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Really, the whole thing was an experiment.

Micah Parsons hadn’t played linebacker in high school, as he was too busy terrorizing teams as a pure pass-rushing defensive end. But Penn State needed linebackers when he arrived in January 2018. Badly. So that’s where he started out with the Nittany Lions.

Good decision.

Less than two full years after making the switch, Parsons was named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year on Tuesday. He is the first sophomore to win the Butkus-Fitzgerald Trophy in its nine-year existence and is the third Penn State player to earn the honor in that stretch, joining Michael Mauti (2012) and Mike Hull (2014).

“So blessed and honored!” Parsons wrote on Twitter. “This is truly (Linebacker U!) Thankful for all your support.”

The Harrisburg native was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media, joined by NFL-bound teammate Yetur Gross-Matos at defensive end.

After leading the Lions in tackles as a true freshman despite starting just one game, Parsons again tops the team with 95 stops and has 11 tackles for loss. He is a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.

And he has another year to grow and be the focal point of Penn State’s defense in 2020.

How much better can he get?

“I don’t think he’s anywhere close to his ceiling,” Lions coach James Franklin said in the middle of the season. “I don’t think he’s anywhere close.

“And I don’t want that to come off the wrong way, because I think he’s one of the better players in college football. But this is all still very new to him. And he’s embraced the techniques and fundamentals and things like that at the position, but I think he can be even better.”

The Big Ten handed out its defensive and special teams honors on Tuesday and will finish up with the offensive awards on Wednesday.

Junior defensive end Shaka Toney was a second-team pick by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. Senior linebacker Cam Brown and senior defensive tackle Robert Windsor were both third-team choices by the coaches and honorable mention from the media. Junior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields had it flipped as a third-team media pick and honorable mention from the coaches.

Four other defenders — senior linebacker Jan Johnson, senior cornerback John Reid, senior safety Garrett Taylor and junior safety Lamont Wade — were honorable mention on both ballots.

On special teams, senior punter Blake Gillikin, sophomore return man KJ Hamler and sophomore kicker Jake Pinegar were honorable mentions by both coaches and media.

To the surprise of no one, Ohio State superstar Chase Young won both Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year. Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr. was named Defensive Back of the Year.

Special teams honors went to Iowa’s Keith Duncan (top kicker), Illinois’ Blake Hayes (top punter) and Maryland’s Javon Leake (top return specialist).

And, for the first time in 40 years, Ohio State won the coach of the year award as the media honored Ryan Day. All it took was for a first-year coach to finish 12-0, winning every game by at least 11 points. And even then, he had to split honors, as the coaches voted for Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, who led the Gophers to a landmark 10-2 season.

Amazingly, Day is the first Buckeyes boss to win Big Ten Coach of the Year since Earle Bruce in 1979. Since then, every program except newcomers Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers have won the award at least twice.

Micah Parsons became the third Penn State player to win Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in the award’s nine-year history, joining Michael Mauti and Mike Hull.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_AP19335153881444.jpg.optimal.jpgMicah Parsons became the third Penn State player to win Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in the award’s nine-year history, joining Michael Mauti and Mike Hull. Barry Reeger | AP photo

By Derek Levarse

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