Penn State category, Page 77
Penn State’s 2021 class ranked 12th after defensive end Rodney McGraw’s commitment
Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class was ranked 12th in the nation — fifth in the Big Ten — on Sunday after defensive end Rodney McGraw promised to enroll next year. McGraw’s commitment gives the Nittany Lions 11 verbals, with more than seven months remaining before national signing day. Thank you...
Nittany Lions defensive line coach John Scott walked long road to Penn StateVideo
Not long after John Scott Jr. graduated from Western Carolina in 1999, he had a difficult time separating from football. Penn State’s first-year defensive line coach tried the indoor version of the game, spending one season playing for the soon-to-be defunct Greensboro (N.C.) Prowlers of AF2. He also crossed the...
Penn State gets verbal commitments from 4-star QB, in-state kicker
Five days after the Pittsburgh Steelers made a Canadian their top pick in the draft, Penn State got a verbal commitment from a French-Canadian four-star quarterback. A post to the Twitter account of Orleans, Ontario, native Christian Veilleux made the announcement Wednesday. It came 3 minutes after a tweet from...
Penn State line coach Phil Trautwein draws inspiration from Adam Taliaferro
James Franklin likes Phil Trautwein’s story. That’s not the only reason Penn State’s coach hired Trautwein this year to replace Matt Limegrover as offensive line coach. But his story should serve as motivation for his players. Trautwein’s father was in the Air Force, so the family moved around the country...
Montour, Penn State grad John Hufnagel continues to build winning legacy in CFL
The Canadian Football League will hold its draft Thursday, and, like he has for the past decade-plus, John Hufnagel will be in the middle of the action. The Montour and Penn State graduate is president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders, a position he has held since 2016. From...
Colts draft Penn State defensive tackle Rob Windsor in the sixth round
Defensive tackle Rob Windsor, who started two years at Penn State, was drafted in the sixth round Saturday by the Indianapolis Colts (No. 193 overall). Windsor was named third-team All-Big Ten last season after recording three sacks in 13 starts. He was more productive in 2018 but received only honorable...
New York Giants choose PSU linebacker Cameron Brown in 6th round
Linebacker Cameron Brown, who became a productive playmaker during his final two seasons at Penn State, was drafted in the sixth round Saturday by the New York Giants (No. 183 overall). Brown will reunite with former Penn State defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who was hired by the Giants this...
Texans draft Penn State’s John Reid in 4th round
Cornerback John Reid, a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention choice, became the third Penn State player drafted this year when the Houston Texans selected him in the fourth round Saturday (No. 141 overall). Former Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is coach of the Texans. Reid joins second-round picks Yetur Gross-Matos...
Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler goes to Broncos in second round
Kahlee Jacoby Hamler, better known as Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler, joined teammate Yetur Gross-Matos as second-round draft choices Friday night when he went to the Denver Broncos (46th overall). Gross-Matos, a defensive end, was chosen eight picks earlier by the Carolina Panthers. Hamler is only 5-foot-9, 178 pounds,...
Carolina Panthers select Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos in the second round
Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos slipped into the second round of the NFL Draft, but he didn’t have to wait long Friday night before he was selected 38th overall by the Carolina Panthers. Gross-Matos (6-foot-5, 266 pounds) was the second defensive end picked, following Ohio State’s Chase Young, the...
Penn State receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield seeks to maintain the K.J. Hamler standard
Penn State’s spring depth chart was released last Saturday, but wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield warned his players not to pay special attention to it. In fact, he suggested it was written in water colors that easily could disappear. After all, it is April, and the first game isn’t scheduled...
Will Penn State really allow Micah Parsons to return kickoffs?
When Micah Parsons most recently wore shoulder pads, he terrorized Memphis ball carriers in one of the greatest all-time defensive spectacles by a Penn State linebacker. He recorded 14 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles in a 53-39 Cotton Bowl victory. After the game, Parsons talked of winning the...
PSU special teams coach Joe Lorig fishing for football, and maybe a day off to fish
During his Zoom conference call with reporters Tuesday, Penn State special teams/outside linebackers coach Joe Lorig talked about two of his favorite topics — kickers and fishing. Lorig said senior Jordan Stout will replace punter Blake Gilliken. But he’ll also handle his accustomed kickoff and long field goal duties and...
Penn State’s John Reid undervalued as CB prospect, draft analysts believe
Penn State is expected to have one former player taken in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday in pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos. Another Nittany Lions alum will go on the second day when wide receiver K.J. Hamler gets the call. Others will be taken on the third...
North Allegheny’s Joey Porter Jr. could be primed to break out for Penn State
The Penn State football program signed one of its best cornerback recruiting classes in recent memory last year. Four-stars Keaton Ellis, Marquis Wilson and Joey Porter Jr. all joined the program, along with three-star Daequan Hardy. Ellis and Wilson quickly moved up the depth chart and saw meaningful playing time...
RMU’s Chris King on challenges athletic directors face because of covid-19
First-year Robert Morris athletic director Chris King had just gone through a full week of overseeing his teams barrel through playoff performances. The men’s basketball team had just won the NEC Tournament at the brand-new UPMC Events Center. His women’s team finished 17-1 in conference play. The men’s hockey team...
Freshman basketball star Rodney Gallagher gets football offer from Penn State
It’s not surprising that Rodney Gallagher received a scholarship offer from Penn State on Wednesday. Colleges from all over the country are sure to be lining up to secure the services of the Laurel Highlands freshman in the coming months. What might be a little surprising is the Nittany Lions...
Terry Smith finds one of his many niches on Penn State’s coaching staff
Terry Smith won 101 games and led Gateway High School to four WPIAL championship games while serving for more than a decade as football coach and athletic director at his alma mater. He holds a coveted berth in the WPIAL Hall of Fame. On Wednesday, he spoke of a high...
Recruiting calls keep Penn State’s Terry Smith busy
Penn State might get about 10 fewer names on national letters of intent than it received last year, but that doesn’t mean Terry Smith’s job will be any easier. While quarantined at home, Smith said he is on his phone so much that at night he’s forced to give in...
Journey Brown leads Penn State’s deep stable of running backsVideo
Ja’Juan Seider meant no disrespect when he arrived at Penn State to coach running backs two years ago and declared Journey Brown was “a track kid playing football.” Of course, that’s what Brown was. He won back-to-back 100-meter PIAA Class AAA championships at Meadville, clocking 10.73 seconds in 2016 and...
Penn State gets commitments from three prospects in a busy afternoon
Penn State received verbal commitments from three prospects within an hour’s time Friday afternoon. Four-star safety Jaylen Reed of Detroit posted on Twitter his intention to enroll Thursday night. Then, four-star safety Zakee Wheatley of Severn, Md., and four-star cornerback Kalen King of Cass Technical in Detroit committed Friday afternoon,...
Penn State coaches will seek big plays, leadership from Clairton’s Lamont Wade
Whether Lamont Wade was at Clairton or Penn State, one or two doses of a good thing wasn’t enough. While leading Clairton to the WPIAL Class 1A championship in 2016, he returned interceptions for touchdowns in three consecutive playoff games. The last of the picks turned into an 83-yard score...
New Penn State OC Kirk Ciarrocca learns to ‘adapt, overcome’
The only time Kirk Ciarrocca had an opportunity to watch Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford throw a football, he didn’t pay close attention. Penn State’s first-year offensive coordinator was fixated on Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan, who completed 18 of 20 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-26 victory...
Penn State linebacker Cam Brown confident he fits in today’s NFLVideo
Cam Brown saw how the NFL was changing when he entered college four years ago. The Penn State linebacker noticed the influence high-powered spread systems had. NFL teams are employing quick, rangy linebackers to contend with more skilled tight ends who line up split wide and running backs who can...
Penn State AD: Football season could be played in ‘nontraditional’ spot on calendarVideo
Based on the resolute attitude of athletic director Sandy Barbour and the financial realities of the situation, it seems, at the moment, somewhat unlikely the Penn State football season will be canceled entirely. Based on the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic gripping the country, it seems unlikely the season will...
