Golden Israel-Achumba steals show with National Anthem performance at spring game
The weather for Saturday’s Blue-White spring game for the Penn State Nittany Lions might not have been the greatest, that didn’t stop one of their players from warming fans’ hearts with his vocals before the game.
Penn State offensive lineman Golden Israel-Achumba stole the show with an impressive performance of the national anthem on Saturday, just before their spring game.
Check it out below as the big fella showcased his vocals to the Nittany Lion faithful.
The national anthem is a beautiful song and it’s one of the best parts about sports. Fans get to see so many different multi-talented people perform ahead of games. It’s a blessing to watch people like Golden deliver impressive performances like that one.
Last season, Israel-Achumba played in three games, primarily on special teams. He also earned academic All-Big Ten honors during the 2022 and 2021 seasons. He redshirted his freshman year, appearing in one game.
In high school, Israel-Achumba played for DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland), one of the nation’s pre-eminent athletic programs. In the 2020 cycle, he was rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 437 overall player in the country, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
He racked up 20 pancake blocks his senior year and tallied 18 pancakes his junior year. As a freshman, Israel Achumba helped guide the Stags to the WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) Championship with an unblemished 12-0 record.
Nittany Lions’ defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton shined on Saturday afternoon in the spring game, racking up two sacks. PSU wide receiver Omari Evans also had an impressive day, hauling in 80 receiving yards, including a 28-yard touchdown catch.
Freshman linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson racked up four tackles for the White team. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar threw for over 200 yards on the day, including a 28-yard touchdown strike to Omari Evans.
Penn State will open up their 2023 season against the West Virginia Mountaineers. That one will be played on Saturday, Sept. 2. Their highly anticipated matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes will happen on Saturday, Oct. 21. They’ll face the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Nov. 11.
The Nittany Lions return one of the most gifted stable of running backs in all of college football for the 2023 campaign. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen established themselves as one of the nation’s premiere backfields last year. They combined for over 1,900 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, making them one of the most productive units in the country.