UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State defensive tackle Tarow Barney has signed a National Football League undrafted free agent contract with the New York Jets. Barney is the eighth player of the 2015 Penn State squad to be drafted or signed by NFL teams this spring. He joins 2016 third-round draft pick Christian Hackenberg and 2014 teammate Deion Barnes on the Jets roster.
Previously, the Tennessee Titans selected defensive tackle Austin Johnson and the New York Jets picked quarterback Christian Hackenberg in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Defensive end Carl Nassib was the third round selection of the Cleveland Brown, while defensive lineman Anthony Zettel and defensive back Jordan Lucas were selected in the sixth round. Cornerback Trevor Williams signed an undrafted free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers, while tight end Kyle Carter inked an undrafted free agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
"I am so happy that Tarow has this opportunity," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "He really opened some eyes during our Pro Day with how well he tested and moved in the workouts. He has great potential and will work hard with this chance to continue his career. He also found success in the classroom, graduating in December with a degree in criminology."
"Tarow is a guy that played behind two future NFL guys (Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel)," Penn State defensive line coach Sean Spencer said. "He is a tremendous athlete, one of the fastest guys I have ever seen to be 300 pounds. He has great strength in the weight room. I am excited for Tarow. I can't wait to see the next step for him."
Barney appeared in 25 of 26 games during his Penn State career, including earning his first career start at Michigan State. He had nine tackles, including a tackle for loss, in 2015. Barney had multiple tackles in two games. He had his first career fumble recovery in the fourth quarter of the TaxSlayer Bowl. He was selected as the Quarterback Club Award winner with Kyle Carter for the student-athlete who deserves special recognition. He graduated in December with a degree in criminology.
Prior to coming to Penn State, Barney spent two seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College. He was the 18th-best prospect in the ESPN Junior College 50 and No. 5 rated junior college defensive tackle by ESPN. He totaled 56 tackles during his time with the Rangers. In 2013, he had a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
There were 27 former Nittany Lions with NFL teams during the 2015 season, again placing Penn State in the top 20 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players.
For the 45th time in the Super Bowl's 50-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the participating teams (19 times in last 21 years). Thirty-eight former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 55 Super Bowl rings, most recently Jordan Norwood with Denver last year. A total of 106 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.