Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State TE announces the end of his football career

Published Jan. 7, 2016 6:08 p.m. ET

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Marcus Hartman

Another of the pillars of a Penn State recruiting class that stuck together after crippling sanctions hit the program has played his last game as a Nittany Lion. 

Adam Breneman announced via a news release from the school that chronic knee problems have ended his football playing career. 

A junior from Mechanicsburg, Pa., Breneman played in only two games this past season after missing all of the 2014 campaign with a knee injury. 

He caught 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2013, but he is more likely to be remembered for signing with then-Nittany Lions' head coach Bill O'Brien the previous February despite knowing the program faced a multi-year postseason ban and scholarship reductions as part of the fallout from the sexual assault scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. 

"I want to thank Coach O'Brien, (current coach James) Franklin, my teammates and the Penn State fans for the great memories over the last three years," Breneman said in a release. "I have truly treasured my time as a Nittany Lion and I am confident that the Penn State experience has prepared me for the next phase of my life."

Breneman and quarterback Christian Hackenberg were the highest-rated recruits in the 2013 class, and they both announced in the past week they had worn the Blue and White for the last time. 

Hackenberg is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. 

Per the school, Breneman has already completed work toward a degree in business management and will pursue a career in business or politics. 

"I know that it was a difficult for Adam to step away from the game, but he felt it was the right time," Franklin said via the release. "We are so proud of his work in the classroom, having earned his degree in three years. Adam is a special young man that has left his imprint on not only the Penn State football program, but the Penn State community at large. He has been a difference-maker at a very young age and has a bright future ahead of him."

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