Super Bowl XLVIII is set, and at least one former Penn State player is going to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Penn State will have three former players vying for a Super Bowl ring when the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers square off on the sport’s biggest stage in Las Vegas.
San Francisco features two Nittany Lions: safety Ji’Ayir Brown and defensive tackle Kevin Givens. Offensive tackle Donovan Smith represents Penn State on the Chiefs.
The Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, in Sunday’s AFC championship game. The Ravens featured three former Penn State players: defensive end Odafe Oweh, punter Jordan Stout and special teams ace Dan Chisena.
The 49ers rallied to take down the Detroit Lions in the NFC title game. Former Penn State linebacker Jason Cabinda is a fullback for the Lions.
Brown finished with a season-high 10 tackles in San Francisco’s 34-31 win over Detroit. The rookie, who transferred to Penn State from Lackawanna College and established himself as an All-Big Ten safety, was selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Givens didn’t record any stats, though he was part of a San Francisco pass rush that pressured Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Givens, an Altoona native who went undrafted in 2019, was a member of the 49ers team that lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
Smith has a chance to win his second Super Bowl. He was a member of Tampa Bay when Tom Brady and the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Smith, a second-round pick in 2015, is in his first season with Kansas City after spending eight years with Tampa Bay.
The Nittany Lions will also be represented by official Terry Killens. The former Penn State linebacker and defensive end is set to become the first person to play in and officiate a Super Bowl. Killens lost Super Bowl XXXIV with the Tennessee Titans.
Super Bowl LVIII is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
