Sutherland surprised, honored as he's tabbed to start No. 0 tradition
Penn State's practice last Saturday was coming to a close, and Jonathan Sutherland suspected nothing.
Over the previous few days, plenty of Sutherland's teammates had lobbied the Nittany Lions' coaching staff for the number 0, as part of a new tradition that would bestow the number to a special teams player who best embodied Penn State's culture.
Sutherland wasn't among those pleading his case, so when the announcement came that he would be the one to grant the tradition its start, he was taken by surprise.
"It was a surprise to me," Sutherland said. "They presented it at the end of practice, and so they got us all pretty much surprised because they didn't know when they were announcing it."
Sutherland, recently named a special teams captain for a second consecutive season, may not have expected the honor, but others within the program insist he was the right choice.
In fact, James Franklin said several players had asked directly to wear the number when the program made its initial announcement that the jersey would carry extra meaning, but could only agree that Sutherland was the right choice once the decision was made.
"After the announcement was made and Sutherland got number zero, all of those guys were like, you know, I'm disappointed but I get it," Franklin said. "Sutherland, it's hard to argue with him.
"You look at the number of reps he played on special teams last year and how he graded out, and just his approach and his mentality and his demeanor has been awesome."
In total, Sutherland took 254 snaps on special teams last season, lining up for the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. The only special teams unit where he didn't play was the field goal kicking team.
The season before, Sutherland saw even more special teams action, with 261 special teams snaps.
Overall, he's amassed 10 special teams tackles over the course of his Penn State career so far.
Undoubtedly, it's a recognition that Sutherland has earned over the years, but he still pointed out teammates like Drew Hartlaub, Isaac Lutz and Jordan Stout who he thought were qualified to wear number 0.
"Obviously, it's a blessing," Sutherland said. "I love my teammates. I try to work every single day and do my best and just be a support for them, and likewise they do the same for me. So obviously, it's just a great honor to be looked up to like that by my teammates."
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