Penn State offensive lineman Bryce Effner will step away from football
Penn State received a major boost for its 2023 season when Olu Fashanu announced following the season that he’ll forgo a potential first-round draft pick and return to State College next season. Right tackle Caedan Wallace also announced that he’ll return during media day last week, but that won’t be the case for all of Penn State’s Rose Bowl contributors up front.
Following Penn State’s 35-21 Rose Bowl win over Utah, redshirt senior Bryce Effner has announced that he’ll step away from the sport, despite having an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Effner announced his decision via Instagram.
“These last five years at Penn State have been some of the best years of my life,” Effner posted. “I will always cherish the memories and relationships made. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to end such a special chapter of my life in such a memorable way.
“However, it is time for me to step away from the game I love. I would like to thank my family, teammates, Coach Franklin, Coach Trautwein, the Penn State fanbase and many others who have played such an important role in my football career. Capping off my career with a Rose Bowl victory is something not many are lucky enough to say.”
A Class of 2018 prospect from Aurora, Ill., Effner played in four games in 2019 and then appeared primarily on special teams in 2020. It was last season, in 2021, when he started seeing most of his playing time, even starting two games for Penn State against Michigan and Rutgers late in the season. Effner totaled 283 snaps last season, with Pro Football Focus giving him an overall offensive grade of 73.0.
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Effner, who stands at 6-foot-5, 294 pounds, saw his snaps more than double this past season at Penn State, totaling 590. He earned praise from James Franklin and his staff following the game against Auburn, earning Offensive Player of the Week honors. He also started a handful of games towards the end of the season, replacing an injured Caedan Wallace.
“I think he’s got a bright future. I’m hoping he comes back next year because I think he can take the next step,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said back in October. “What a lot of people don’t understand is in the offseason, he had some significant injuries that he had to work through. It’s one thing if you have an injury as a freshman or a sophomore. But when you’re later in your career and those things happen, and maybe you’re not a returning starter, that’s a tough decision you got to make and he battled through it.
“Right now, we just are so pleased with where he’s at. And I think he’s got a bright future. I think he’s got the ability to really play well for us and continue to play after Penn State.”
