*Senior Bowl Update* LB Mike Hull was going to attempt to play through an injury, but has now decided to pull out of the Senior Bowl all together. The Big Ten's leading tackler this season, Hull will now focus on preparing for the Combine. Adrian Amos, Deion Barnes, and Donovan Smith are still planning to play.
And now, back to your regularly scheduled blog...
For the NFL, this is a very dull weekend. There's the Pro Bowl, but nobody watches that. However, at Penn State, this weekend is the last big recruiting weekend before Signing Day. As Lions247 reports, nearly the entire 2015 class will be visiting along with a number of key uncommitted prospects that could serve as the final pieces in an already Top 10 caliber class. After James Franklin is done laying on the charm, we'll officially be on the home stretch towards one of the wackiest days on the college football calendar, Signing Day. For the second time in as many years, Franklin will be throwing a party to celebrate the arrival of his latest crop of future Nittany Lions. The brand new head coach made a big splash last year when he decided to host what he called the Signature Event (get it?) on the night of Signing Day as a way of introducing fans to all the new recruits. Penn State fans were generally more intrigued than anything else by the event, mostly because this particular fan base has never been known as the biggest recruiting gurus, at least not compared to fan bases in the SEC. Franklin, who comes from the SEC, is clearly attempting to change things in Happy Valley, and I personally think events like this are great.
So here's everything you need to know:
What: The 2015 Signature Event
When: February 4th at 7pm (doors open at 6pm). The event is expected to last about an hour.
Where: Rec Hall (not the BJC like last year). Parking will be available in the Nittany Parking Deck.
Who: James Franklin, his staff, and the current team (hosts, like LaVar Arrington last year, have not been announced). To my knowledge, none of the recruits will be in attendance except the 5 early enrollees. As with any football related event, the Blue Band, Cheerleaders, and Lionettes will all be on hand to pump up the crowd.
Why: Because recruiting matters, dammit!
How: Just show up, it's free!
Other info: James Franklin plans to highlight each recruit with a brief biography and some video highlights on the big boards. The first 2,500 fans will receive commemorative posters and t-shirts will be periodically tossed into the crowd. Concession stands will be open for your snacking convenience.
Alright, in anticipation of the big day, let's take a look at how the current class shapes up:
QB: After the decommitment of Brandon Wimbush, the staff turned to Indianapolis native Tommy Stevens. The 3-star dual threat was originally committed to Indiana but flipped shortly after his visit to see the Ohio State game. He has opted to enroll early and will join Trace McSorely in backing up Christian Hackenberg for at least one more season.
OT: 2/3 of the OT recruits have already enrolled at PSU. JUCO transfer Paris Palmer, a 4-star prospect from Scranton, and 4-star prospect Sterling Jenkins from Pittsburgh will provide immediate depth at Penn State's weakest position. 4-star prospect Ryan Bates out of Warminster will complete the trio when he arrives on campus later this summer.
OG: The only true guard in the group is 4-star prospect Steven Gonzalez out of Union City, NJ. Luckily, there are currently more natural guards on the roster than tackles, so Gonzalez is practically a lock to redshirt his first year.
RB: Due to a litany of factors, RB is one of those positions you can never have enough of. Franklin's staff will be getting two nice prospects this year in 4-star Saquon Barkley from Whitehall, and 4-star Andre Robinson out of Harrisburg. With the graduation of Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak, it's good to see the staff reloading at this very important position.
WR: A trio of talented 4-star receivers will be making their way to campus this summer. Juwan Johnson and Irvin Charles both come to us by way of the Garden State, while Brandon Polk hails from Ashburn, VA. With no seniors and only one junior at a position currently loaded with skill, expect all three prospects to redshirt before things get really interesting in 2016.
TE: Originally there were no TEs in this class, but 3-star DE Jonathan Holland announced a little while back that he plans to play TE in college. Even with the loss of Jesse James to the NFL, there are plenty of veteran TEs currently on the roster. I expect Holland to redshirt unless there's a specific need to play him.
DT: With the loss of Adam McLean due to academic reasons, Penn State is still hunting for a quality DT recruit. Most of the elite players have already made their decisions, so it will be interesting to see where the coaching staff turns to fill one of the more pressing needs of this class. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the search.
DE: Ryan Buchholz from Malvern recently received a 4th star according to 247Sports. He is the only true DE in this class. However, athlete Kamonte Carter is projected, for now, as a possible option at DE or LB depending on depth.
LB: Speaking of LBs, in addition to Carter's potential at the position, two true LBs will be joining the Nittany Lions. Inside backer Jake Cooper is a 4-star out of Warminster, while outside backer Manny Bowen is also a 4-star prospect but comes from Barnegat, NJ. If that wasn't enough, there is a slight chance that athlete Daiquan Kelly gets a shot at LB, although most places project him as a safety.
S: If Kelly does move over to LB, have no fear. Penn State's two lowest rated prospects are both safeties, but both still carry 3-star ratings, which speaks to the overall quality of this entire class. Ayron Monroe from Washington D.C. and Jarvis Miller from Suffield, CT will add much needed depth to a position that just lost Adrian Amos, Jesse Della Valle, and Ryan Keiser.
CB: That brings us to the other half of the defensive secondary and possibly the coaching staff's biggest coup of this class. When coveted recruit Jordan Whitehead chose Pitt over Penn State, some predicted doom and gloom at the CB position. But those folks shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss James Franklin when it comes to recruiting. First, he picked up a commitment from Philly's John Reid, a highly rated 4-star prospect. Then, after Brady Hoke was fired at Michigan and his recruits began to look for greener pastures, Franklin swooped in and grabbed 4-star Garrett Taylor out of Richmond, VA. Taylor immediately became the highest rated prospect in the 2015 class and along with Reid, could prove to be the best CB duo in the nation!
K/P: Kickers and punters are generally not recruited like other positions. Most walk-on and earn a scholarship as they earn a starting spot. At least one of the early enrollees is a walk-on kicker.
Hopefully that's enough information to catch you up on where this 20 member class stands. I'm sure there will be plenty of news after this weekend so I'll be sure to keep you updated. Many of the updates will appear on either my Facebook page, or Twitter account, which you can follow @PSUOptimus. Enjoy the weekend and as always, go State!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
January News and Notes
Welcome to 2015 fellow Nittany Lions! With the start of a new year, we also unfortunately see the end of another great season of college football. I'd like to start by congratulating LandotheDrummer1 for being crowned this year's Prime Pick Em Challenge Champion after successfully picking the most winners from the bowl games! I actually clawed my way to a tie for 2nd place, but Lando jumped out to a nice early lead and simply couldn't be caught. I'm still working on developing a trophy for this in the future, but in the meantime, our Champion will just have to settle for this little acknowledgement and my personal congratulations!
As for Bowl Season itself, I absolutely loved it, especially the new playoff model! In my humble opinion, the selection committee simply got it right. They picked the best 4 teams, created the best 2 matchups, and we were left with the best possible National Championship Game. From start to finish it was exciting, it was suspenseful, and it was most importantly fun. The regular season was as important as ever. Conference titles clearly still mattered. All of the tradition surrounding bowl season was protected and celebrated, and in the end, to even the casual observer it just felt right. So congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on being the first ever College Football Playoff Champions and go Big Ten!
The next big event on the college football calendar is the Senior Bowl this Saturday at 4pm on the NFL Network, which will feature an impressive contingent of 4 former Nittany Lions: CB Adrian Amos, LB Mike Hull, DE Deion Barnes, and OT Donovan Smith. They'll do their best to impress NFL scouts and possibly improve their draft stock. After that we move on to National Signing Day on February 4th. I'll be sure to have a recruiting update posted before then.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't give my take on the big news from this past week. As you know, back in the summer of 2012, the NCAA levied "unprecedented" sanctions on the Penn State football program in response to the release of the Freeh Report. Many of those sanctions were lessened in subsequent years, but a sticking point for Penn State fans was the vacation of 112 wins from the record books (111 of which belonged to Joe Paterno). Well this week, the wins were restored making Paterno once again the official winningest coach in Division I history! Here's my take on this whole matter. First, there is absolutely zero credible evidence that Joe Paterno participated in a cover up of Jerry Sandusky's crimes, let alone led one. We only know of one incident that he was aware of (in 2001), and despite only being a hearsay witness, he immediately reported what he was told to the head of University Police. By law, and by newly enacted NCAA guidelines, JoePa did exactly what he was supposed to do and allowed to do, end of story. Furthermore, regardless of how you feel about Paterno in all of this, the NCAA has no jurisdiction in criminal matters and never has. The history of college athletics is littered with examples of heinous crimes that the sport's governing body never involved itself with. Even worse, they sidestepped their own bylaws and denied Penn State any form of due process in issuing sanctions that are best described as draconian. But the most sickening part to me is that the NCAA and the media at large made this issue about football (and Joe Paterno). Penn Staters were never afforded the right to mourn Joe's death, celebrate their team's victories both on and off the field, or put any legitimate effort into helping stop child abuse. Instead, we were forced to defend our very existence for more than 3 years. In the end, because of the cowardly actions of the media, the NCAA, and Penn State's own Board of Trustees, new victims were made out of the Penn State community. Hopefully the restoration of these wins can return us to some semblance of normalcy, help us heal, and move on to more important things.
Alright, with that out of the way, we move back to football. Keep an eye out for my recruiting post in the coming weeks. Head on over to my Facebook page and give it a like or a share. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
As for Bowl Season itself, I absolutely loved it, especially the new playoff model! In my humble opinion, the selection committee simply got it right. They picked the best 4 teams, created the best 2 matchups, and we were left with the best possible National Championship Game. From start to finish it was exciting, it was suspenseful, and it was most importantly fun. The regular season was as important as ever. Conference titles clearly still mattered. All of the tradition surrounding bowl season was protected and celebrated, and in the end, to even the casual observer it just felt right. So congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes on being the first ever College Football Playoff Champions and go Big Ten!
The next big event on the college football calendar is the Senior Bowl this Saturday at 4pm on the NFL Network, which will feature an impressive contingent of 4 former Nittany Lions: CB Adrian Amos, LB Mike Hull, DE Deion Barnes, and OT Donovan Smith. They'll do their best to impress NFL scouts and possibly improve their draft stock. After that we move on to National Signing Day on February 4th. I'll be sure to have a recruiting update posted before then.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't give my take on the big news from this past week. As you know, back in the summer of 2012, the NCAA levied "unprecedented" sanctions on the Penn State football program in response to the release of the Freeh Report. Many of those sanctions were lessened in subsequent years, but a sticking point for Penn State fans was the vacation of 112 wins from the record books (111 of which belonged to Joe Paterno). Well this week, the wins were restored making Paterno once again the official winningest coach in Division I history! Here's my take on this whole matter. First, there is absolutely zero credible evidence that Joe Paterno participated in a cover up of Jerry Sandusky's crimes, let alone led one. We only know of one incident that he was aware of (in 2001), and despite only being a hearsay witness, he immediately reported what he was told to the head of University Police. By law, and by newly enacted NCAA guidelines, JoePa did exactly what he was supposed to do and allowed to do, end of story. Furthermore, regardless of how you feel about Paterno in all of this, the NCAA has no jurisdiction in criminal matters and never has. The history of college athletics is littered with examples of heinous crimes that the sport's governing body never involved itself with. Even worse, they sidestepped their own bylaws and denied Penn State any form of due process in issuing sanctions that are best described as draconian. But the most sickening part to me is that the NCAA and the media at large made this issue about football (and Joe Paterno). Penn Staters were never afforded the right to mourn Joe's death, celebrate their team's victories both on and off the field, or put any legitimate effort into helping stop child abuse. Instead, we were forced to defend our very existence for more than 3 years. In the end, because of the cowardly actions of the media, the NCAA, and Penn State's own Board of Trustees, new victims were made out of the Penn State community. Hopefully the restoration of these wins can return us to some semblance of normalcy, help us heal, and move on to more important things.
Alright, with that out of the way, we move back to football. Keep an eye out for my recruiting post in the coming weeks. Head on over to my Facebook page and give it a like or a share. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
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