Penn State category, Page 29
Can Penn State QB Drew Allar reach his full potential in 2024? Time will tell
ATLANTA — Drew Allar stood in solitude. Penn State’s quarterback, warming up his throwing arm Saturday morning, was by himself in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium end zone, peering out at the stage before him. The hours that followed would determine the discourse of the next eight months. Allar’s Peach Bowl could...
Penn State CB Kalen King declares for NFL draft after Peach Bowl opt-out
Kalen King is off to the NFL with a chance to make Penn State history. King, a preseason All-American cornerback, declared for the 2024 NFL draft on Sunday night. After traveling with the team to Atlanta, King opted out of the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. King could become the...
New OC Andy Kotelnicki has work to do after Penn State struggles in Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss
ATLANTA — Andy Kotelnicki, wearing a tan sport coat and a look of disappointment, slipped past a stanchion and made his way to the postgame locker room. Penn State’s new offensive coordinator wasn’t calling plays or coaching in Saturday’s Peach Bowl loss to Ole Miss. But Kotelnicki was present, providing...
Penn State’s highly ranked defense can’t contain Ole Miss in Peach Bowl loss
ATLANTA — Lane Kiffin wants Mississippi’s dominant win over Penn State to be seen as just the start of more success to come for his Rebels. Jaxson Dart passed for 379 yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Caden Prieskorn, and ran for a score as No. 11...
Clary scores career-high 29 and Penn State concludes nonconference play with 88-63 win over RiderVideo
STATE COLLEGE — Kanye Clary scored 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting, and Penn State eased by Rider, 88-63, on Friday. Clary, a sophomore, broke his previous best of 28 on an open 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 43 seconds remaining for an 86-58 lead. It came during Penn State’s 20-2 run...
Peach Bowl boasts playoff-caliber matchup between Penn State, Ole Miss
ATLANTA — The Peach Bowl matchup of No. 10 Penn State and No. 11 Mississippi would be a good pairing in the 2024 debut of a 12-team playoff. For now, the goal is building momentum for a run at next year’s national championship. And even without playoff drama, the showdown...
2023 in Pittsburgh college sports: Pitt men’s basketball ended 5-year NCAA Tournament drought
To fully and fairly assess the 2023 sports year at Pitt, you need to go back to the end of 2022. The metamorphosis of coach Jeff Capel’s men’s basketball program began to take shape Dec. 30, 2022, when Pitt upset No. 25 North Carolina, 76-74, at Petersen Events Center. The...
Penn State’s proud defense braces for Peach Bowl test against up-tempo Ole Miss attack
ATLANTA — The marquee matchup in Saturday’s Peach Bowl is No. 10 Penn State’s top-ranked defense against No. 11 Mississippi’s up-tempo offense. Penn State’s proud defense led the nation in fewest yards and first downs and collected the most sacks. The Nittany Lions know those rankings will be tested by...
Penn State edge rusher Adisa Isaac declares for the NFL Draft
ATLANTA — On Wednesday night, Adisa Isaac declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. On Thursday morning, the star Penn State defensive end explained why. “There’s been a lot of thoughts with family and with coaches. I felt like it was time,” Isaac said, two days before the Peach Bowl. “I...
Penn State’s staff changes have Ole Miss coach Kiffin unsure what to expect in Peach BowlVideo
ATLANTA — No. 11 Mississippi is having to do extra work to prepare for Saturday’s Peach Bowl against No. 10 Penn State with the Nittany Lions welcoming new coordinators on both sides of the ball. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday before his team’s first practice in Atlanta that...
QB signee Ethan Grunkemeyer follows similar path to Penn State as Drew Allar
This time last year, Ethan Grunkemeyer had one FBS offer: Miami (Ohio). On Wednesday, he signed with Penn State as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 recruiting class. It’s been a rapid rise for Grunkemeyer, the Olentangy (Ohio) standout who committed to Penn State in May as a...
Penn State OT Olu Fashanu declares for NFL draft
Olu Fashanu, one of Penn State’s top prospects in recent memory, is off to the NFL. Fashanu, arguably the best lineman in the class, has declared for the 2024 NFL draft, he announced Friday. The star left tackle wrote in a statement that he will be “spending time with my...
Versatility could get Quinton Martin on field for Penn State as true freshman
Quinton Martin is entering a stacked running back room at Penn State. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen confirmed they will be back for their junior seasons, avoiding the temptation of the transfer portal. Allen and Singleton, who have amassed 4,057 scrimmage yards and 40 touchdowns in two seasons, will remain...
Kanye Clary scores 20 as Penn States rebounds to beat Le Moyne
UNIVERSITY PARK — Kanye Clary scored 20 points as Penn State bounced back its one-point loss to Georgia Tech in overtime by cruising to a 72-55 win over Le Moyne, a first-year Division I member of the Northeast Conference, on Thursday night. The Nittany Lions needed to stage big second-half...
Penn State, Penn Hills CB Daequan Hardy declares for NFL Draft
Penn State will have to replace a longtime staple in its secondary. Daequan Hardy (Penn Hills), a cornerback and electric punt returner for the Nittany Lions, has declared for the NFL Draft. He will play in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Hardy, a five-year contributor at...
Why former Indiana coach Tom Allen was hired as Penn State’s new defensive coordinator
STATE COLLEGE — The best follow-up question is often the simplest one. Why? On Tuesday, Penn State hired former Indiana head coach Tom Allen to be its next defensive coordinator. Allen, who replaces Manny Diaz, was formally introduced Wednesday. But why was Allen the choice? And why was Allen so...
Central Catholic’s Xxavier Thomas gets offer he ‘always wanted,’ commits to Penn State
Xxavier Thomas says he was ready to commit to Penn State since visiting the campus a year ago, but the Central Catholic junior first needed an offer from the Nittany Lions. That arrived Wednesday. After school, he and his parents joined a video conference call with Penn State coaches James...
Hempfield’s Dylan Firmstone commits to Penn State baseball
A good summer playing baseball for Flood City Elite helped Hempfield junior Dylan Firmstone get seen and receive a scholarship offer from Penn State. Firmstone turned that offer into a commitment Wednesday. He cannot officially sign until his senior season. “I liked the new coaches and the direction they want...
James Franklin welcomes Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class, including 3 WPIAL standouts
STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin was in a jovial mood Wednesday, joking that he might get more than five hours of sleep per night now. And it’s easy to understand why. A lot of big-picture questions have been answered for Penn State this month. A few weeks ago, the Nittany...
Penn State hires former Indiana coach Tom Allen to replace Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator
Penn State has found its Manny Diaz replacement. Former Indiana coach Tom Allen was hired to be the Nittany Lions’ new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The program announced the news Tuesday. It first was reported Sunday that Penn State was targeting Allen to replace Diaz, who left to become...
Penn State recruiting primer: Thoughts on the Nittany Lions’ 2024 class ahead of signing day
National signing day is almost here for Penn State and the rest of college football. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions don’t expect much drama, if any, on Wednesday with 25 prospects set to make their verbal commitments official during the early signing period. Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class is...
Penn State working to hire former Indiana coach Tom Allen as defensive coordinator, AP sources say
Penn State is working to complete a deal to make former Indiana coach Tom Allen its new defensive coordinator, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told the Associated Press on Sunday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because contract details and school approval were still being finalized. ESPN...
Penn State QB Drew Allar excited to play under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki
Drew Allar is focused on Ole Miss. The sophomore quarterback has a chance to end his first year as Penn State’s starter on a high note in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Allar is embracing that opportunity as he prepares for the No. 11-ranked Rebels. But...
Penn State loses to Georgia Tech in OT after controversial call
NEW YORK — Miles Kelly made two free throws with 2.1 seconds left in overtime after a controversial foul call, and Georgia Tech beat Penn State, 82-81, with a frantic finish in a Holiday Festival matchup Saturday at Madison Square Garden. On the Yellow Jackets’ last possession and down 81-80,...
A closer look at Robb Smith, who will be Penn State’s co-defensive coordinator in the Peach Bowl
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State will have co-offensive coordinators and co-defensive coordinators for the Nittany Lions’ Peach Bowl game with Ole Miss on Dec. 30 in Atlanta. Co-offensive coordinators Ty Howle and Ja’Juan Seider, were elevated to coordinator status shortly after Penn State coach James Franklin fired OC Mike Yurcich...
