Penn State football launches a new tradition this season. Here’s what to know
Penn State football announced in a video Wednesday that it is starting a new tradition. In a video posted on Twitter, the program said it will reward a leader on special teams with the jersey No. 0.
An NCAA rule approved in April made No. 0 available to college football players for the first time this season. The rule was implemented to cut down the number of players on a team with the same jersey number.
“This season, we embark on a new tradition,” the video stated. “One of us is going to earn the right to represent our special teams with a new number: zero. The individual wearing zero represents all of us and drives our culture. He is a tough, dependable, disciplined, physical leader who inspires teammates with his accountability and production. Ultimately, he is a game-changer.”
Earlier Wednesday, Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman said he’d wear No. 0 this season to represent “zero tolerance for racism,” after the Golden Gophers announced the NCAA had cleared him to return after he previously opted out of the season.
Now, the Nittany Lions have also found a way to give the newly available jersey number some significance.
