PA native Miles Sanders will represent Penn State in Super Bowl LVII. How has he played?

Once again, a former Penn State football star is set to play in this year’s Super Bowl.

With the big game approaching, Miles Sanders is the latest former Nittany Lion who could add to Penn State’s ever-growing trophy shelf. The Philadelphia Eagles running back is slated for a starting role as his team heads west to Arizona to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII Sunday.

Sanders, who played at Penn State from 2016 to 2018, is nearing the end of his best season as an NFL running back. Through the 17-game regular season and two playoff games, he has racked up 1,401 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns — a notable feat considering he didn’t find the end zone once in 2021 despite contributing 962 scrimmage yards. This season, the Penn State product also contributed 81 receiving yards on 27 receptions en route to his first career selection to the NFL Pro Bowl.

Sanders further cemented himself in the Eagles’ record books by becoming the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy did so in 2014. He and Eagles dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts are also the first teammates in NFL history with 13 or more rushing touchdowns in a single season, according to CBS Sports.

The Pittsburgh native’s role in the Eagles’ league-best rushing attack is a significant factor behind Philadelphia’s Super Bowl berth. Sanders’ 42-yard, two-touchdown performance against the San Francisco 49ers’ top-ranked rushing defense powered the Eagles to a 31-7 win in the NFC Championship Game.

With just Super Bowl LVII left on the schedule, Sanders’ rushing total this season ranks No. 5 in the NFL behind New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, who started at Penn State in front of Sanders in 2016 and 2017. An Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year finalist following his injury-hampered 2021 season, Barkley bounced back in 2022 with 1,841 scrimmage yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

Sanders plays for Penn State, heads to NFL

Sanders arrived at Penn State in 2016 as the top-ranked running back in his class, according to 247Sports. With Barkley already leading the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack, Sanders served as the team’s primary backup. He compiled just 429 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns in the two years he and Barkley were teammates.

With Barkley off to the NFL in 2018 as the Giants’ No. 2 overall pick, Sanders assumed the Nittany Lions’ starting role and thrived. He ran for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns, ultimately setting up a second-round draft selection by the Eagles.

Selected out of Penn State No. 53 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, Sanders is one game away from hitting free agency for the first time in his professional career. To date, he’s amassed 3,925 rushing yards, 965 receiving yards and 25 total touchdowns across his four-year Eagles career.

Sanders grew up in Swissvale, Pa., approximately 9 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. After starring for Woodland Hills High School, he chose to continue his football career at Penn State over other offers, including his hometown Pittsburgh Panthers.

With a win this week, Sanders would become the first former Nittany Lion to win a Super Bowl ring since Grant Haley and Nick Scott won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Former Penn State players have won 64 rings to date after appearing in all but five Super Bowls since 1967.

How to watch Super Bowl LVII

The No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will meet in Super Bowl LVII Sunday, Feb. 12. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on FOX at Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium and feature a halftime show headlined by Rihanna.

Super Bowl LVII will broadcast live on FOX and the FOX Sports App. Streams will also be available through Sling TV, Hulu+ and fuboTV. Television sets with an antenna in a good reception area may pick up a local Super Bowl stream, FOX said.