Joey Porter Jr. and 9 other Penn State defenders named to All-Big Ten teams
Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. earned third team and honorable mention honors in 2020 and 2021. This season, he made the leap forward and has now been named a first team All-Big Ten player by both the coaches and the media.
Porter recorded 27 tackles and 11 pass breakups despite only playing in 10 games after appendicitis kept him out for matchups with Maryland and Rutgers.
He was not the only Nittany Lion recognized.
The first half of the Big Ten’s awards were announced Tuesday afternoon with all of the defensive and special teams awards announced by the conference, along with the coach of the year award.
The Nittany Lions were featured heavily, which is of no surprise considering how important the defense — led by defensive coordinator Manny Diaz — was to the team’s success this season.
Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher and linebacker Abdul Carter were both named to the second team, with Mustipher named by the coaches and Carter named by the media. Mustipher was also named third team by the media, while Carter was named to the team by the coaches.
Mustipher was crucial to the team’s defense this season in the middle, helping stuff the run and push the pocket in the passing game, finishing with 34 tackles.
Carter was a disruptive playmaker, tallying 55 total tackles, two forced fumbles and leading the team with 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Seven other Nittany Lions were named either third team or honorable mention. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown and cornerback Kalen King were both named to the third team. Defensive end Adisa Isaac was named to the third team by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. Defensive end Chop Robinson and linebacker Curtis Jacobs were named honorable mention by both the coaches and the media, while defensive end Nick Tarburton was named honorable mention by the coaches and cornerback Johnny Dixon Jr. was named honorable mention by the media.
Brown and King helped Porter anchor a secondary that had four players receive honors Tuesday. Brown led the team in tackles with 66 and interceptions with three, while King led the team with 18 pass breakups.
Three Penn State special teamers were also honored, with running back Nick Singleton earning second team return specialist from the media and honorable mention from the coaches. Punter Barney Amor was named an honorable mention at his position by the coaches and kicker Jake Pinegar was named honorable mention by the media.
The rest of the Big Ten awards will be announced Wednesday at noon.
This story was originally published November 29, 2022 at 12:50 PM.
