Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie becomes latest Nittany Lions defensive standout to accept Senior Bowl invite

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie became the latest Nittany Lions standout to accept an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The Senior Bowl announced Ebiketie’s acceptance Tuesday, and it comes on the heels of safety Jaquan Brisker and linebacker/defensive end Jesse Luketa accepting invites to the postseason all-star game.

The Senior Bowl will take place Feb. 5 in Mobile, Ala.

Ebiketie has been Penn State’s most disruptive defensive lineman this season. The Temple transfer leads the Nittany Lions with 14.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and five quarterback hits this season. That goes with 53 tackles (31 solo), a forced fumble and a blocked field goal.

The Senior Bowl will give Ebiketie the opportunity to be taught by NFL coaches while also showcasing his talents up-close for scouts and other talent evaluators. Ebiketie has been a breakout performer after he joined Penn State this offseason, and ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay recently ranked him as the No. 6 defensive end in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ebiketie took a winding path to get to this point in his career. He was a lightly recruited linebacker out of Albert Einstein High School in Maryland in the Class of 2017, and he landed at Temple, where he developed into an All-AAC performer at defensive end.

After last season, Ebiketie decided to enter the transfer portal to take advantage of the chance to prove himself at a higher level, and he’s done just that. Ebiketie made an instant impact with seven tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit and one blocked field goal in the season opener at Wisconsin.

Since then, Ebiketie has been the most consistent defensive end on the Penn State roster, and he’s set himself up nicely for an offseason where he could boost his draft stock significantly, starting at the Senior Bowl in Mobile.