision to be coming soon.”
