Thanks to injuries, Adam Breneman was never able to match the recruiting hype on the field. Now, those very same issues will be pushing the talented tight end to the sidelines permanently.
In a press release Thursday morning, Penn State announced that Breneman will be forced to retire from the sport due to a chronic knee injury. The junior missed all of the 2014 season because of the injury, and played in just two games this past season.
Breneman graduated in just three years in December with a degree in business management, with the school writing that the former player “will pursue professional opportunities in business or politics this spring.”
“I want to thank Coach [Bill] O’Brien, Coach [James] Franklin, my teammates and the Penn State fans for the great memories over the last three years,” Breneman said in a statement. “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.”
“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. “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.”
As a true freshman in 2013, Breneman caught 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Those were the only statistics Breneman would end up recording because of the injury issues.
A four-star member of PSU’s 2013 recruiting class, the 6-4, 243-pound Breneman was rated as the No. 3 tight end in the country. Aside from quarterback Christian Hackenberg, Breneman was the highest-rated member of that class. Earlier this month, Hackenberg announced he was leaving early for the NFL.
Prior to signing with the Nittany Lions, Breneman sustained a torn ACL the summer before his senior in high school in 2012.