In wake of other opt out reports, Freiermuth indicates return to Penn State

Reports Tuesday night indicated Penn State junior linebacker Micah Parsons had decided against returning to the Nittany Lions to participate in their 2020 season, instead choosing to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

The decision, still unconfirmed by Parsons or the Penn State football program officially, prompted speculation that another one of the Nittany Lions' star underclassmen and likely high NFL Draft selection, tight end Pat Freiermuth, would be next.

Wednesday morning, Freiermuth offered his retort via Twitter.

Responding to a Tweet suggesting Freiermuth wouldn't play another down with the Nittany Lions, the All-Big Ten tight end responded with a Bill Murray meme from Ghostbusters saying "Ooohhh. Close. But definitely wrong."

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he notched seven touchdowns to go along with his 43 receptions for 507 yards. According to Pro Football Focus, that makes Freiermuth one of the nation's top tight ends in college football ahead of the 2020 season.

He is also is a huge element of what Penn State hopes to do offensively this year with new Nittany Lion offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and an otherwise lightly tested group of wide receivers at the disposal of quarterback Sean Clifford.

"I think Pat's gonna take another step," head coach James Franklin said. "He's so mature. He's so confident right now. He's played a lot of football. Very productive, very reliable."

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