The Penn State Nittany Lions are going to have to reload on talent in 2021 after a dizzying 2020 campaign that saw them start 0-5, the worst ever opening run in the 133 year history of the program, before marshaling forces to win their last four and finish at 4-5 with some optimism going into the off-season.

The Nittany Lions have just learned that their redshirt-senior starting center, Michal Menet, won’t take the NCAA’s free year of eligibility offer to return to Happy Valley, but instead will move on to the next phase of his life, whatever that may be.

“After talking with my family, it was just the best choice for me to move on and start this next chapter in my life,” Menet said in a piece published at the Reading Eagle newspaper of Reading, PA.

Menet alluded to the adverse conditions faced during the 2020 campaign and acknowledged it was difficult to walk away from a prestige program like Penn State’s after a historically disappointing stretch of football, but it had become time for him to go.

“As much as I love all my guys who are still there and the staff, it was just time for me to move on,” Menet said. “You never want your time at Penn State to end. It was a really tough year and even harder to go out on a tough year like that.

Menet is considered is a serious NFL prospect at the position and has even been called, “one of the best kept secrets” in college football.

“He’s a tough, consistent blocker who plays with terrific technique and intensity,” wrote Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network in an evaluation made near the end of the 2020 season. “And while Menet may not blow anyone away with eye-popping numbers at the combine or pro day workouts, scouts believe he’s a scheme-versatile blocker with starting potential on Sundays.”

While the Saturday portion of his career has ended, the Sunday section may only be beginning for Penn State’s Menet.