James Franklin shouts out former Penn State players on Super Bowl win
Penn State was well-represented at Super Bowl 56 on Sunday. Following the Los Angeles Rams’ victory against Cincinnati, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin took to Twitter to offer his congratulations to a pair of the program’s former players.
Former Penn State cornerback Grant Haley and safety Nick Scott are teammates on the Rams. Both played under Franklin, including three seasons as teammates on the Nittany Lions from 2015-17.
Haley and Scott spent most of this season in Los Angeles coming off the bench, though Scott started one game. He was also the only one of the two to record any stats in the Super Bowl, coming away with two tackles.
Scott played in a 17 games during the regular season, finishing with 47 tackles, two interceptions and four passes defended. Haley played in five games and did not record any stats. The pair were reunited midway through this season when the Rams signed Haley to their practice squad. He was eventually promoted to the active roster in January, just in time for the playoffs.
The Rams drafted Scott in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft and he has yet to play for another NFL team.
Sunday’s Super Bowl victory was the second in franchise history for the Rams, who are now 2-3 all-time in the big game. Trailing 20-16 late in the fourth quarter, the Rams put together a game-winning touchdown drive to take the lead with 1:25 remaining. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald came away with the final stop on the Bengals next possession to secure the victory.
Although the Super Bowl was the latest big win for the former Penn State players, it wasn’t the first. They helped the Nittany Lions to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Washington in 2017, Haley’s final year with the program. Penn State finished third in the Big Ten in turnover forced per game, with Haley ending the year with two interceptions. That season was also one of three in Franklin’s tenure with the team that they finished with 11 victories.
After starting out last season 5-0 and climbing as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll, Penn State finished just 7-6. The Nittany Lions will hope for better results in 2022, beginning with the season opener on Sept. 1 against Purdue.