Win or lose, Chris Godwin went out on top.
Coming off a nine reception, 187 yard evening with two touchdowns in the Nittany Lions’ 52-49 Rose Bowl loss on Monday, the Penn State junior receiver announced his intention to declare for the NFL Draft via Twitter Thursday night.
The announcement comes for Godwin coming off his most prolific season yet with the Nittany Lions, and a record-setting performance in the Rose Bowl.
In 14 games this year, Godwin produced 59 receptions for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns, best among all Penn State receivers in every category. The effort built on a career that also included 25 receptions for 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a true freshman during the 2014 season, and a team-leading 69 catches for 1,101 yards and five scores as a sophomore during the 2015 season.
For his career, Godwin’s 2,404 yards are good for fourth at Penn State all-time and his 11 touchdowns for the year were second-most in school history.
Accompanying Godwin’s announcement via Twitter, head coach James Franklin weighed in via a press release from the program.
“Chris has been a leader in our wide receivers’ room and on this team throughout his Penn State career,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “He is one of the top receivers in Penn State history and has made numerous memorable catches throughout his career. We are thankful for all of Chris’ contributions to Penn State Football and look forward to seeing him excel on the next level.”
Notably, Godwin’s career was marked by his biggest performances coming in bowl games.
With his performance against Southern Cal, Godwin broke the school bowl reception record for his career, topping Bobby Engram’s 16 catches and setting a new mark of 22, while simultaneously building on his school record for career receiving yards in bowl games, now standing at 460.
"I'm just so proud of him," assistant coach Gattis said after the game. "I'm proud of who he is as a young man. I'm proud of who he is as a player. He's a phenomenal player and he's a special talent to coach. I'm so thankful for him. This (loss) does not define this season or him. He left it on the field. He left it all. I'm just so proud of him."
