Penn State football: 5 great Nittany Lions who didn’t live up to the NFL hype

One of the anchors on a defense that should be considered among the best in college football history, Courtney Brown was an absolute game-wrecker for the Nittany Lions. The big defensive end was stronger, faster and quicker than everyone opposing offenses put in front of him and he made them pay more often than not throughout his career with Penn State football.

While he was a force throughout the entirety of his four-year stay, his 1999 season was the one that truly put him on the map. He finished the season with 13.5 sacks (the fourth-best mark in program history) while setting a school record with 29 tackles for loss. Despite his teammates at Penn State, he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year while also being named All-Big Ten and being a finalist for three major awards.

Brown’s career dominance still lives on in Happy Valley. Despite being gone for over two decades, he’s still the career leader for Penn State football in sacks (33.0) and tackles for loss (70). And it was that type of sustained greatness amidst great defenses for the Nittany Lions that led to him being the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, Brown is another Penn State great whose NFL career was somewhat robbed due to injuries. He showed his potential as a rookie with 69 tackles and 4.5 sacks. However, he played in only five games the following season and continued to get banged up over his six-year career. Brown played in only 61 games over those six seasons and registered 19 sacks with 194 total tackles. He was fine but never the superstar he was expected to be.

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