Former Penn State LB, Hopewell star Paul Posluszny elected to College Football Hall of Fame

Penn State visited the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta ahead of its Peach Bowl matchup with Ole Miss. While there, the Nittany Lions recognized names of the program’s past.

Now, there will be another Nittany Lion added to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Paul Posluszny, a Hopewell graduate, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2024 class. The National Football Foundation announced the news Monday.

Posluszny was one of 78 players on the 2024 ballot. The ballot also included former Penn State star running backs Ki-Jana Carter and DJ Dozier.

Posluszny is the 26th Nittany Lion to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The last Penn State inductee was quarterback Kerry Collins in 2018.

Posluszny, who started 37 games at Penn State from 2003-06, is the first Penn State linebacker to be inducted since Shane Conlan in 2014.

Posluszny won the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the top defensive player in college football, in 2005 and 2006. He also won the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in the country, in 2005.

Posluszny was a two-time All-American and the first player to lead Penn State in tackles for three consecutive seasons. He ranks second all-time in tackles by a Penn State player with 372, outpaced only by Dan Connor’s 419.

The class was highlighted by receivers Larry Fitzgerald of Pitt and Randy Moss of Marshall.

Warrick Dunn of Florida State, Toby Gerhart of Stanford, Julius Peppers of North Carolina and Danny Woodhead of Chadron State also were chosen. Coaches elected were Frank Solich of Nebraska and Ohio, Mark Dantonio of Cincinnati and Michigan State and Danny Hale of Division II West Chester and Bloomsburg.

The rest of the 2024 class included Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, Paul Cameron of UCLA, Tim Couch of Kentucky, Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State, Deon Figures of Colorado, Dan Hampton of Arkansas, Steve Hutchinson of Michigan, Antonio Langham of Alabama, Dewey Selmon of Oklahoma, Alex Smith of Utah, Kevin Smith of Texas A&M and Chris Ward of Ohio State.

The class will be inducted during the NFF’s awards dinner in Las Vegas in December.