UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State first-team All-Big Ten selection Jordan Hill (Steelton) has accepted an invitation to play in the 64th Senior Bowl on Jan. 26.
The standout defensive tackle will participate in the highly-anticipated all-star contest. Kickoff is at 4 p.m., at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. NFL Network will televise the contest.
Hill will be the 19th Nittany Lion to play in the Senior Bowl in the past nine years. Defensive end Jack Crawford, cornerback D’Anton Lynn and guard Johnnie Troutman played in the 2012 Senior Bowl.
Elected a team defensive co-captain, Hill will be the sixth Penn State defensive lineman to play in the Senior Bowl in the past 10 years, joining Anthony Adams, Michael Haynes, Tamba Hali, Jared Odrick and Crawford.
A 2012 second-team All-American by Athlon Sports, Hill earned first-team All-Big Ten honors by the coaches, media panel, BTN.com and ESPN.com.
Hill was fourth on the team with 64 tackles, second with 4.5 sacks (minus-32) and tied for third with 8.5 tackles for loss this season. The former Steelton-Highspire High School standout also had one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honoree this season, his tackle total was No. 3 among Big Ten defensive linemen.
In his final game, Hill made a career-high 12 tackles, with two sacks and 3.0 TFL in the Nittany Lions’ 24-21 overtime win over Wisconsin on Nov. 24 to earn the conference’s weekly defensive honor.
Led by first-year coach Bill O’Brien, the AT&T ESPN National Coach of the Year, the Nittany Lions posted an 8-4 overall mark and finished second in the Big Ten Leaders Division with a 6-2 record. Penn State won eight of its final 10 games, with the only losses coming against division winners Ohio State and Nebraska. In the season finale, the Nittany Lions beat eventual Big Ten champion Wisconsin, 24-21, in overtime.
Season tickets are available for the 2013 season. The Nittany Lions will host three teams that finished in the 2012 BCS Top 25: Michigan (Oct. 12-Homecoming), Nebraska (Nov. 23) and Kent State (Sept. 21). Purdue, Illinois, Virginia and Eastern Michigan also will visit Beaver Stadium next fall.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can call 800-NITTANY from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
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