Yetur Gross-Matos received some nice news Friday afternoon when he was named the No. 69 player in college football, according to Sports Illustrated’s preseason Top 100 rankings.

Sports Illustrated highlighted Gross-Matos’ record-breaking sophomore season in which he became the 11th player in Penn State history to record 20 or more tackles for a loss in a single season. The defensive lineman also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and was named to the third team by the conference’s coaches.

Gross-Matos is the sole Nittany Lion in this year’s Top 100. He’s joined by fellow Big Ten representatives including Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor (No. 3), Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore (No. 8), and Ohio State defensive lineman Chase Young (No. 9), among others.

High praise is nothing new for Gross-Matos, though. The star defensive lineman was ranked No. 6 on Mel Kiper’s first 2020 NFL Draft board last spring and has a good shot to be Penn State’s lead representative at next year’s draft.

With two seasons under his belt and a wealth of incoming talent, Gross-Matos will likely serve as a veteran presence in the locker room and help lead defensive line coach Sean Spencer’s “Wild Dawgs” to success in 2019.

Fans will get to see the No. 69 player in college football back in action when Penn State kicks off the season against Idaho on August 31.

About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email (mattdisanto86@gmail.com) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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