Penn State defensive lineman PJ Mustipher announces decision about his future

A solid defense will get one of its best back next year for the 2022 season, as defensive tackle PJ Mustipher announced on Tuesday that he will return to Penn State for another year.

The Maryland native made the announcement via his Twitter account.

🙏🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/NSe2kPc8SE

— Pj Mustipher (@KingPJ55) January 4, 2022

“This past year didn’t end the way I had expected, and I look forward to pursuing the goals we have set out as a team, as well as the goals I have for myself,” Mustipher said. “I am excited to get back to school and continue my rehab and (work) with the guys for the upcoming season.”

Mustipher was a veteran and team captain this year, but his season was unfortunately cut short on Oct. 9 due to an injury. He had 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack during the five games in which he was healthy. He had 16 solo tackles, which was a career high through just five games.

In 2020, Mustipher started in each of Penn State’s nine games and earned honorable mention honors in the Big Ten. The defenseman had 35 stops, a sack and a pass break up in his junior season.

The 6-foot-4, 326-pound player was a four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 11 defensive lineman and No. 4 player out of Maryland in the 2018 class.

Mustipher is the brother of former Notre Dame and current Chicago Bears center, Sam Mustipher, and his father played football at West Virginia.

Mustipher back for Diaz’s first year

When Mustipher can rejoin his teammates on the football field, it will be under a new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz. The former Miami head coach is taking over for Brent Pry, who left to take the head coaching job at Virginia Tech.

In addition to Mustipher, Diaz inherits a solid defensive unit that allowed just 16.8 points per game this season, which was third in the Big Ten.

Another member of Mustipher’s position group will be back next season, defensive end Adisa Isaac. He missed the entirety of the 2021 season with an injury suffered over the summer.

Also on the defensive side of the ball for the Nittany Lions, they announced on Tuesday they would be hiring Stacy Collins to coach linebackers, nickels and special teams.