Penn State senior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields will return for the 2021-22 season, he announced on Twitter early Saturday night.
Castro-Fields, a longtime staple in Penn State’s coverage unit, missed most of the Nittany Lions’ past season due to an injury, his second-straight year that was marred with health issues. Castro-Fields made an appearance in the first three games of Penn State’s season for a total of six tackles before missing the rest of the year.
The nature of Castro-Fields’ injury is unclear, although he did dress for many of Penn State’s game following the injury but would spend the game on the sideline in street clothes.
Castro-Fields made an appearance in 12 games during Penn State’s 2019 season but was not completely healthy for most of the year. In total the corner has racked up 106 total tackles and 22 pass deflections with 10 of those coming in 2019.
Assuming he returns healthy for the beginning of the 2021 season, Castro-Fields would likely start opposite then-sophomore Joey Porter Jr at the corner spot. If not healthy, or not in a starting role, Castro-Fields would provide Penn State will plenty of depth and experience on a team that continues to trend in a youthful direction.
Penn State’s secondary still awaits a public announcement from senior safety Jaquan Brisker who – like Castro-Fields- is eligible to return for an extra season due to the NCAA’s ruling that 2020 season would not count towards a player’s eligibility.
