| Year: | 2016 |
| Team: | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Division: | East Division |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Record: | 11–3 |
| Conf Record: | 8–1 |
| Coachrank: | 7 |
| Aprank: | 7 |
| Hc Year: | 3rd |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Dc Year: | 1st as DC; 3rd overall |
| Codc1 Year: | 1st |
| Captain Year: | Senior |
| Captain2: | Brian Gaia |
| Captain2 Year: | Senior |
| Captain3: | Von Walker |
| Captain3 Year: | Senior |
| Bowl Result: | L 49–52 vs. USC |
The 2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by third-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the Big Ten East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They lost to Pitt and Michigan in early September but then had a winning streak that included signature victories over Ohio State and Wisconsin en route to a Big Ten championship. Despite their Big Ten title, the Nittany Lions just missed a playoff berth. They represented the Big Ten in the 2017 Rose Bowl, losing to USC on a game winning field goal.
See also: 2016 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick (Overall) | Player | Team | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 43 | Austin Johnson | Tennessee Titans | Nose Tackle | |
| 2 | 51 | Christian Hackenberg | New York Jets | Quarterback | |
| 3 | 65 | Carl Nassib | Cleveland Browns | Defensive end | |
| 6 | 202 | Anthony Zettel | Detroit Lions | Defense Tackle | |
| 6 | 204 | Jordan Lucas | Miami Dolphins | Safety |
Penn State announced its 2016 football schedule on July 11, 2013. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Nittany Lions hosted Big Ten foes Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State, and traveled to Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, and Rutgers.[1]
The team hosted two of the three non-conference games against the Kent State Golden Flashes from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Pittsburgh Panthers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and the Temple Owls from the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
| Position | Name | Alma mater | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | James Franklin[3] | East Stroudsburg (1994) | |
| Defensive coordinator/linebackers | Brent Pry | Buffalo (1993) | |
| Offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks | Joe Moorhead | Fordham University (1995) | |
| Safeties/co-defensive coordinator | Tim Banks | Central Michigan University (1994) | |
| Running backs/special teams coordinator | Charles Huff[4] | Hampton (2005) | |
| Tight ends/passing game coordinator | Ricky Rahne | Cornell (2002) | |
| Wide Receivers/offensive recruiting coordinator | Josh Gattis | Wake Forest (2006) | |
| Cornerbacks/defensive recruiting coordinator | Terry Smith | Penn State (1991) | |
| Offensive line | University of Chicago (1990) | ||
| Defensive line/run game coordinator | Sean Spencer | Clarion (1995) | |
| Strength and conditioning | Dwight Galt | Maryland (1981) | |
| Graduate assistant | College of William & Mary (2013) | ||
| Graduate assistant | Tommy Galt | Maryland (2009) | |
| Graduate assistant | Andrew Jackson | LIU Post (2011) | |
| Graduate assistant | Ryan Smith | College of William & Mary (2014) |
See also: 2016 Kent State Golden Flashes football team.
See also: 2016 Pittsburgh Panthers football team and Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry.
See also: 2016 Temple Owls football team.
See also: 2016 Michigan Wolverines football team.
See also: 2016 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team.
See also: 2016 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 2016 Ohio State Buckeyes football team and Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry.
See also: 2016 Purdue Boilermakers football team.
See also: 2016 Iowa Hawkeyes football team.
See also: 2016 Indiana Hoosiers football team.
See also: 2016 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team.
See also: 2016 Michigan State Spartans football team and Land Grant Trophy.
See also: 2016 Wisconsin Badgers football team and 2016 Big Ten Football Championship Game.
See also: 2016 USC Trojans football team and 2017 Rose Bowl.
| Player | Award | Date Awarded | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Allen | Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week | October 3, 2016 | [5] | |
| Saquon Barkley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | October 10, 2016 | [6] | |
| Brandon Smith | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week | October 10, 2016 | ||
| Brandon Bell | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week | October 24, 2016 | [7] | |
| Marcus Allen | Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week | October 24, 2016 | ||
| Grant Haley | Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week | October 24, 2016 | ||
| Saquon Barkley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | October 31, 2016 | [8] | |
| Connor McGovern | Big Ten Freshman of the Week | November 7, 2016 | [9] | |
| Tyler Davis | Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week | November 21, 2016 | [10] | |
| Trace McSorley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | November 29, 2016 | [11] | |
| Saquon Barkley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year | November 30, 2016 | [12] | |
| Saquon Barkley | Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year | November 29, 2016 | ||
| Saquon Barkley | Chicago Tribune Silver Football | December 7, 2016 | [13] |
| Player | Selection | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Haley | First Team (Coaches & Media) | |
| Tyler Davis | First Team (Coaches) Second Team (Media) | |
| Saquon Barkley | Second Team (Coaches & Media) | |
| Trace McSorley | Second Team (Coaches & Media) | |
| Garrett Sickels | Second Team (Coaches) Third Team (Media) | |
| Evan Schwan | Third Team (Coaches & Media) | |
| Jason Cabinda | Third Team (Coaches) Honorable Mention (Media) | |
| Marcus Allen | Third Team (Coaches) Honorable Mention (Media) | |
| Chris Godwin | Third Team (Media) Honorable Mention (Coaches) | |
| Mike Gesicki | Second Team (Media) Honorable Mention (Coaches) | |
| Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) | ||
| Brian Gaia | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) | |
| Blake Gillikin | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) | |
| Parker Cothren | Honorable Mention (Coaches) | |
| John Reid | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) |
| Coach | Award | Date Awarded | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Franklin | Dave McClain Coach of the Year (media vote) | November 22, 2016 | ||
| James Franklin | Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year | December 7, 2016 | [16] |