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Penn State Football Makes Pair Of Surprise Scholarship Announcements

Surprise scholarship announcements just might be the most wholesome thing that exists in college sports, and Penn State football provided its fans with a double-dose of those on Saturday.

The first surprise of the day was for offensive lineman Hunter Kelly, and the announcement was made by the always-intense James Franklin.

Kelly, a redshirt junior from the same high school and hometown as Franklin, hasn’t appeared in a game for the Nittany Lions, but he did earn Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2017. Dan Kelly, the lineman’s father, was inside Holuba Hall to witness the surprise announcement, and he also got to see his son get mobbed by his teammates in celebration. His mom, Dawn, was moved to tears when she heard the news via FaceTime.

Beaver Stadium music man PJ Mullen congratulated Kelly on earning a scholarship and shared some insight into the type of person he is on Twitter.

Later, wide receiver Isaac Lutz was the recipient of his own scholarship surprise. He first got the news from starting middle linebacker Jan Johnson in a post-practice huddle.

Lutz is also a redshirt junior, and he’s made 13 appearances for Penn State. He made two tackles in 12 games played during the 2018 season, and he’s a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. The Berks Catholic High School alumnus from Reading, PA was also mobbed by his teammates before getting a big hug from James Franklin and embracing his parents.

As the cliché goes, “[Surprise scholarship announcements] are like London buses. You wait ages, then two come along at the same time!” Penn State’s last one of these took place before the start of the 2018 season. Charlie Shuman got the news from James Franklin and a family that’s benefitted from the charity Shuman created.

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: [email protected]

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