Penn State letterman Alan Zemaitis is leading an inspiring community service initiative at Susquehanna University, called Season of Service. The former Penn State cornerback is an assistant coach at Susquehanna, which has had its season canceled because of COVID-19. Photo credit: Susquehanna University Athletics
Susquehanna University isn’t playing football this season, which means Penn State letterman Alan Zemaitis ’05 isn’t coaching this season, at least not on the field. But as Penn Staters know, coaches have an impact beyond the gridiron, and Zemaitis is embodying that sense of leadership with a community service project he’s spearheading.
The 2005 graduate who helped fuel the Nittany Lions’ 11-win season that year is an assistant coach with Susquehanna, which had its season canceled because of COVID-19.
He’s ensuring that the team stays busy, however, coordinating a town-gown collaboration with his players called Season of Service, which fans can read more about on Susquehanna’s website. One of the goals is to hopefully bridge racial divisions, and one of the early projects is to improve a nonprofit playground in the community and to engage with residents.
“The lack of football is an opportunity for us to get connected with the community,” Zemaitis said in the feature. “It’s the most diverse group at Susquehanna. We can be an example of what it means to work together. That’s how things get accomplished.”
The project is already underway, with Susquehanna sharing updates in a recent feature. We’ll be sure to ask Zemaitis about this project next month, when he’s scheduled to appear on The Football Letter Live.
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Penn State’s defensive line has been among the best units in the country in recent years.
On Sunday, one former member of the “Wild Dogs” made his opening mark in the NFL.
Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Carolina Panthers
Gross-Matos has been working through a minor injury early this season and had struggled to make an impact through the first three weeks.
But he flashed his potential in the Panthers’ upset win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
YGM came up with a big sack/forced fumble in the third quarter with Arizona driving into Carolina territory, displaying a great burst off the edge to blow by Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries.
He would finish the game with that sack/fumble and three total tackles.
Sam Ficken, K, New York Jets
Photo by Steve Manuel
Look, the New York Jets aren’t very good. They’re probably the worst team in the league and look a safe bet to pick No. 1 in the NFL Draft next spring.
One glimmer of positivity for the Jets, however, is former Nittany Lion place kicker Sam Ficken.
Ficken made all five of his field goal attempts — including a season-long boot of 54-yards — and his lone extra point try.
He nailed a 36-yard attempt in the 4th quarter to give his team a 28-27 before the Jets collapsed late in the game.
Donovan Smith, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Photo By Steve Manuel
Donovan Smith anchored the left side of the Tampa Bay offensive line as the group protected QB Tom Brady almost perfectly on Sunday.
The Buccaneers offense put up 484 yards of total offense in a 38-31 win over the Chargers and Brady stayed clean in the pocket.
The Chargers defensive line, one of the better pass-rushing groups in the league, didn’t bring down Brady for a single sack thanks to Smith and his teammates up front.
After an up-and-down first few games, Smith and the rest of Tampa’s offense is starting to gel, even with injuries to former Nittany Lion Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette.
Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears
We normally only highlight three Nittany Lions who had a standout week in the NFL, but Robinson II made that impossible.
He’s now featured in our NFL recap three out of the first four weeks of the season.
While Chicago’s offense was stagnant for much of the afternoon in its loss to Indianapolis, Robinson shined once more.
ARob led his team in receiving yards again with 101 yards on seven receptions, marking his second-straight 100-yard game.
He made a trademark leaping grab over a Colts defender late in the fourth quarter to give him his second touchdown grab of the season.
Nittany Lions In The NFL Baltimore Ravens (1): Trace McSorley Buffalo Bills (1): Ryan Bates Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos Chicago Bears (2): Jordan Lucas, Allen Robinson II Dallas Cowboys (2): Sean Lee, Connor McGovern Denver Broncos (2): DaeSean Hamilton, KJ Hamler Detroit Lions (3): Jason Cabinda, Jesse James, Amani Oruwariye Green Bay Packers (1): Adrian Amos Houston Texans (1): John Reid Indianapolis Colts (1): Robert Windsor Las Vegas Raiders (2): Nick Bowers, Carl Nassib Los Angeles Rams (1): Nick Scott Miami Dolphins (1): Mike Gesicki Minnesota Vikings (1): Dan Chisena New Orleans Saints (1): Blake Gillikin New York Giants (3): Saquon Barkley, Cam Brown, Austin Johnson New York Jets (1): Sam Ficken, Chris Hogan, Ross Travis Philadelphia Eagles (2): Miles Sanders, Trevor Williams Pittsburgh Steelers (1): Marcus Allen, Stefen Wisniewski San Francisco 49ers (2): Kevin Givens, Robbie Gould Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3): Chris Godwin, A.Q. Shipley, Donovan Smith Tennessee Titans (2): Jack Crawford, DaQuan Jones Washington Football Team (1): Troy Apke
Nittany Lions On NFL Coaching Staffs Matt Rhule – Carolina Panthers Head Coach Tom Bradley – Pittsburgh Steelers DBs Coach Bobby Engram – Baltimore Ravens TEs Coach Al Golden – Cincinnati Bengals LBs Coach D’Anton Lynn – Houston Texans Secondary Coach Mike Munchak – Denver Broncos OL Coach Jeff Nixon – Carolina Panthers Senior Offensive Assistant
James Franklin leads Penn State onto the field for the 2019 Citrus Bowl. Franklin has guided the Nittany Lions to a winning record and a bowl appearance in each of his first six seasons, in addition to being a visible figure in the community. Photo by Steve Manuel.
You wouldn’t think that a nearly half-a-million dollar gift would go under the radar, though in 2020, nothing should surprise us.
That’s where we are, and it feels like that’s what happened, when James Franklin announced in July that he and his wife, Fumi, raised $462,500 for The Franklin Family Educational Equity Scholarship, which the couple established in fall 2019.
This was before the 2020 season seesawed between being on and off, and back on again, and you can read Franklin’s message he posted to Twitter below.
A college football coach and his family raising such an impressive amount of money for such a worthy cause is admirable, and perhaps one reason why there wasn’t more attention paid to this is because this overwhelming generosity is who Penn Staters are and it’s what we do. In many ways, the high standard is the norm.
Still, it’s worth pointing out the message this sends: Yes, Franklin is the football coach, and at Penn State, that’s an awfully big deal, though his title doesn’t describe Franklin’s entire contributions to the University. In terms of showing that he’s committed to Penn State and the legion of alumni and fans who follow his team, this is a crystal-clear sign that Franklin is all in, and has been for some time.
Many of the football student-athletes have been showing an incredible level of maturity and leadership off the field, and it shouldn’t be surprising when you look at the model that Franklin sets. Just this week, he emphasized the importance of voting — without advocating for anyone or any particular party, just that it’s important to have your voice heard — when discussing the voting PSAs that the team has shared on social media recently.
With Franklin, you get it all. It’s a lot to ask for in a coach, though when you get it, the result is a ton of on-field success, impact off the field, and an ongoing legacy that hits home with players and recruits.
“Coach Franklin does a great job in this program of being a leader,” standout tight end Pat Freiermuth said Friday during the team’s virtual media days. “I think that he gives everyone answers that sometimes you don’t really like to hear, but I think that he does a great job of demanding excellence and demanding perfection. At the end of the day, he’s always going to love you.”
“I think that’s what you want as a head coach — and a guy who is at such a prominent university and who loves their football — to lead the whole community really. He’s the face of the whole Penn State community, and I think that he does it in a really great way. If you’re a recruit, I just don’t get why you wouldn’t come to Penn State, especially if you’re from around this area, because it has everything a recruit wants or a college student needs or wants.”
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