No. 22 | |
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Position: | Running back |
Personal information | |
Born: | Toronto, Ontario | May 14, 1994
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Athol Springs (NY) St. Francis |
College: | Nevada |
Undrafted: | 2017 |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Akeel Joh-Vonnie Lynch (born May 14, 1994) is a retired American football running back who last played for the Nevada Wolf Pack football team. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with divorced parents, but at age seven, his father was murdered. Later, he moved to New York, where he played high school football and eventually accepted a scholarship offer to play football at Penn State. After redshirting his freshman year, he emerged as a reserve player the next season, and by his sophomore year of eligibility, he had emerged as Penn State's top running back.
Lynch grew up in Toronto, where, early in his life, his divorced Jamaican parents – Dona McKoy and Howard Lynch – shared joint custody of him. However, when Akeel Lynch was seven years old, Howard was murdered, which sent Akeel into mental health problems. In Toronto, Lynch attended St. Michael's College School, but when he realized he had the talent to play college football, he also realized the necessity of playing in America, and at age 16, he moved to Athol Springs, New York to attend St. Francis High School. Cognizant of his family's uncertain financial situation and that he might not be able to attend college without a scholarship, he understood the necessity in working hard to learn American football, and its juxtaposition to Canadian football. [1] Eventually, he became "comfortable with his surroundings", and began to flourish in high school football, winning the New York Gatorade Player of the Year award. [2] [3] He received several scholarship offers, and settled on playing at Penn State after they hired Bill O'Brien. [2]
Turning down offers from Boston College and Iowa, Lynch accepted a scholarship offer to attend Penn State under the newly installed Bill O'Brien regime, which succeeded the Joe Paterno era after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. [1] He redshirted his first season, and participated on the scout team while bulking up from 205 to 215 pounds (98 kg). [4] The next season, "he was stellar in spring practice, showing size, speed and scoring ability in the team's spring Blue-White game." [1] Consequently, he earned some playing time early in the season, and in Penn State's game against Eastern Michigan, he rushed for 108 yards, while the next week against Kent State, he compiled 123 rushing yards. [5] Overall, Lynch rushed for 358 yards on 60 carries with one touchdown during his redshirt freshman season. [6]
Similar to his freshman season, Lynch opened his sophomore year in 2014 stuck behind Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak on Penn State's depth chart at running back. [4] With four new offensive linemen and a general lack of offensive continuity due in part to a new coordinator, Penn State's rushing attack struggled for much of the 2014 season. However, Lynch found success taking direct snaps in the wildcat formation, and ultimately emerged as the team's best running back, but still did not start for most of the season. [4] [7] [8] Patiently awaiting "his time to shine", he contributed on special teams, but by the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl, he had emerged as the team's "top" running back, as evidenced by back-to-back games in which he rushed for at least 130 yards against Temple and Illinois towards the end of the season. [9] [10]
Lynch received his degree from Penn State, and elected to play his 5th year for eligibility with the Nevada Wolf Pack football team as a graduate transfer.
On October 17, 2016 Lynch announced his retirement from football after having suffered multiple concussions; at the time of his announcement, Lynch was a top prospect for the 2017 CFL Draft. [11]
Lydell Douglas Mitchell is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1972 to 1980. During his nine-season NFL career, Mitchell played for the Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Penn State.
Derrick Williams is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 18th pick of the 3rd round of the 2009 NFL draft. He was a wide receiver and 2008 team captain for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
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The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
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The 2014 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by first year head-coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. It was a member of the Big Ten Conference and played in the newly organized East Division. Penn State was ineligible to play in a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions imposed in wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. However, on September 8, 2014, the NCAA announced that Penn State would again be eligible for post-season games, effective immediately. Penn State had a 7–6 overall record for the season with a 2–6 conference mark, placing sixth in the Big Ten East Division. The Nittany Lions concluded the season with a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over Boston College.
The 1993 Blockbuster Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Penn State Nittany Lions played on January 1, 1993, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It was the third edition of the bowl game, and a Bowl Coalition game.
The 2014 Pinstripe Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 27, 2014 at Yankee Stadium in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The fifth annual Pinstripe Bowl, it was one of the 2014–15 bowl games that concluded the 2014 FBS football season. The game featured the Boston College Eagles, representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the Penn State Nittany Lions, representing the Big Ten Conference and playing their first bowl game since 2011 as a result of sanctions imposed in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. The game was sponsored by the New Era Cap Company and was officially known as the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Saquon Rasul Quevis Barkley is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to entering the NFL in 2018, Barkley played college football at Penn State, where he set several school records for his offensive production over three seasons, before forgoing his senior year to enter the NFL.
The 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 71st edition of the Gator Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference against the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference. It began at noon EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. The game's naming rights sponsor was tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com, and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Nicholas Sean-Gaylor Singleton is an American football running back for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2022.
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