As the countdown to Super Bowl LX ticks down, two former Penn State standouts remain in the hunt for NFL glory. Chris Stoll of the Seattle Seahawks and Caedan Wallace of the New England Patriots are the last Nittany Lions standing after a dramatic Conference Championship Sunday set the stage for a rematch nearly a decade in the making.
The Patriots clawed their way past the Denver Broncos, 10-7, in a gritty AFC Championship battle played in snowy conditions on the road. It marks New England’s first trip back to the Super Bowl since the 2018 season-and their 12th overall. Meanwhile, the Seahawks edged out division rival Los Angeles Rams, 31-27, in a high-octane NFC Championship showdown, earning their fourth Super Bowl appearance and first since the 2014 season.
If the matchup feels familiar, it should. This is a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, a game that still lives rent-free in the minds of fans thanks to its unforgettable finish. The Patriots won that one, 28-24, and the stakes will be just as high this time around.
For Penn State, this Super Bowl continues a remarkable trend. A former Nittany Lion has been on a Super Bowl roster in 16 straight seasons and in all but five of the 60 Super Bowls to date.
Even more impressive? Penn Staters have been on the winning team 43 times, racking up a total of 65 Super Bowl rings.
That’s not just consistency-it’s legacy.
Let’s take a closer look at the two players carrying the Blue and White flag into Santa Clara.
Caedan Wallace - OL, New England Patriots
Wallace didn’t see the field in the Patriots’ AFC title win, listed as inactive for the game. That’s been a familiar role for the 25-year-old this season, who’s mostly been a healthy scratch. Still, he did see action late in the year, appearing in four games in December and logging eight snaps on offense and 24 on special teams.
New England drafted Wallace in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, taking him 68th overall. At 6-foot-5 and 314 pounds, he’s listed as the backup guard on both sides of the line on the Patriots’ unofficial depth chart. As a rookie, he played in six games and made two starts, totaling 129 offensive snaps and 16 on special teams.
Before arriving in Foxborough, Wallace was a mainstay on Penn State’s offensive line. Over five seasons, he appeared in 47 games and made 40 starts at right tackle.
His final season in 2023 earned him All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition. A four-star recruit out of the Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey, Wallace came to Happy Valley as one of the top-ranked guards in the country.
While he hasn’t had a major on-field role this postseason, Wallace is one win away from joining a long list of Penn Staters who’ve earned a Super Bowl ring-and that’s a testament to the depth and development pipeline the program continues to produce.
Chris Stoll - LS, Seattle Seahawks
Stoll is a name you might not hear often, but his role is crucial-and he played it well in Seattle’s NFC Championship win. The long snapper logged 10 special teams snaps and was flagged for a holding penalty in the second quarter that may have prevented a blocked punt.
It was a moment that could’ve swung momentum, but instead, the Seahawks held firm. Jason Myers hit a 27-yard field goal and four extra points, while punter Michael Dickson averaged 45.2 yards per punt, pinning the Rams deep five times.
Two of those punts were muffed, and one was recovered by Seattle in a pivotal sequence.
Stoll has been a model of consistency since arriving in Seattle as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s played in all 17 games this season, logging 150 special teams snaps and recording one tackle. In total, he’s suited up for 51 regular-season games in his career, with 442 special teams snaps and two tackles to his name.
Before making it to the NFL, Stoll spent six years at Penn State, where he was the team’s primary long snapper for four seasons. He appeared in 48 games and capped his college career by winning the 2022 Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the nation’s top long snapper. His time in Happy Valley also saw him work alongside some elite special teamers, including Baltimore Ravens punter Jordan Stout and Cardinals punter Blake Gillikin.
Stoll’s journey is one of persistence. He walked on at Penn State out of St.
Francis de Sales in Columbus, Ohio, where he was a multi-sport athlete in football, lacrosse, hockey, and basketball. Now, he’s on the doorstep of a Super Bowl ring.
The Road Ahead
Super Bowl LX kicks off Sunday, Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., with NBC carrying the broadcast starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. Whether it’s Wallace helping the Patriots reclaim their dynasty form or Stoll doing the dirty work in the trenches for the Seahawks, one thing’s for sure: another Penn State alum is about to add to the program’s rich Super Bowl tradition.
And for fans in Happy Valley, that’s something worth tuning in for.