Dan Connor

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Full Name: Daniel Murphy Connor College: Penn State University Height/Weight: 6'3/233 Position: Linebacker Birthdate: November 2, 1985 Number: 40 Birthplace: Wallingford, Pennsylvania

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[edit] Biography

Dan Connor is a linebacker for Penn State.

[edit] High School

Connor was a consensus prep All-American at Strath Haven High School for Coach Kevin Clancy in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. He was a four year starter for the Panthers and was selected the nation's top prep linebacker by Parade Magazine. He also earned first-team All-America accolades from USA Today and SuperPrep and was the 2003 Associated Press Big School Player-of-the-Year. Connor was named first-team all-state three times. He also earned all-region, all-city, all-county and all-league honors and was the captain and MVP of his team. In addition, he won the Maxwell Football Club's prestigious Jim Henry Award as the Philadelphia Area Player-of-the-Year and was the Philadelphia Inquirer Southeastern Pennsylvania Player-of-the-Year. Connor played both running back and linebacker at Strath Haven and amassed 4,556 rushing yards, 77 touchdowns, 451 tackles, 18 sacks, 16 interceptions and six fumble recoveries during his high school career. In the fall of 2003, his senior year, Connor rushed for 1,807 yards on 251 carries and scored 28 touchdowns. Connor was a freshman starter for Strath Haven, when the team won the Pennsylvania Class AAA state championship in 2000. During Connor's sophomore (2001) and junior (2002) seasons Connor would help lead the Panthers back to the AAA state title game. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January 2004. Besides football, Connor lettered in basketball and track, where he participated in the high jump, javelin, discus and shot put.

[edit] Freshman Year (2004-2005)

Connor was second on the team and ninth in the Big Ten with 85 tackles (50 solo) in just four starts. Named a Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, the Football Writers Association of America and Scripps. Connor started the last three games at inside linebacker after spending much of the season on the outside. Playing in every game, he posted 4.5 tackles for loss (minus-12 yards), one sack and one interception for a defense that ranked among the top 10 in the nation in four categories and was the only team in the nation to not allow more than 21 points in a game. Connor posted five tackles (three solo) in his first game, the season-opening win over Akron, and picked off a pass in the victory over UCF. He went on to lead or tie for the team lead in tackles in three games, including a 10-tackle performance against Purdue and a season-high 16 stops against Northwestern, the highest tackle total for a Nittany Lion in two seasons. In the season-ending 37-13 victory over Michigan State, Connor posted 11 tackles and one tackle for loss, one of four double-digit tackle performances on the year, including each of the last three games. He also recorded 11 tackles and a tackle for loss at Indiana where he was instrumental in limiting the Hoosiers' offense to 10 points and keeping Indiana out of the end zone on four plays from the one-yard line in the final two minutes to preserve a victory. He was on the field for 558 plays.

[edit] Sophomore Year (2005-2006)

Connor was suspended for the first three games of the season for making harassing prank phone calls to a former Penn State assistant coach. He returned for the Big Ten opener at Northwestern, but in a reserve role. He would move into the starting lineup for the third Big Ten contest (fifth game of the season), the thrilling win over Ohio State. He went on to start seven games, recording 76 tackles, good for a tie for fourth on the squad. He made 5.5 tackles for losses, 1.5 sacks and was third on the team with eight pass breakups. He also returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown at Illinois. Connor was instrumental in helping the Lions lead the Big Ten in pass efficiency defense (106.6 rating) and rank second in scoring (17.0 ppg), total (304.7 ypg) and rushing defense (93.0 ypg) and sacks (41). Connor came up big in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl win over Florida State, leading the Lions with seven tackles (five solo), including two tackles for losses. He helped Penn State limit the Seminoles to 12 first downs, 26 yards rushing and three-of-17 on third-down conversions. Connor finished the regular-season with his top effort, recording a game and season-high 14 tackles (nine solo) in the Big Ten title-clinching win at Michigan State. Connor made 12 tackles, including a sack, in the dramatic 17-10 win over Ohio State and followed with nine stops at Michigan. He then made nine hits in the first half at Illinois and returned a fumble 18 yards for his first collegiate score. Connor saw action on 630 snaps, topped by 88 at Michigan State.

[edit] Junior Year (2006-2007)

Connor started every game at outside linebacker and emerged as one of the nation's high-impact defensive players. Connor had a superb junior year for "Linebacker U.," earning first-team All-America honors from The Sporting News and second-team All-America accolades by the Associated Press. He was instrumental in helping the defense finish ranked in the top 15 nationally in rushing (87.5 ypg, seventh), scoring (14.4 ppg, ninth), total defense (284.5 ypg, 15th) and pass efficiency defense (105.9 rating, 14th) and sacks (40, sixth tie). Connor was fifth in the Big Ten with 113 tackles, recording a team-high 70 solo stops. He was third on the squad with 9.0 tackles for losses, tied for third with 5.0 sacks (minus-39), led with three forced fumbles (sixth in Big Ten), had two interceptions and one big safety on a sack against Illinois. Connor combined with fellow All-American Posluszny (116 tackles) to become the first Penn State tandem since Andre Collins (130) and Brian Chizmar (110) in 1989 to record more than 100 tackles in a season. He joined Posluszny as one of three finalists for the Bednarik Award. Connor became the 13th Penn State linebacker to earn first-team All-America honors under Coach Joe Paterno. He was the 77th Penn Stater selected a first-team All-American a total of 90 times and the 61st Nittany Lion to receive first-team All-America accolades a total of 73 times under Paterno. Connor also was a second-team All-Big Ten choice. Connor capped his junior season by leading the Lions with 10 tackles in the 2007 Outback Bowl win over Tennessee and combining with Sean Lee to force a fumble that Tony Davis returned 88 yards for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter. By the end of the campaign, Connor had increased his career tackle total to 274, good for a tie for fifth place on the school list and 98 away from Posluszny's record. He recorded double-figure tackles five times during the season, giving him 11 in his career. Connor was one of only three Big Ten players to receive conference Defensive Player-of-the-Week honors twice in 2006. He was first recognized after making a season-high 13 stops in the season-opener with Akron, recording career-highs with 3.5 TFL for minus-23 yards and two sacks. Connor also earned Big Ten accolades in the 12-0 blanking of Purdue, as he made a game-high 12 tackles (10 solo) and grabbed an interception at the Lions' 20, helping hand the Boilermakers their only shutout under Coach Joe Tiller. Connor made his second interception of the season in the Penn State Red Zone and helped hold the nation's No. 8 ranked offense to 246 total yards, 208.5 below its average. He led the defense to its first shutout since 2002. He followed his big game against Akron with a team-high tying 12 tackles at No. 4 Notre Dame. Connor made eight stops at Ohio State, with a tackle for loss, and grabbed a third-quarter interception to give Penn State possession on the Buckeye 26-yard line. He helped the Lions limit the Ohio State offense to 14 points. He also made eight hits (seven solo) against No. 4 Michigan, with a TFL, in the 17-10 setback. Connor and the defense turned the Illinois Homecoming game around in the second half. With the Lions trailing, 9-3, at the break, the defense forced three turnovers over an 11-play span in the third quarter, lifting Penn State to a 17-9 lead. In the fourth stanza, he recorded a safety on a sack for a 19-12 lead, completing his 12-tackle day. He made 10 tackles at Wisconsin and forced a fumble on a sack that was recovered by Sean Lee on the Badger 14-yard line. Connor helped the Lions hold the Badgers to just 13 points, 20 below their season average. He made six tackles and forced his team-high third fumble against Temple, helping hold the Owls to two first downs and 74 total yards, both the lowest opponent outputs in the Paterno era. Against Michigan State, Connor made seven tackles (four solo) and recorded two pass breakups, helping hold the Spartans to just 14 yards rushing. He improved his season tackle total to 103, joining Posluszny as the second Penn State tandem to both post 100 tackles in the same season since tackle records began being kept in 1969. Connor was on the field for 908 snaps, second only to Anthony Scirrotto, led by 92 against Michigan State.

[edit] Senior Year (2007-2008)

In progress.

[edit] Statistics

GPs=Games Played, Solo=Solo Tackles, Ast-Assisted Tackles, Total=Total Tackles, TFL=Tackles for Loss, INTs=Interceptions, PBUs=Pass Breakups, FRs=Fumble Recoveries, FFs=Forced Fumbles

[edit] Scouting Report

Connor is a tackling machine. He is the all-time leader in career tackles at Penn State (currently with 410 with the Alamo Bowl, Connor's last collegiate game, looming), passing former teammate Paul Posluszny who set the record in 2006. Some consider Connor to be a better pro prospect than Posluszny, mostly due to his increased speed and agility. Connor possesses great instincts and a keen ability to read and recognize plays. He doesn't just let the ball carrier approach him, he attacks. This is evident in his high tackles for loss (TFL) totals. He has played both outside and inside linebacker in his career and has excelled at each position.

Connor's biggest weakness is his size. He will need some time to add more muscle to continue to play at a high level in the NFL. Connor will most likely be a weakside, or Will, linebacker in the NFL.

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