12 days until Penn State football 2021 season opener

Happy Monday! We are 12 days away from Penn State football!

Yesterday, we talked about a current Nittany Lion who wears number 13 in Ellis Brooks.

Today, we will talk about one of the top 21 Penn State players to watch and the current number 12 for the 2021 season, Brandon Smith.

As a recruit, Smith was a highly coveted player coming out of high school. He received offers from several schools across the NCAA, such as Alabama, Clemson and Penn State.

With the opt-out of Micah Parsons last season, we saw several big-named players step up, including Odafe Oweh, Shaka Toney and Brandon Smith.

In high school, Smith was a three-time letterman who helped lead his team to a 25-2 record in two seasons and a state championship appearance.

Smith plays with a lot of aggression and poise. He does well at diagnosing plays and has really groomed himself into a leader on the defense.

In a shortened season in 2020, Smith finished with 37 total tackles and two sacks. He made a solid leap in his second year with Penn State, where he started all nine games.

One analyst described Smith as an athlete with both a good amount of versatility and rare length. With Parsons, Oweh, and Toney all in the NFL, this will be Smith’s big chance to really show off his skills and for Penn State to unlock his full potential.

12 days away and it can’t come fast enough! This could be a big year for Smith, hence the reason why he is on our top 21 Penn State players to watch for this season.