LaVar Arrington

Color Analyst for College Football

Known for the “Lavar Leap”, where he would jump over the offensive line, LaVar Arrington was one of the most feared linebackers in the late 1990s. The Pittsburgh native becomes the 19th Penn State player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

The 12th Nittany Lion ever selected as a two-time First Team All-American, Arrington earned unanimous honors in 1999. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and the Bednarik Award as the country’s top defensive player. A finalist for the Nagurski and Lombardi awards, Arrington finished ninth in the 1999 Heisman Trophy voting. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, Arrington became the first sophomore ever to be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year when he received the honor in 1998.

The 1999 Jack Lambert Award recipient led the Nittany Lions to three bowl games, including wins in the 1999 Outback Bowl and the 1999 Alamo Bowl. Penn State finished with top 20 national rankings all three years of his career, highlighted by a No. 11 finish in 1999. Arrington racked up 173 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 19 sacks, and three interceptions while playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno. The Big 10 Network named him to its “Mount Rushmore of Penn State Football,” and he was elected to the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2011 for his excellence at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh.

The second overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft by The Washington Redskins, Arrington played for Washington from 2000-05 and then for the New York Giants in 2006. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Following his NFL career, Arrington began a successful broadcasting career. Currently working for FOX Sports Radio, he is the co-host of the network’s weekday morning show “2 Pros and A Cup of Joe” alongside Brady Quinn and Jonas Knox. He also co-hosts the nationally syndicated weekend podcast “Up On Game” with TJ Houshmandzadeh and Plaxico Burress. Arrington has also been featured on FOX Sports television programs, including FS1’s “Speak for Yourself.”