UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State redshirt senior defensive end Arnold Ebiketie has been named to the final watch list for the Ted Hendriks Award, it was announced by the Ted Hendricks and the Ted Hendricks Foundation on Monday.
The Ted Hendricks Award honors the top defensive end in college football. The 30 individuals on the final watch list will be included on the first ballot issued to the selection committee. The final vote will take place the week of December 6 and the 2021 recipient will be announced on December 9th.
Arnold Ebiketie Notes
The Ted Hendricks Award is named in honor of college football’s first three-time first-team All-American. On-field performance, exceptional winning attitude, leadership abilities, contributions to school and community and academic preparedness are some of the criteria used to determine the Award’s recipient each year.
Members of the national media, head coaches, professional scouts and former winners are included on the Award’s selection committee. Candidates may represent any class (Freshman through Senior) as well as any four-year NCAA accredited school. The candidate’s primary position must be Defensive End.
The Ted Hendricks Award honors the top defensive end in college football. The 30 individuals on the final watch list will be included on the first ballot issued to the selection committee. The final vote will take place the week of December 6 and the 2021 recipient will be announced on December 9th.
Arnold Ebiketie Notes
- Ebiketie, who has at least one tackle for loss in eight-straight games, joined the Nittany Lions after a four-year stint at Temple (2017-20).
- At the conclusion of the regular season, 14.5 of Ebiketie’s Big Ten-leading 17.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 of his 9.5 sacks (3rd in the Big Ten) have come against Big Ten opponents (nine games).
- The Silver Spring, Md. native ranks fourth among Power Five players in tackles for loss and ninth in sacks.
- He is second among Power Five defensive linemen in tackles for loss and tackles and tied for seventh in sacks.
- The defensive end was named a Midseason All-America First Team honoree by The Athletic and was on the Ted Hendricks Award Watch List.
- He had an impressive Penn State debut with seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, while also adding a blocked field goal against Wisconsin.
- Ebiketie’s sack came at a crucial moment of the game, with the Badgers facing 2nd-and-10 at the PSU 25. Ebiketie recorded a 7-yard sack and forced an intentional grounding penalty.
- The redshirt senior recorded a solo sack against Indiana and blocked his second field goal of the season, a 30-yard attempt.
- Ebiketie is the first Penn State player with two blocked field goals in a season since Scott Paxson in 2004.
- Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, Ebiketie tied a career best with 3.5 tackles for loss at Iowa and had nine tackles.
- In the Illinois contest, Ebiketie recorded a season-high 10 tackles, matching his career best and the most by a Penn State defensive end since Yetur Gross-Matos recorded 10 at Indiana in 2018, while also adding 1.5 sacks.
- Ebiketie had 1.5 tackles for loss and a strip-sack vs. Rutgers.
- Ebiketie forced a fumble on a strip-sack in the fourth quarter against Michigan. It was his fourth career forced fumble and first at Penn State.
- Ebiketie also recorded a solo sack against the Wolverines in the second quarter.
The Ted Hendricks Award is named in honor of college football’s first three-time first-team All-American. On-field performance, exceptional winning attitude, leadership abilities, contributions to school and community and academic preparedness are some of the criteria used to determine the Award’s recipient each year.
Members of the national media, head coaches, professional scouts and former winners are included on the Award’s selection committee. Candidates may represent any class (Freshman through Senior) as well as any four-year NCAA accredited school. The candidate’s primary position must be Defensive End.
