Penn State football’s Torrence Brown transfers to Southern Miss in hopes to resurrect career

Torrence Brown is giving football another shot.

The former Penn State defensive end — who medically retired in August due to “multiple injuries and surgeries” — announced his decision to transfer to Southern Miss on Tuesday afternoon with the intent to play one final season. Brown spent the 2018 season as a student member of the Nittany Lions’ staff.

“I’ve been through so much, but I’m a firm believer that God gives the hardest battles to his toughest soldiers,” Brown wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I want to thank Coach (James) Franklin and the Penn State staff once again for the opportunity of a lifetime at a great university where I was able to get my degree and change the direction of my family.”

Brown, a seven-game starter over three seasons, suffered a serious knee injury in the Nittany Lions’ Week 3 game against Georgia State in 2017, missing the remaining 10 games of Penn State’s season.

While the news of Brown returning to the field may come as a surprise, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Former four-star tight end Adam Breneman medically retired in 2016 and later landed at UMass, where he garnered All-America honors. Brown also said in his August retirement announcement that, “My career isn’t over. This is just a bump in the road.”

Brown could not come back and play at Penn State; NCAA rules state that a player who medically retires cannot return to the field for the same university. Southern Miss ought to be the familiar, though. The Alabama native was committed to the Golden Eagles before flipping to Penn State in February 2014.

Brown tallied 52 tackles, 12.5 TFLs and two sacks in three seasons with the Nittany Lions.

This story was originally published January 22, 2019 at 2:52 PM.