UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - When Levi Brown began looking at colleges as a high school student-athlete at Granby High School in Norfolk, Va., he had a couple things in his mind.
Firstly, Brown knew that no one in his family had ever obtained a college degree.
Secondly, he wanted to play on the defensive line in college.
Looking for a combination of academics and athletics, Brown leaned on his high school coach, Dave Hudak, for advice. It turns out that Hudak was fan of the way Penn State and coach Joe Paterno offered student-athletes elite academics and football at the highest level.