Smith Vilbert was in awe when he took the field with the Nittany Lions at Milan Puskar Stadium, the home of the West Virginia Mountaineers. It was the first time the redshirt senior defensive lineman did so for Penn State football in two years.

“I just looked up, and I just took that in,” Vilbert said. “Man, two years missed playing football with my brothers. I missed being on that field.”

Vilbert missed the entire 2022 regular season and 2023 season due to undisclosed injuries. He ended up being available for the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2022 season but didn’t tally any statistics.

Fast-forward two years, and Vilbert showed the football world what it had missed by sacking Mountaineer quarterback Garrett Greene and forcing a fumble. He made stripping the ball look effortless, and the Nittany Lions regained possession en route to a 34-12 win.

The Monsey, New York, native can be dangerous on the field. He had four tackles for loss and three sacks in the 2021 season when he appeared in every game.

It’s possible that despite having a crowded defensive line room, Vilbert could be Penn State’s secret weapon. With much of the attention on potential 2025 top-10 draft pick Abdul Carter and up-and-coming star Dani Dennis-Sutton, Vilbert is flying under the radar.

“I think you guys remember me talking about Smith as a guy that no one is really talking about that I think is going to have a big year for us,” James Franklin said at his weekly press conference Monday.

“It’s understandable, right?” Franklin continued. “He missed essentially two years of football. You’re talking about a guy who was a high-level basketball player when we recruited him. He is 6’6″, 280 pounds. He can run, he can bend, he’s aggressive, and he’s mature. You’ve got a mature football player.” 

Since the West Virginia game ended, Vilbert has reflected on everything he’d missed.

Vilbert skipped everything from making plays such as the strip sack in Morgantown to simply being on the field with his teammates during games and practices, and he’s happy to be back with them and doing what he loves.

“It might sound cliché, but just playing with my brothers. Man, ain’t nothing like that, dude,” Vilbert said when asked what he missed most. “We all know what we go through off the field. We just want to see each other flourish,” he said.

When the game ended, one of the first things Vilbert did was call his mom, who he had prayed with on the phone before kickoff.

“She called me because we prayed right back before the game on the phone for like eight minutes,” Vilbert said. “Right after the game, I called her, and I was just so happy. She was happy.”

The defensive end has remained focused on getting back into his old routine. He watched film with defensive line coach Deion Barnes shortly after the game, he’s continuing to get his body up to full speed, and feels he’s getting used to regularly playing and practicing again.

“I’ll probably just say, just trying to get back to my routine, like I used to move back in the day. But right now, just going through every day, I feel like I’m getting back to it,” Vilbert said.

Despite all the adversity he’s faced over the last two years, the thought of never playing football again didn’t cross Vilbert’s mind. He instead remained focused on improving himself and keeping a positive mentality.

“Oh, never that. It was never back in my mind,” Vilbert said. “I just tried to stay positive, stay true to the course, and that was gonna come to fruition.”

Now a longtime member of a defensive line room that is full of underclassmen, Vilbert has taken on a mentor role. He made himself available to younger players during his absence, and he even got his degree in that timeframe.

“I’m proud of him,” Franklin said. “He’s also a guy that got his degree. He’s done it right from that standpoint. I know he’s extremely hungry this year, with as much time as he’s invested, to really help this team as much as he possibly can to help the defense as much as he can, and also to have a big year for himself and his family.”