Busy day of comings and goings for Penn State

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State will be without two starting linebackers for the Outback Bowl, as Ellis Brooks announced Monday that he is skipping the game and declaring for the NFL draft.

Linebacker Brandon Smith had announced on Friday that he will skip the bowl game to go pro. Brooks led the Nittany Lions in tackles this season with 100, while Smith was second with 81, so the team will be without its top two tacklers for the game against Arkansas.

“After having multiple conversations with my family members and coaches, I have decided to forego 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 wrote in his announcement.

Brooks (6-1, 241) could have returned next season as a super senior, but instead decided to go pro. He was second-team all-Big Ten for the coaches and honorable mention for the media this season.

What does his draft stock look like?

Brooks is rated a sixth-round pick by NFL Mock Draft Database and is the No. 218 prospect available for the draft. He played through a wrist injury this season, and as he wrote in his statement, he wants to focus on getting healthy before the draft.

Brooks and Smith are the first two Penn State players to announce they're skipping the bowl game, and we could see more follow in the coming days.

WR EUBANKS RETIRES

Penn State receiver Winston Eubanks, who spent most of his career at Division II Shippensburg, announced Monday that he is retiring from football for health reasons.

Eubanks appeared in six games this season and caught one pass for 2 yards. He had a very productive career at Shippensburg, catching 148 passes for 2,853 yards and 28 touchdowns.

QB LEVIS RETURNING
TO KENTUCKY

Will Levis announced Monday that he will be returning for another season at Kentucky, where he has been the starting quarterback this season.

He made his announcement in a neat way, using a video clip from Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Terminator."

Levis transferred from Penn State after last season and won the starting QB job at Kentucky. He led the Wildcats to a 9-3 regular season and Citrus Bowl berth against Iowa.

Levis has thrown for 2,593 yards this season, with 23 TDs, 12 interceptions and 66.5 completion percentage.

LIONS LAND
OL RECRUIT

Penn State picked up its fifth commitment for the class of 2023 on Monday in 3-star offensive lineman Joshua Miller from Life Christian Academy in Colonial Heights, Va.

Miller is massive at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, and he projects as a guard at the college level. He's rated as the No. 8 prospect in Virginia and No. 28 interior offensive lineman in the nation by 247Sports.

Miller also had offers from Clemson, Michigan State, Nebraska and Pitt, among others.

Here's a look at the other members of Penn State's 2023 recruiting class so far:

5-star OL Alex Birchmeier
4-star TE Mega Barnwell
4-star CB Lamont Payne
3-star TE Joey Schlaffer

GODWIN OUT FOR
REST OF SEASON

Some bad news for former Penn State star Chris Godwin, who will miss the rest of the NFL season after tearing his ACL in Tampa Bay's loss to the Saints on Sunday night.

"You feel bad for him because he was having such a great year, and the type of hit it was -- totally legal but I think that's one of the things we have to look into in the offseason," Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians told ESPN.

Godwin, who won the Super Bowl with the Bucs last season, had a career-high 98 catches through 14 games this season, for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns.