Penn State linebacker Ellis Brooks opts out of Outback Bowl, enters NFL draft

Redshirt senior linebacker Ellis Brooks, Penn State’s leading tackler during the regular season, has announced on Twitter that he will opt out of the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl and declare for the 2022 NFL draft.

Brooks is the second starting linebacker on the Nittany Lions who will not compete in the bowl game against Arkansas. Junior Brandon Smith announced Friday he was declaring for the NFL draft.

“After having multiple conversations with my family members and coaches, I have decided to forgo the bowl game to focus on getting healthy as it’s now time to chase my dream of playing at the highest level and officially declaring for the 2022 NFL draft,” Brooks said in a statement.

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The 6-foot-1, 241-pound Brooks posted 100 tackles, including a career-high 16 versus Michigan and 11-tackle performances against Wisconsin and Illinois. He finished his four seasons at Penn State with 229 tackles.

Nittany Lions wide receiver Winston Eubanks, a graduate of La Salle College High School, announced he is retiring from football because of what he called “consecutive severe concussions.” Eubanks, a transfer from Shippensburg where he was a three-time All-PSAC first-team honoree, played in seven games for Penn State, mostly on special teams, and caught one pass.

“I’d like to thank coach (James) Franklin and the entire Penn State coaching staff, the fans and my teammates for welcoming me into the family,” Eubanks wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Although my playing career has come to an end, I can’t think of a better way than to leave as a Nittany Lion.”