A quartet of former defensive Penn State football players are making a name for themselves in the NFL this season. After winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week this past week, linebacker Paul Posluszny joined defensive end Cameron Wake and linebackers Tamba Hali and Sean Lee as Player of the Week recipients this season thus far.

Posluszny led the Jacksonville Jaguars to their first win of the season on Sunday, recording eight tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in a 29-27 victory over the Titans. Posluszny has been a bright spot on a struggling Jacksonville defense and team.

Wake earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors last week after the Miami Dolphins defensive end tallied three sacks — including one for the game-winning safety in overtime — against the Cincinnati Bengals to end a four-game losing skid.

Hali, a rush linebacker for the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs, was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week on October 16th after sacking Terrelle Pryor three-and-a-half times in his team’s 24-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders. His nine sacks on the season are second on a Chiefs defense that allows a league-low 12.3 points-per-game and leads the league in turnover margin at +15.

The Cowboys’ Lee received the honor on October 23rd after snagging an interception and posting a game-high 11 tackles in a 17-3 win over the Eagles. Lee, who is currently the Cowboys’ leading tackler, went down this past weekend against the New Orleans Saints with a hamstring injury and is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks.

And though he hasn’t won Player of the Week honors yet this season, former Linebacker U member Navarro Bowman has continued his reign as one of the league’s best defensive players, on a San Francisco 49ers defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest total yards in the league.

In addition, Oakland quarterback Matt McGloin may make his first start of the season this Sunday if Terrelle Pryor, who is recovering from a sprained MCL, is unable to suit up in the Raiders’ matchup against the Texans. We’ll see if either Bowman and McGloin can become the fifth Penn Stater to win Player of the Week in 2013.