Penn State Football: Toney Leads Nittany Lions on All-Big Ten Defensive Teams

Penn State senior defensive end Shaka Toney has been named a consensus first-team All-Big Ten honoree, headlining a handful of Nittany Lions selected for postseason defensive honors.

Fellow end Jayson Oweh was also named to the first team by league coaches while being named to the second team by the conference media.

Safety Jaquan Brisker was named to the Big Ten’s third-team by conference coaches, while the media selected safety Lamont Wade and true freshman corner Joey Porter Jr. to its third team.

Toney heads into the final weekend of the Big Ten slate just 1.5 sacks behind the conference lead. The senior is ninth on Penn State’s defense in total tackles with 25 to his name but is tied with Oweh with 6.5 tackles for a loss to lead the Nittany Lions.

Oweh, a physical specimen, entered his redshirt sophomore season with high expectations and has begun to deliver on them through a chaotic 2020 season. In back-to-back games against Maryland and Nebraska, Oweh managed to rack up a combined 19 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss. He was not available against Michigan State this past weekend due to an injury according to coach James Franklin.

Brisker is one of the hottest rising star of the bunch over the past several games, the senior registering nine tackles against Michigan State to bring his season total to 50. The Lackawanna Community College product has been a solid run-stopping safety as well, leading all Penn State defensive backs with three tackles for a loss.

Porter has been a bright spot for the Nittany Lions in coverage all year, impressing coaches in the lead up to the season earn a starting role over returning corner Keaton Ellis. Porter has 33 tackles this season, sixth most on the Nittany Lions’ defensive unit.

Finally, Lamont Wade rounds out the group with 36 tackles and one interception while proving later in the year his credentials as a return man. Wade, an emotional figure on the Penn State sideline, has made good on his return to State College after testing the transfer portal waters last offseason.

Per 2020 NCAA guidance, Wade, Toney and Brisker would be eligible to return, despite being seniors, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The group joins a host of Nittany Lions who picked up similar offensive honors following the league’s announcement on Tuesday. That group was headlined by tight end Pat Freiermuth who was named the conference’s top tight end despite playing just four games this year prior to season-ending surgery.