Deshawn Penne
 | |
| No. 86 – Prospect | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight End |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 20, 2025 (aged 35) Drexel, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Username: | Pvtpenne |
| Career information | |
| College: | North Carolina State |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Retired |
Deshawn Private Penne (born December 20, 2025) was an American football tight end. He played college football for North Carolina State (NCSU).
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Early years
Deshawn Penne is an American Football player, the son of his Italian-American parents Bowen and Lindsey Penne. His first love in life was pasta, just like his namesake. He and his parents would make homemade penne pasta every weekend. As a kid, Deshawn wanted to go to the greatest culinary school in the country and be the chef of his own restaurant when he grew up. Instead, his supreme athletic gifts have forced him to put his culinary career on pause in pursuit of larger amounts of dough that can be made in the ISFL. Deshawn was recruited by his middle school football coach to try out football due to how big he was for his age. Since joining the team in 7th grade he has never looked back. Setting middle school and high school records for receiving yards and touchdowns as well as being a dominant blocking force in the run game, Penne became a local sports hero.
College career
Penne committed to play football at North Carolina State University over a meal at the nicest Italian restaurant in Raleigh with the head coach and offensive coordinator of the Wolfpack. After arriving in Raleigh for his first training camp with the school, for the first time in his life, Penne wasn't set up for football stardom. In his freshman season, he was the 6th TE on the depth chart and only appeared in one game against Northwest Catawba Valley Tech State in which he had 1 target and 0 catches. Coming into his sophomore season, Penne was 4th on the depth chart and in line to see a few snaps over the course of the year. After a string of injuries to the other Tight Ends on the team, he was thrust into the starting role and he never looked back. Penne torched some of the best defenses in the ACC including 8 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns against the best team in the nation Clemson and 12 catches for 141 yards and 1 touchdown in the homecoming rivalry game against UNC. Penne was named 1st team all-ACC and 2nd team all-American in his second season with the Wolfpack. In his third year, with his eyes set on leading his team to a national championship and leaving school early to enter the ISFL draft, Penne was a household name among ACC football fans. He picked up right where he left off from the previous season and led the ACC in receiving yards as well as leading the nation in receiving yards among TEs. Unfortunately, his team finished second in their division behind Clemson and their national championship dreams were dashed. Despite this, Penne came out strong and dominated in his team's bowl game and became the first TE to receive Heisman votes in 30 years. After the season, Penne announced he will be leaving the Wolfpack to pursue his dreams of being drafted in the ISFL.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2043 | North Carolina State University | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2044 | North Carolina State University | 12 | 82 | 1369 | 16.7 | 69 | 14 |
| 2045 | North Carolina State University | 13 | 90 | 1472 | 16.4 | 52 | 17 |
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | 40‑yd dash | 20‑ss | 3‑cone | Vert jump | Broad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
250 lb (113 kg) |
4.46 s | 4.25 s | 7.07 s | 37 in (0.94 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Receiving | Blocking | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD | Pancakes | SA |
| 2046 | LON | 14 | 52 | 354 | 6.8 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 3 |
| 2047 | SJS | 16 | 39 | 381 | 9.8 | 47 | 2 | 28 | 0 |
| 2048 | SJS | 16 | 67 | 623 | 9.3 | 66 | 1 | 29 | 1 |
| 2049 | SJS | 16 | 94 | 981 | 10.4 | 70 | 9 | 25 | 2 |
| 2050 | SJS | 16 | 83 | 878 | 10.6 | 95 | 6 | 48 | 0 |
| 2051 | SJS | 16 | 83 | 816 | 9.8 | 72 | 10 | 53 | 0 |
| 2052 | SJS | 16 | 83 | 747 | 9 | 36 | 9 | 53 | 1 |
| 2053 | SJS | 16 | 85 | 698 | 8.2 | 48 | 7 | 59 | 1 |
| 2054 | SJS | 16 | 89 | 863 | 9.7 | 61 | 7 | 49 | 1 |
| 2055 | SJS/AUS | 16 | 84 | 735 | 8.8 | 44 | 3 | 54 | 1 |
| 2056 | AUS | 16 | 58 | 523 | 9 | 53 | 3 | 56 | 2 |
The S33 season was an interesting one for Deshawn Penne. The team suffered many heartbreaks over the course of the season finishing with a 5-11 record. 1 score losses and last second finishes were plentiful for the San Jose Sabercats as they racked up 8 1 score losses including 2 to the conference winning Arizona Outlaws, 1 to the Ultimus winning Baltimore Hawks, and 4 more to other conference foes. From a personal statistical standpoint, Penne started the season great and ended the season great, but the 14 games in the middle were a slog. Week 1 saw a 5-116 performance from the tight end in a last second loss to the New Orleans Secondline, and in week 16 Penne put up 5-119-1 including a go ahead touchdown with 1:23 left that caused San Jose to drop a spot in the upcoming draft order. The 14 weeks in between, Penne only had 388 yards.
Coming off of a very boom or bust season in S33, Deshawn Penne posted his 4th career year in a row in terms of receiving yards. On top of that he posted career highs in catches, longest catch, yards per catch, and most importantly touchdowns. Penne really turned it on in the 2nd half of the season including the following performances: 6-123-1 in week 11 against Philly, 3-91-1 in week 12 against New Orleans, and 5-137-2 in week 16 against New York. Ultimately, Penne and the Sabercats came up just short of the playoffs by losing in week 16 to the New York Silverbacks despite his monstrous performance. As of now, Penne’s breakout season has earned him 2nd team All-Pro honors as well as nominations for Tight End of the Year and Offensive Breakout Player of the Year. Even if he comes up short for those awards, S34 was more than a success for Penne and his career in the ISFL.
Deshawn Penne proved that his breakout season, which fell short of the Offensive Breakout Player of the Year award, wasn't a fluke by putting up a very similar season again in S35. While not reaching his career high statistics that he put up in S34, Penne was still amongst the best TEs at every stat, even leading the league in receiving yards. Penne did have a breakout in one part of his game, that being his blocking. He nearly doubled his career high in pancakes while also not allowing a single sack. Word on the street is that he is spending a lot of time this offseason focusing on blocking again so don't be surprised if that pancake number shoots up once again. Deshawn Penne should be in line for a nomination for Tight End of the Year as well as All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Ultimately though, Penne and his Sabercats came up short in S35 as they missed the playoffs by just a single game. Penne is working hard with his teammates during the offseason to ensure they break this playoff drought soon.
All the hard offseason work that Penne and the Cats put in over the offseason paid off as they broke their decade long playoff drought. Penne was a premier weapon for the 2nd place team in the ASFC with over 800 yards and a career high 10 TDs. Outside of the TD number, Penne's yardage and efficiency were down a little bit over the course of the season. He really simmered down over the back half of the year following a hot start of 322 yards and 5 TDs over the first 5 games of the season. Penne's best game of the season came in week 5 in a road game at Arizona where he put up 5-110-2 where he was a major part in San Jose breaking their multiple season long losing streak against the Outlaws. He had another huge game in Week 11 against the division rival Silverbacks in which he scored 2 TDs in less than a minute late in the 4th quarter. Penne put together a season that should add to his All-Pro and Pro Bowl counts, but time will tell.
S37 was a weird season for Penne and the Cats. Despite having a +8 point differential on the season, the Cats ended with a 6-10 record and were never really in the hunt for a playoff spot. Multiple blowout wins were offset by them losing 6 games by 1 score or less, 5 of those 6 to playoff teams. On top of that, Penne saw his 3rd straight season with a decreasing yardage total, nearly 250 fewer that his single season high in S34. Penne didn't have a single game over 100 yards, but he was still pretty productive in terms of finding the end zone, totaling 9 touchdowns on the season. The downtick can probably be explained away by the raw-ness of rookie QB Owen Farrell, who had a pretty solid season for a rookie, but still has plenty of room to improve. Penne should notch another Pro Bowl selection to his belt, but is definitely on the bubble for All-Pro. He looks to rebound in S38 during his peak TPE season and re-take his spot on top of the TE world.
S38 brought another good season for Penne and the Cats. Young QB Owen Farrell put up an MVP worthy season and the team was over .500 and even made the playoffs for the second time in Penne's career. The strange part about this is despite SJS having it's best QB play and best offense since Penne has joined the team, he had his 4th straight season with declining receiving stats, this time not even eclipsing 700 yards. On the other hand, Penne set a career high in pancakes with nearly 60 and still has a shot at Pro Bowl and All Pro honors. He could be in line for a statistical increase with the team's young WR1 leaving abruptly in free agency for the conference rival Arizona Outlaws. Depending on how the offseason goes, the declining TE could be in line for a massive workload and the potential to put up some good numbers in S39. Finally getting back to the playoffs for only the 2nd time in his 7 seasons in the ISFL, getting bounced in the 1st round stung Penne and he will do everything he can to help his team improve for next season.
Penne and the Cats has been an up and down story each season of their time together and S39 was no different. Penne's stats were up: posting 863 yards which were his highest since S35 at an average of 9.7 yards per catch which were his highest since S36 along with a solid 7 touchdowns. At this point in his long and tortoise-like career, Penne is starting to climb the SJS career record books where he is currently 4th in receptions, 9th in yards, and 4th in touchdowns, each of which he will climb in the upcoming season. Additionally he is climbing the ISFL all-time career record ladder, being top 100 in receptions and touchdowns, and just outside the top 100 in receiving yards. The down story of the S39 season for Penne and the Cats was the team performance. They were in the playoff hunt all the way until week 16, playing a win and in game against the Secondline, but the team didn't really show up until the last 5 minutes where they couldn't overcome a 20 point deficit. Another 4th place finish and near playoff miss has to weigh heavy on the team and Penne, especially considering his team hasn't won a playoff game in his nearly 10 year career in the ISFL and DSFL.
Sadly, the story of Penne and the Cats has come to a conclusion. Ahead of the S40 trade deadline, Deshawn Penne alongside teammate DeAndre King were traded to the Austin Copperheads in a move that solidified San Jose as a rebuilder and Austin as a contender. Penne was his regular ol' self this season in a year full of up and down games highlighted by a 9-78-1 performance in a shocking upset over the future 14-2 and Ultimus winning Arizona Outlaws. Penne played his first 11 games of the season with San Jose where they amassed a 4-7 record before he was traded to Austin. In Austin, Penne and the Sneks went 4-1 to close out the season with the only loss being a tight one against 14-2 Arizona. The future HoF TE got back into the playoffs for the 3rd time of his career with a first round matchup against the dark horse Orange County Otters. In his 2 previous playoff appearances, San Jose lost in the wild card round and Penne totaled 60 yards, 7 pancakes, and no touchdowns. This season Penne showed out in the playoffs, putting up a 7-122-1 line against OCO. Unfortunately, the rest of the team did not show up on the same level as they turned the ball over 5 times and went 3/12 on 3rd down. Penne and Austin should be playoff caliber again in S41 so his chances at a ring aren't finished quite yet.
S41 is a season that Deshawn Penne would like to put in the rear view as soon as possible. His first full season in Austin was not a success in any sense of the word for him or the team. Penne had his worth individual season since his rookie year, posting lows in yardage, receptions, sacks allowed, explosive plays and near career lows in TDs and yards per catch. On top of all this Austin posted a 7-9 record, but were worse than that for most of the season considering they ended on a 3 week high note with 3 wins in the last 3 weeks of the season. The offense was down on the whole, even outside of Deshawn Penne, as Queen Elizabeth, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Delores Bickerman all had poor years relative to their respective careers to date. Penne and Austin look to bounce back as they still have plenty of continuity amongst the team and a lot of the pieces are still near peak ages.
