Penn State is represented nearly as well as any college on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster. Three former Nittany Lions are part of it in WR Allen Robinson, TE Pat Freiermuth, and CB Joey Porter Jr. That’s tied with Georgia with only Wisconsin having more alumni on the Steelers’ squad.
Though Pittsburgh isn’t intentionally choosing Penn State guys just for their local ties, GM Omar Khan believes there is a commonality between the three beyond what helmet they wore in college. He joined the Penn State centric podcast Nittany Game Week, including co-host and former Steelers’ DB Coach Tom Bradley, to discuss the ties between those three names.
“We expect them to all contribute differently in their own way,” Khan told the show. “The thing that’s really cool about these guys is they’re really good players on the field but they’re character guys, too. Muth, A-Rob, and Joey Jr…he doesn’t like it that we call him Joey Jr. He’s just Joey. They’re just great people, too. We’re excited about what the future holds with them.”
Freiermuth was the first onto the roster, the team’s 2021 second round pick when Kevin Colbert was the team’s GM. He’s turned into a top-ten tight end with a consistent first two years in the league, though the Steelers wisely used him downfield more often last season. With a trusty pair of hands, he’ll continue to serve as a safety valve for QB Kenny Pickett.
Robinson was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, the Rams practically giving him away just to reduce some of his salary off their books. Though he’s unlikely to produce flashy numbers, he’ll have a key role winning on third down, in the red zone, while serving as a team leader and mentor to a young receiver room.
Porter was the final acquisition, falling into the Steelers’ laps with the 32nd pick of this year’s draft. Someone Pittsburgh considered taking in the first round, Khan turned down a slew of trade offers to keep the pick and select Porter, keeping him in the area.
Throughout the summer, all three have worked hard to get ready for the fall. Freiermuth and Porter were routinely some of the first players onto the practice field, Porter hitting the JUGS machine, Freiermuth catching passes from TEs Coach Alfredo Roberts, a Saint Vince staffer, anyone willing to throw to him. And Robinson spent extra time working with receivers and even defensive backs to talk about his route-running while rooming with George Pickens at camp, an intentional move by Mike Tomlin.
All three will have key impacts on the Steelers this season. Freiermuth and Robinson working over the middle of the field, Porter playing in dime packages and obvious passing situations. On Saturdays, you can watch Penn State move into the Drew Allar era, fresh off a win over West Virginia last night. On Sundays, you can watch their alumni help the Steelers win.
