Jonathan Sutherland A Popular Choice To Wear Penn State Football’s No. 0
Earlier this year, the NCAA announced it would let college football players wear No. 0 for the first time ever.
Penn State football released a video on Twitter Wednesday announcing that a special teams player will don the number for the Nittany Lions. The player who wears the number will represent the whole team and aim to drive the culture.
Long snapper Chris Stoll shared his thoughts on the new tradition, mentioning Jonathan Sutherland as a player he thinks deserves the honor.
“I think a lot of guys with this new tradition will see how much Coach Franklin puts importance on special teams and I think more guys will want to work harder and show that they can impact the field not just on offense and defense,” Stoll said.
“Of course [Jonathan Sutherland], he’s a dog,” Stoll continued. “His work ethic is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t matter if he’s defense or special teams, he’s always the same guy and always goes hard.”
Last season, Sutherland received a racist letter from a Penn State alumnus calling his dreads “disgusting” and “certainly not attractive.” Stoll later mentioned that the team rallied around the racist letter.
Stoll certainly wasn’t the only player to give Sutherland an endorsement for the number. Defensive tackle Fred Hansard echoed Stoll’s sentiment.
“The first guy that comes to mind is Jonathan Sutherland,” Hansard said. “He does everything right. He’s always been a leader on this team, does everything the coaches ask, and is like a brother to everybody.”
Junior safety Drew Hartlaub named a few potential candidates, which included the previously mentioned Sutherland.
“There are a lot of guys on the team that could be deserving of that,” Hartlaub said. “A couple guys that pop into my mind are definitely Sutherland, definitely Jordan Stout, maybe Jesse Luketa, I could see that too.”
Hartlaub also mentioned Stout, who is definitely a candidate to rock the No. 0. The strong-legged kicker/punter wasn’t too shy in expressing his desire for the number.
“I would be honored to wear No. 0,” Stout said. “Regardless of who it is I’m going to be happy for him.
Stoll acknowledged Stout’s desire for the number but joked he “only wants it for the clout.”
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