Last week on the blog, we looked at Nittany Lions who were named to the Maxwell, Bednarik, and Mackey Award watch lists. Of course, college football is a hype driven sport, so today we have even more watch lists to report! Let's make this easy and go in the order they were announced.
First, the only returning starter on the offensive line, Donovan Smith, was named to the Outland Trophy watch list. This is presented to the nation's top interior lineman (offensive or defensive). Devon Still was a finalist in 2011.
Jordan Lucas picked up his 2nd preseason honor when he was named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list, given to the best defensive back in the country. Expectations are really picking up for the young cornerback, and combined with veteran safety Adrian Amos, last year's weakness on defense might be a strength in 2014.
Not long after that, Mike Hull grabbed his first recognition of the preseason, being named to the Butkus Award watch list for best linebacker. He continues a rather storied history of Penn State linebackers who have either been finalists for, or won the award. As if you needed anymore evidence why we're Linebacker U.
Like Lucas, Christian Hackenberg notched a second watch list appearance, this time for the Davey O'Brien Award, presented to the nation's best quarterback. I will admit that I can't properly examine QB technique, but every expert out there who can has done nothing but rave about the sophmore sensation. If Hack is even half as good as advertised (and that patchwork offensive line can keep him upright) I think we can expect fireworks this season!
Last but not least, 2/3 of Penn State's monster running attack were named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, given to the nation's top running back. Seniors Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton were each recognized for their talents, but it's highly unlikely either will win the award. Having two star backs means half the stats for each, and makes national attention hard to come by.
Finally, a quick scheduling update before I end on James Franklin news because, well, everybody loves James Franklin... except the SEC, but who cares about them? Here's a great little piece about the coach's first 6 months as the head Lion. And then, I give you the top 22 James Franklin tweets!
That's all for now, but keep it here for the rest of the offseason. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Friday, July 18, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
2014 Pump Up Videos
The offseason presses on, and while the news is still slow, the anticipation continues to rise as we are now less than 2 months away from the start of the 2014 Penn State football season! Everything kicks off on August 30th in Dublin, Ireland against the Golden Knights of Central Florida. With all of that said, there is a little bit of news to report, so let's get to it.
First, a big congratulations to QB Christian Hackenberg on being named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, and CB Jordan Lucas on being named to the Bednarik Award preseason watch list! Getting on these lists is basically the biggest honor a player can receive in the offseason, so both of these men should be proud. Clearly their play is getting noticed around the country instead of just in Happy Valley. Learn more about each award here.
TE Jesse James is also getting some media love these days as the Sporting News decided to add him to their Preseason All-Big Ten First Team. I'm a little bit surprised to see only one Nittany Lion on the First Team, but in the long run these preseason all-conference teams mean almost nothing. The biggest thing to see will be if James can live up to this newly discovered hype and make it on the POST season All-Big Ten team. Good luck to him!
In recruiting news, the Lions picked up an interesting recruit in NJ combination S/WR/LB Manny Bowen. He's either a high 3-star or a low 4-star player, depending on who you ask. Either way, he's a great pick up, especially if he pans out at LB over his other positions. Meanwhile, 2015 QB recruit Brandon Wimbush is "turning heads" at the Elite 11 quarterback competition. This camp is held annually in Oregon near Nike headquarters and serves as a showcase for the best QB recruits in the nation. Former 5-star recruit Christian Hackenberg dominated the Elite 11 when he was there just 2 short years ago and from the looks of it, Wimbush is trying to follow in Hack's footsteps. Is Penn State on its way to becoming the next Quarterback U? Probably not, but it's great to see the QB play improving at a school with limited history at that position.
Finally, to hold you over for the next 54 days, and to get you excited about the upcoming season, I've compiled a list of the 4 best "pump up" videos floating around the interwebs. If you're not ready for some football after watching these, then you probably never will be. Enjoy!
Lion King
We Are
Who We Are
Pump Up 2014
Keep it here all offseason for all the latest news and notes about Penn State football. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Update from 7/8
Here's more on Brandon Wimbush's impressive performance at the Elite 11, which is part of a group of camps collectively called The Opening. He'll get to build some chemistry and work out with 3 other Penn State commits from the 2015 recruiting class: DT Adam McLean, RB Saquon Barkley, and WR Juwan Johnson.
Another watch list came out today, this time for the Mackey Award, presented to the nation's best tight end. With the embarrassment of riches Penn State has at TE, it's no surprise that 2 Lions made it on this watch list: Jesse James and Kyle Carter. Congrats gentlemen!
Speaking of Kyle Carter, he's part of an extremely talented group of Penn Staters who dubbed themselves the "Supa Six" two years ago when they arrived on campus. Recently, this video surfaced on YouTube detailing their already storied careers; feel free to introduce yourself to them.
First, a big congratulations to QB Christian Hackenberg on being named to the Maxwell Award preseason watch list, and CB Jordan Lucas on being named to the Bednarik Award preseason watch list! Getting on these lists is basically the biggest honor a player can receive in the offseason, so both of these men should be proud. Clearly their play is getting noticed around the country instead of just in Happy Valley. Learn more about each award here.
TE Jesse James is also getting some media love these days as the Sporting News decided to add him to their Preseason All-Big Ten First Team. I'm a little bit surprised to see only one Nittany Lion on the First Team, but in the long run these preseason all-conference teams mean almost nothing. The biggest thing to see will be if James can live up to this newly discovered hype and make it on the POST season All-Big Ten team. Good luck to him!
In recruiting news, the Lions picked up an interesting recruit in NJ combination S/WR/LB Manny Bowen. He's either a high 3-star or a low 4-star player, depending on who you ask. Either way, he's a great pick up, especially if he pans out at LB over his other positions. Meanwhile, 2015 QB recruit Brandon Wimbush is "turning heads" at the Elite 11 quarterback competition. This camp is held annually in Oregon near Nike headquarters and serves as a showcase for the best QB recruits in the nation. Former 5-star recruit Christian Hackenberg dominated the Elite 11 when he was there just 2 short years ago and from the looks of it, Wimbush is trying to follow in Hack's footsteps. Is Penn State on its way to becoming the next Quarterback U? Probably not, but it's great to see the QB play improving at a school with limited history at that position.
Finally, to hold you over for the next 54 days, and to get you excited about the upcoming season, I've compiled a list of the 4 best "pump up" videos floating around the interwebs. If you're not ready for some football after watching these, then you probably never will be. Enjoy!
Lion King
We Are
Who We Are
Pump Up 2014
Keep it here all offseason for all the latest news and notes about Penn State football. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Update from 7/8
Here's more on Brandon Wimbush's impressive performance at the Elite 11, which is part of a group of camps collectively called The Opening. He'll get to build some chemistry and work out with 3 other Penn State commits from the 2015 recruiting class: DT Adam McLean, RB Saquon Barkley, and WR Juwan Johnson.
Another watch list came out today, this time for the Mackey Award, presented to the nation's best tight end. With the embarrassment of riches Penn State has at TE, it's no surprise that 2 Lions made it on this watch list: Jesse James and Kyle Carter. Congrats gentlemen!
Speaking of Kyle Carter, he's part of an extremely talented group of Penn Staters who dubbed themselves the "Supa Six" two years ago when they arrived on campus. Recently, this video surfaced on YouTube detailing their already storied careers; feel free to introduce yourself to them.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
June News and Notes
Long time, no see everyone! I'm sorry that it's been around a month since my last post, but that's what you get in the "silly season." Obviously, there's not a lot going on in the world of college football right now, but I'm here to catch you up on the few things that have been happening with Penn State as we inch ever closer to the start of the 2014 season!
First up, James Franklin got more SEC-related press in late May as the new Penn State head coach than he probably ever did while actually coaching in the SEC. Turns out the "best conference in college football" gets a little whiny when you play by the rules and still spank them in recruiting. Hey SEC coaches, you mad bro? Thankfully, Adam Rittenberg of the Big Ten Blog on ESPN came to Franklin's defense in hilarious fashion.
Unfortunately, the downside of being a great recruiter reared its ugly head as a small exodus occurred in the last few days. I can only assume that either these players, the coaching staff, or both, saw more potential in the crop of heralded recruits coming into the program and started to make adjustments accordingly. Alosi was dismissed from the team back in April after an alleged assault that resulted in charges being filed. Otherwise, with Christian Hackenberg firmly in control of the QB position, and an embarrassment of riches at WR making its way to Happy Valley, it's really no surprise to see a QB and 2 WRs searching for greener pastures. We wish these players luck in their future endeavors.
In recruiting news, 4-star LB Josh Barajas has decommitted from the Nittany Lions in favor of Notre Dame. Although this is disappointing, Barajas is from Indiana and was originally a Notre Dame lean, so it's not surprising. Thankfully, after picking up 3-star DB Myles Hartsfield, Penn State remains at 16 commits and currently has the #3 ranked class in the country. You can see a full list of the current class here.
Checking up on facilities, Beaver Stadium is going to look a little different this season. As I mentioned in an earlier post, 2 new gigantic video scoreboards are currently being installed above both endzones. Additionally, 2 massive LED Nittany Lion logos have been hung from the back of each scoreboard so they can shine over the valley. Check out the logos being lifted for instillation here.
Finally, I bring you very sad news as long time equipment manager Brad "Spider" Caldwell has decided to leave Penn State after 31 years of exceptional service. He was one of the few remaining reminders of the Paterno era and one of the most popular people in the football building. It's not often that a simple equipment manager manages to make an impact on so many people, but it's clear in this thank you video that Spider's infectious personality will not soon be forgotten at Penn State. Last summer, ESPN spent a week on campus following the team around. One of the most memorable segments was this one done about Spider, which perfectly sums up why he will be missed so much. As referenced in the thank you video, Spider and his wife are moving to Vermont where he will help manage a high school football team.
That will do it for now. I'll do my best throughout the offseason to find all the best stories about Penn State football, so keep it here all summer long. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
First up, James Franklin got more SEC-related press in late May as the new Penn State head coach than he probably ever did while actually coaching in the SEC. Turns out the "best conference in college football" gets a little whiny when you play by the rules and still spank them in recruiting. Hey SEC coaches, you mad bro? Thankfully, Adam Rittenberg of the Big Ten Blog on ESPN came to Franklin's defense in hilarious fashion.
Unfortunately, the downside of being a great recruiter reared its ugly head as a small exodus occurred in the last few days. I can only assume that either these players, the coaching staff, or both, saw more potential in the crop of heralded recruits coming into the program and started to make adjustments accordingly. Alosi was dismissed from the team back in April after an alleged assault that resulted in charges being filed. Otherwise, with Christian Hackenberg firmly in control of the QB position, and an embarrassment of riches at WR making its way to Happy Valley, it's really no surprise to see a QB and 2 WRs searching for greener pastures. We wish these players luck in their future endeavors.
In recruiting news, 4-star LB Josh Barajas has decommitted from the Nittany Lions in favor of Notre Dame. Although this is disappointing, Barajas is from Indiana and was originally a Notre Dame lean, so it's not surprising. Thankfully, after picking up 3-star DB Myles Hartsfield, Penn State remains at 16 commits and currently has the #3 ranked class in the country. You can see a full list of the current class here.
Checking up on facilities, Beaver Stadium is going to look a little different this season. As I mentioned in an earlier post, 2 new gigantic video scoreboards are currently being installed above both endzones. Additionally, 2 massive LED Nittany Lion logos have been hung from the back of each scoreboard so they can shine over the valley. Check out the logos being lifted for instillation here.
Finally, I bring you very sad news as long time equipment manager Brad "Spider" Caldwell has decided to leave Penn State after 31 years of exceptional service. He was one of the few remaining reminders of the Paterno era and one of the most popular people in the football building. It's not often that a simple equipment manager manages to make an impact on so many people, but it's clear in this thank you video that Spider's infectious personality will not soon be forgotten at Penn State. Last summer, ESPN spent a week on campus following the team around. One of the most memorable segments was this one done about Spider, which perfectly sums up why he will be missed so much. As referenced in the thank you video, Spider and his wife are moving to Vermont where he will help manage a high school football team.
That will do it for now. I'll do my best throughout the offseason to find all the best stories about Penn State football, so keep it here all summer long. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
The Draft
... and that will do it for the 2014 NFL Draft!
But first, I'd like to start today's post by wishing a very happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Hopefully your families did something special for you to demonstrate just how much they appreciate everything you've done for them. Enjoy your day!
Now, let's get back to the Draft. We'll start with a quick run-down of where all the former Nittany Lions ended up:
- Allen Robinson (WR) was taken with the 29th pick in the 2nd round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Robinson will join Paul Posluszny, Matt Stankiewitch, and Nate Stupar to make up possibly the most impressive Penn State contingent on any current NFL roster.
- Da'Quan Jones (DT) was taken with the 12th pick in the 4th round by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans recently let go Head Coach Mike Munchak (now with the Steelers) who was an offensive linemen for Penn State from 1978-81. There are no other Penn State connections within the organization.
- John Urschel (OG) was taken with the 35th pick in the 5th round by the Baltimore Ravens. He'll join center A.Q. Shipley on the offensive line.
- Glenn Carson (LB) was unfortunately not drafted, but did sign on with the Arizona Cardinals as an unsigned free agent. He'll join former WR turned TE Brett Brackett out in the desert.
- Garry Gilliam (OL) also went undrafted but signed on with the reigning Superbowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, where he'll join DT Jordan Hill.
- The only other player I could see possibly getting signed in the offseason is Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, simply because of his versatility. He's a hard hitting defensive player that proved this past season that he can effectively switch between Safety and Linebacker. Definitely keep an eye out for him.
- Also taken in the Draft were 2 former Nittany Lions who transferred to other schools in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. So in other words, they still count towards our draft total! RB Silas Redd will join the player he backed up while at PSU, Evan Royster, on the Washington Redskins, while LB Khairi Fort will join a New Orleans Saints roster that currently features no Penn State players.
Overall, it wasn't the best or the worst draft for Penn State. At least 3 players made the cut, unlike the University of Texas, who had their first Draft "goose egg" since 1937! I guess the eyes of Texas weren't upon them this weekend. In comparison, 8 Alabama players were taken, including 2 in the 1st round!
Now, I don't exactly follow the NFL all that closely, so I can't be entirely sure who filled their needs the best, but just based on what I saw over the past 3 days, here are my winners and losers:
Winner - The Jacksonville Jaguars. Not only am I happy that they added Allen Robinson to a team that already includes one of my favorite Penn State players of all time (Posluszny), but they built an epic pro-style offense with this Draft. First, they grabbed QB Blake Bortles from UCF with the 3rd overall pick. I believe Bortles is the best pro QB in this year's Draft and the Jags other selections really set him up for success. In addition to Robinson they picked up another talented WR in the 2nd round with Marqise Lee out of USC. Then they added RB Storm Johnson, also from UCF (and therefore already familiar with Bortles) to enhance the running game. The Jaguars finished up the weekend with 2 offensive lineman to protect Bortles, and 1 player at each level of the defense. #Winning
Loser - The Cleveland Browns. First of all, I never liked Johnny Manziel and I think the Browns were extremely stupid to take him in the first round. But the even stupider move was refusing to take a WR in what was arguably the greatest WR draft of all time. So now you have a high risk QB with no one to throw to? Are you kidding me?! #Fail
Finally, in recruiting news, the Lions picked up their 16th commitment right in the middle of all the Draft craziness when 3-star DB Ayron Monroe out of the D.C. area decided to take his talents to State College. Don't let that 3-star rating fool you, his list of offers was rather impressive. Franklin steals yet another recruit out of Maryland's backyard. Sorry Terps.
Well, that will do it for today's Draft special. Be sure to keep it here on the blog all offseason for the latest news and notes on all things Penn State football. Make sure you get those questions to PSUOptimus@gmail.com by Tuesday afternoon and maybe I'll ask James Franklin when I see him on the Coaches Caravan. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
May News and Notes
Talk about an epic Two for Tuesday!!! In case you didn't hear, 2 of James Franklin's biggest recruiting targets for the 2015 class made their announcements yesterday evening and it's starting to look more and more like the new Lion King can't miss. 4-star OT Sterling Jenkins, the #1 prospect in PA, and coveted 4-star, dual-threat QB Brandon Wimbush each chose Penn State in highly publicized announcements that took place less than an hour apart. Coach Franklin was in Hershey for the third stop on this year's Coaches Caravan when the announcements were made. Jenkins came as no surprise to anyone paying attention, but the sheer number of offers Wimbush was considering (Alabama, Ohio St, Miami, etc) made his decision a little more nerve-wracking. As Franklin stepped up to the podium he joked, "I apologize, but if my phone rings, I'm answering it." Sure enough, before his speech was even over, he had his prize QB for this class and 3 of the best offensive linemen in the country to protect him. To say the future looks bright for Penn State would be an understatement. The Lions now have 15 verbal commitments, good for most in the nation. 8 are members of the ESPN 300, 10 are 4-star prospects, and none are ranked lower than 3-stars. The 2015 class includes the #1, 3, 4, 7, 12, and 14 players in PA, as well as 3 of the top 4 players in NJ, and the #1 player in MD (sorry, but not sorry, Rutgers and Maryland). To put all of that in perspective, fellow Big Ten member Minnesota has ZERO commits right now, while 3 Big Ten schools have only 1 commit each. Even mighty Ohio State, which has lost nearly every recruiting battle with Penn State thus far, only has 2 commits. In fact, you would have to combine the recruiting classes for Nebraska and Wisconsin just to equal the talent collected by Franklin and Co. Dominate the State? More like #DominateTheWorld!
Obviously, the stats on this class are impressive by themselves. But there are some intangibles that make an awesome class even more ridiculous, and it all starts with chemistry. Trust me, it's no coincidence that Jenkins and Wimbush committed to the same school, on the same day, less than an hour apart. Despite hailing from two different states, they already knew each other. In fact, most of the high profile players around the country these days know each other, and they tend to recruit one another as much as any coaching staff. Why? Because they all go to the same camps (and room together while there), they attend the same events (like Blue/White), they have the same private instructors, and in the age of social media, they all talk on Twitter and Facebook. Where do you think I get a lot of my information from? These kids not only talk extensively about their recruiting on Twitter, they make all of their official announcements on the site as well. So these players already know each other, they're media savvy, and to top it off, there doesn't appear to be any academic or behavioral issues in the whole group! Sounds like a winning combination to me! *Side note: if you're going to follow recruits or players on Twitter, please be VERY careful what you say to them. Thanks to the very internet-unfriendly NCAA rule book, even the most inane conversations could turn out to be NCAA rule violations* This brings me back to James Franklin. After his impressive tenure at Vanderbilt, many wondered what Franklin and his staff would be able to do with the kind of resources and tradition available at a place like Penn State. Just as former Nittany Lion Derrick Williams famously said during his high profile recruitment, it might once again be time to "wake (the) sleeping giant" that is Penn State football, and regain our rightful place as the Beast of the East!
On the NFL side of things, for your analytic pleasure, here are the draft profiles for each of the 4 Nittany Lions most likely to go pro during tomorrow night's NFL Draft. Depending on what happens, I might even be compelled to write a quick post on Friday to let you all know where our boys in blue ended up.
WR - Allen Robinson
DT - Da'Quan Jones
OG - John Urschel
LB - Glenn Carson
Finally, in bizzaro news, offensive line coach Herb Hand will apparently be competing on the Food Network show Chopped. I've actually never seen the show myself, but I hear good things, so congrats Coach, and good luck (even though it was filmed a year ago and he'll be rocking Vandy swag)! Ever since Coach Hand stepped on campus, he's made his love of food well known, starting Twitter battles over pizza and appearing on my favorite podcast, the Solid Verbal, to discuss the 5-star meal he served a recruit once. Last week he even organized a pizza crawl around downtown for charity that culminated in the unveiling of John Urschel's picture on the Inspiration Mural downtown. Urschel's picture is right next to Sue Paterno and the former offensive lineman was on hand and clearly emotional about the entire event.
Well, that's really all that's going on right now. The good news is that I'll be attending the King of Prussia stop for the Coaches Caravan next week. Send your questions to PSUOptimus@gmail.com and if they're any good, I'll see if I can ask them directly to James Franklin during the Q&A. Keep it here on the blog all off-season for the latest news and notes on all things Penn State football, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Obviously, the stats on this class are impressive by themselves. But there are some intangibles that make an awesome class even more ridiculous, and it all starts with chemistry. Trust me, it's no coincidence that Jenkins and Wimbush committed to the same school, on the same day, less than an hour apart. Despite hailing from two different states, they already knew each other. In fact, most of the high profile players around the country these days know each other, and they tend to recruit one another as much as any coaching staff. Why? Because they all go to the same camps (and room together while there), they attend the same events (like Blue/White), they have the same private instructors, and in the age of social media, they all talk on Twitter and Facebook. Where do you think I get a lot of my information from? These kids not only talk extensively about their recruiting on Twitter, they make all of their official announcements on the site as well. So these players already know each other, they're media savvy, and to top it off, there doesn't appear to be any academic or behavioral issues in the whole group! Sounds like a winning combination to me! *Side note: if you're going to follow recruits or players on Twitter, please be VERY careful what you say to them. Thanks to the very internet-unfriendly NCAA rule book, even the most inane conversations could turn out to be NCAA rule violations* This brings me back to James Franklin. After his impressive tenure at Vanderbilt, many wondered what Franklin and his staff would be able to do with the kind of resources and tradition available at a place like Penn State. Just as former Nittany Lion Derrick Williams famously said during his high profile recruitment, it might once again be time to "wake (the) sleeping giant" that is Penn State football, and regain our rightful place as the Beast of the East!
On the NFL side of things, for your analytic pleasure, here are the draft profiles for each of the 4 Nittany Lions most likely to go pro during tomorrow night's NFL Draft. Depending on what happens, I might even be compelled to write a quick post on Friday to let you all know where our boys in blue ended up.
WR - Allen Robinson
DT - Da'Quan Jones
OG - John Urschel
LB - Glenn Carson
Finally, in bizzaro news, offensive line coach Herb Hand will apparently be competing on the Food Network show Chopped. I've actually never seen the show myself, but I hear good things, so congrats Coach, and good luck (even though it was filmed a year ago and he'll be rocking Vandy swag)! Ever since Coach Hand stepped on campus, he's made his love of food well known, starting Twitter battles over pizza and appearing on my favorite podcast, the Solid Verbal, to discuss the 5-star meal he served a recruit once. Last week he even organized a pizza crawl around downtown for charity that culminated in the unveiling of John Urschel's picture on the Inspiration Mural downtown. Urschel's picture is right next to Sue Paterno and the former offensive lineman was on hand and clearly emotional about the entire event.
Well, that's really all that's going on right now. The good news is that I'll be attending the King of Prussia stop for the Coaches Caravan next week. Send your questions to PSUOptimus@gmail.com and if they're any good, I'll see if I can ask them directly to James Franklin during the Q&A. Keep it here on the blog all off-season for the latest news and notes on all things Penn State football, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
April News and Notes
I promised I'd be back later in the week, and I'm a robot of my word. There's so much going on right now that I figured I'd just break up today's news and notes into 3 convenient sections. Enjoy!
More notes from the Blue/White Game:
Kyle Carter looks like he's back after lingering injuries limited his effectiveness last season. He lead all tight ends with 4 catches. The senior will battle Jesse James and Adam Breneman, along with a now healthy Brent Wilkerson, for playing time in the fall as arguably the best TE group in the country.
We may have actually found a punter! After Alex Butterworth graduated, there were literally ZERO punters listed on the roster. However, converted place kicker Chris Gulla had an decent outing, averaging 39 yds/punt. Granted, there were no punt returns in the game, but it's encouraging none the less.
Michael Mauti, the charismatic linebacker credited with keeping the 2012 team together through the sanctions, was in the booth for the second year in a row. Decked out, per usual, in a custom suit and tie, he was every bit the class act that Penn Staters have come to know and love. When his NFL playing days are over, Mauti should really consider a career in broadcasting because it may just be his next calling.
Selfies with James Franklin became a thing on social media from practically the first minute the new coach stepped off his plan in Happy Valley. Well now you can add selfies with the Lion, too. Throughout Saturday's game, fans could be seen leaning over the railing for a chance to snap a pic with their favorite mascot, and the Lion seemed all too happy to oblige.
Recruiting News
In recruiting news, Adam McLean, a 4-star DT from Maryland, became Penn State's 12 commitment for the 2015 recruiting class just hours before the Blue/White Game on Saturday. His commitment immediately caught the interest of recruiting experts nationwide and Penn State's recruiting class was bumped up to #1 in the country! This marks the first time since they started ranking recruiting classes that Penn State has been ranked #1. I guess James Franklin has successfully backed up all that big talk, huh? Here's a great piece from just before McLean committed.
Other News:
It was announced earlier this week that Penn State will have 2 night games this year, 1 home and 1 away! First, the Nittany Lions will make history on Oct 11th as they become the first Big Ten team ever to play Michigan at the Big House, under the lights. The Wolverines only recently started playing night games, both times against Notre Dame. Expect Brady Hoke's crew to want revenge for that thrilling 4OT loss to Penn State last year. Then, after the bye week, the Buckeyes come to Happy Valley for what will assuredly be the Whitehouse Game. Look for the Lions to also have revenge on their mind after suffering one of the most humiliating defeats in school history in Columbus last season. Can James Franklin make a huge splash in his first year by knocking off Urban Meyer's National Championship contenders? I really hope so!
Clearly former Nittany Lion, John Urschel, wasn't content just winning the Campbell Trophy (the academic Heisman). Last Friday's news was buried a little by all the Blue/White festivities, but Urschel picked up yet another major award, this time the James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top amateur athlete. Congratulations again John, you are truly deserving of all the recognition in the world for your amazing accomplishments!
Last but most certainly not least, Joe Paterno was voted the greatest football coach in Big Ten history in a poll posted on ESPN's Big Ten blog. JoePa beat out Nebraska's Tom Osborne in the final round of a March Madness style bracket full of legends like Michigan's Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler, and Ohio State's Woody Hayes. Some Nebraska fans seemed like poor sports when they began concocting international conspiracies, but I guess haters gonna hate.
Well, that will have to do for now. Keep it here on the blog all offseason for everything Penn State football. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
More notes from the Blue/White Game:
Kyle Carter looks like he's back after lingering injuries limited his effectiveness last season. He lead all tight ends with 4 catches. The senior will battle Jesse James and Adam Breneman, along with a now healthy Brent Wilkerson, for playing time in the fall as arguably the best TE group in the country.
We may have actually found a punter! After Alex Butterworth graduated, there were literally ZERO punters listed on the roster. However, converted place kicker Chris Gulla had an decent outing, averaging 39 yds/punt. Granted, there were no punt returns in the game, but it's encouraging none the less.
Michael Mauti, the charismatic linebacker credited with keeping the 2012 team together through the sanctions, was in the booth for the second year in a row. Decked out, per usual, in a custom suit and tie, he was every bit the class act that Penn Staters have come to know and love. When his NFL playing days are over, Mauti should really consider a career in broadcasting because it may just be his next calling.
Selfies with James Franklin became a thing on social media from practically the first minute the new coach stepped off his plan in Happy Valley. Well now you can add selfies with the Lion, too. Throughout Saturday's game, fans could be seen leaning over the railing for a chance to snap a pic with their favorite mascot, and the Lion seemed all too happy to oblige.
Recruiting News
In recruiting news, Adam McLean, a 4-star DT from Maryland, became Penn State's 12 commitment for the 2015 recruiting class just hours before the Blue/White Game on Saturday. His commitment immediately caught the interest of recruiting experts nationwide and Penn State's recruiting class was bumped up to #1 in the country! This marks the first time since they started ranking recruiting classes that Penn State has been ranked #1. I guess James Franklin has successfully backed up all that big talk, huh? Here's a great piece from just before McLean committed.
Other News:
It was announced earlier this week that Penn State will have 2 night games this year, 1 home and 1 away! First, the Nittany Lions will make history on Oct 11th as they become the first Big Ten team ever to play Michigan at the Big House, under the lights. The Wolverines only recently started playing night games, both times against Notre Dame. Expect Brady Hoke's crew to want revenge for that thrilling 4OT loss to Penn State last year. Then, after the bye week, the Buckeyes come to Happy Valley for what will assuredly be the Whitehouse Game. Look for the Lions to also have revenge on their mind after suffering one of the most humiliating defeats in school history in Columbus last season. Can James Franklin make a huge splash in his first year by knocking off Urban Meyer's National Championship contenders? I really hope so!
Clearly former Nittany Lion, John Urschel, wasn't content just winning the Campbell Trophy (the academic Heisman). Last Friday's news was buried a little by all the Blue/White festivities, but Urschel picked up yet another major award, this time the James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top amateur athlete. Congratulations again John, you are truly deserving of all the recognition in the world for your amazing accomplishments!
Last but most certainly not least, Joe Paterno was voted the greatest football coach in Big Ten history in a poll posted on ESPN's Big Ten blog. JoePa beat out Nebraska's Tom Osborne in the final round of a March Madness style bracket full of legends like Michigan's Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler, and Ohio State's Woody Hayes. Some Nebraska fans seemed like poor sports when they began concocting international conspiracies, but I guess haters gonna hate.
Well, that will have to do for now. Keep it here on the blog all offseason for everything Penn State football. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Blue/White Wrap Up
Ugh, it's tax day, one of the worst days of the year (unless you're smart and filed a long time ago like me!). So to lighten the mood, I'd like to start today's post by giving a special shout out to friend of the blog, Sheena Hess! Happy Birthday!!!
Ok, now that we all have the warm fuzzies, let's talk about this past Saturday's annual Blue/White Game!
Blue/White notes:
In case you didn't hear, for what felt like the first time in history, Mother Nature decided to cooperate with Blue/White Weekend this year and oh my goodness was it beautiful outside! Hopefully, the bright blue skies were a sign of good things to come for the 2014 season. Now, most college football experts don't put a lot of stock in spring games. With most starters either playing sparingly or sitting out entirely there isn't much you can gather at these events. Even I'll admit that in most cases the spring game is really just a big show for the fans and means nothing, but it's also our only taste of football (and tailgating!) for the next 4 months, so I'll take what I can get. As for Penn State specifically, the takeaways from Saturday's glorified scrimmage were pretty much the same across the major media outlets, if they even bothered to cover the game at all. Here are the 5 things that you should to know about Blue/White 2014.
1.) With an announced attendance of 72,000+ fans, this year's Blue/White Game was the most attended since 2009 (coming off the Nittany Lions' first Rose Bowl appearance in 15 years) and the 3rd most attended in school history. That number also appears to be one of the most attended springs games in the country. This came as a shock to most "experts" given that Penn State is a 7-5 team, experiencing a 5th consecutive year of declining home game attendance, who still can't go to a bowl game for another 2 years. However, one person who wasn't shocked was new coach, James Franklin, who joked that he felt the attendance was more like 82,000 and, therefore, eclipsed his prediction of 80,000. Either way, Coach Franklin admitted at his post-game press conference that he wasn't really surprised by the support, and thanked everyone in the community who came out.
2.) We all knew the offensive line was going to be an issue this season, but it may turn out to be an even bigger problem than previously thought. I wrote about Miles Deiffenbach's ACL injury in my last post, but things have only gotten worse for the "big uglies." Projected starter and senior guard, Anthony Alosi, was charged with simple assault and harassment and has been suspended indefinitely from the team. Another potential starter, junior center Wendy Laurent, went down during the game with what appeared to be an ankle injury, while DT turned OT Brian Gaia was also injured in the second half. The remaining patchwork line gave up 9 sacks and was basically a complete disaster all afternoon. Here's hoping everybody heals up by summer workouts and that Herb Hand can do his magic and put together a presentable product come August 30th. Otherwise fans - and QB Christian Hackenberg - are going to be in for a long season.
3.) The defense, on the other hand, looks much improved from last year. Even with some depth concerns in the linebacking corps, this group looks like they could really turn some heads this season. The secondary is a year older and has the mentality of a veteran group, while the defensive line has been praised by coaches and players alike all spring and has the luxury of being arguably the deepest unit on the field. All told they tallied the aforementioned 9 sacks, along with 3 interceptions and a 1 fumble. Keep an eye on these guys this year and you might just witness more than a few breakout performances.
4.) Michael O'Connor is the clear #2 QB, and it's really not even close. Working behind a decimated offensive line with 2nd and 3rd string wide receivers, he still somehow managed to look every bit like the highly touted, blue chip prospect we all hoped for. He led all QBs with 11 passes for 81 yds and a TD. If Hackenberg can stay healthy this season and allow O'Connor to redshirt, Penn State should be set at quarterback for at least the next 4 years. How many teams can say that?!
5.) Where the heck did #33 Cole Chiappialle (pronounced like "Chippie-el-lee") come from?! The short, but very stocky walk-on RB was the clear star of the game as he smashed through a stout defense with surprising ease. He looked like the only person in the entire stadium who could match James Franklin's energy as he bounced from sideline to sideline, changing jerseys during punts so that he could play for both teams simultaneously. Every time a defender did manage to bring him down, he instantly jumped back up as if to say, "let's go again!" His performance was reminiscent of this classic scene from Rudy. When all was said and done, Chiappialle (who goes by "Chip") lead both teams in rushing with 63 yds and 2 rushing TDs on 9 attempts, and he even took a direct snap in the "wildcat" formation... seriously. Now he still has a long way to go if he hopes to even sniff real game action, but don't be surprised if the human bowling ball manages to press Akeel Lynch for playing time.
That's all for today, but trust me there has been A LOT of Penn State football news lately. I'll catch you all up with my Thursday post. In the meantime, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!
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