Orlando trip is just fine with Odrick

ORLANDO, Fla. -- He’d been down here before, but it was far enough in the past that he was dressed as a pirate at the time.

Even if it was 13 years since Jared Odrick had been to Orlando, one doesn’t forget his first trip to Disney World.

Odrick was 9 when he took the trip down to Florida with his family and friends. Now he stands 6-foot-5, 300 pounds and happens to be one of the best collegiate defensive tackles in the nation -- not to mention that he’s just a few months away from becoming a millionaire as an early-round NFL draft pick.

When asked if he was disappointed that the Nittany Lions were passed over by the BCS, dropping them into Friday’s Capital One Bowl against LSU, Odrick delivered one of his best deadpan remarks of a career that has been filled with them.

“Not at all, actually,” he said. “Because, No. 1, I get to see Mickey and Minnie.”

“No. 2, we get to play LSU. I’ve been wanting to play an SEC team like that ever since I got here, and to be able to play a powerhouse like that, who have consistent 10-1 seasons -- just a great SEC team -- I can’t wait to play them.”

Big things were expected of Odrick after an impressive junior campaign in 2008. Even still, the big man from Lebanon High School didn’t garner too much national attention.

Not that it mattered to opposing coaches in the Big Ten, who spent so much time gameplanning against him that they voted him the conference’s Defensive MVP.

“I probably faced more doubles teams than anyone in the Big Ten,” Odrick said. “I was hoping that people would notice that, but I was just trying to play my role this season.”

Following that, he was named to seven different All-America teams. And counting, seemingly. His most recent such honor came just last week.

That kind of recognition has especially pleased Joe Paterno, who griped midway through the season that Odrick wasn’t getting enough credit.

“Odrick is an outstanding football player. And I think that he deserves everything he’s got,” Penn State’s coach said earlier this month during the Lions’ bowl media day -- after Odrick began his postseason haul. “He’s been a leader. He practices hard. He even played hurt. He practiced hurt. He’s a big-time player.”

“He’s brought a tremendous amount to the team -- on the field especially,” said center Stefen Wisniewski, who has seen plenty of Odrick in spring and summer practices to know what he’s capable of.

“I mean, the guy’s a beast. He’s really explosive, he’s great with his hands, great at getting off of blocks. Because teams knew that coming into (this season), a lot of teams changed their schemes to double-team him. And that sets one of our great linebackers up.”

More than the awards and the praise from coaches, teammates and opponents, however, Odrick plays to make his mother, Jan, proud.

“My mom is my life. I probably wouldn’t be sitting here today if it wasn’t for her,” Odrick said before correcting himself. “I definitely wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her and all the things she’s done for me.

“Her work ethic is second to none. She has no excuses for herself when it comes to her job. Working at the (local Veterans Affairs facility) for 20-plus years, she was dedicated to that and she’s been dedicated to me in my athletic career. She has never missed a game of my collegiate career -- ever. She hardly ever missed high school games, and even younger than that she drove me everywhere, whether it was AAU basketball or across the country, she drove me here and got me plane tickets there. She worked her butt off to make it happen.”

As he prepares for his final game in a Penn State uniform, Odrick still carries the lessons learned from her, as well as his position coach, Larry Johnson.