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Penn State football players get into THON spirit during athletes hour

Welcome to the annual weekend where State College, Pennsylvania, is centered around one thing and one thing only: THON.

During the 46 hour dance marathon which helps raise millions of dollars for pediatric cancer, there are numerous guest appearances from musicians, celebrities and athletes with a chance for the THON kids to meet their favorite stars.

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For any of the those who are Penn State football fans, athlete hour would have been a haven like no other.

Some of the best Nittany Lions including the newly arrived members of Penn State’s 2022 class were in attendance at the Multi-Sport Complex just across from the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday.

The players participated in all sorts of games with the THON children from four-square to corn hole.

This year is also the first time that many of the freshmen and sophomores get to experience the long-time Penn State tradition, with COVID-19 preventing the event from happening in-person last year.

One of those first timers is redshirt freshman tight end Tyler Warren.

He says that despite his lack of experience at THON, he knows just how important it is to bond as a team and give back to the community, especially for those newer players who haven’t had the chance yet.

“This is actually my first taste [of THON]. It’s been great, it’s lived up to the hype that everyone talks about so it's been really fun,” Warren said. “I think for the new guys it's helping them just get more socially [adjusted] into everything as well.”

Someone else who says that participating in THON has real significance to the way a team can bond is wide receiver Malick Meiga.

Meiga is expected to take a step up for Penn State next year with the departure of star wideout Jahan Dotson but for this weekend, he just wants to get closer with his teammates and the Penn State community overall.

“This is really important for me,” Meiga said. “I feel like everybody should be involved in these types of things. To have a team, everybody’s got to feel good around everybody so you’ve always got to talk to everybody.”

“The family atmosphere is something really special at Penn State. Something that really got me here and I just love it.”

Meanwhile, one of the veterans on Penn State, Curtis Jacobs, took a minute to look around and see all the smiling faces on the THON kids despite everything they have to go through on a daily basis.

He said that it makes him happy to be just a little distraction during their tough battle and that events like this are what makes Penn State so unique.

“It's amazing to be able to see these wonderful young kids, a lot of them are having a tough time but it's nice to see all of them came in with a smile on their face,” Jacobs said. “Just having fun, coming to see the facility, it’s been a good time.”

Like Warren, Jacobs thinks that it is pretty special that some of the new enrollees such as coveted prospect Drew Allar and Nick Singleton get to experience this so early in their Penn State careers.

He hopes that it gives them a sense of what the program and the school as a whole is really all about.

“This day here makes their year for them,'' Jacobs said. “It is great for [the young players] to see that and for them to put a smile on a bunch of these kid's faces.”

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