PENN STATE HIRES YURCICH FROM TEXAS AS O-BOSS, CANS CIARROCCA!
By Harry Allison Penn State coach has hired Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, replacing Kirk Ciarrocca after only…
PENN STATE SNAGS MEHKI FLOWERS, 2-WAY 4-STAR FROM HARRISBURG!
By Harry Allison Mehki Flowers, the 6-1, 190-pound wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback from Harrisburg’s Steelton-Highspire, has announced for the Penn State…
TEMPLE EDGE RUSHER EBIKETIE TRANSFERS TO PENN STATE!
By Harry Allison Former Temple defensive end Arnold Ebiketie is transferring to Penn State, he said on Twitter. Ebiketie is…
PENN STATE AND PHILLY’S SHAKA TONEY HEADS TO THE NFL!
By Harry Allison Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney tweets that he will declare for the NFL Draft. Thank You…
PENN STATE LOSES SOPH DE JAYSON OWEH TO NFL DRAFT
By Harry Allison Penn State defensive end Jayson Oweh will enter the NFL Draft, the redshirt sophomore said on his…
EAGLES TAKE PENN STATE LB MICAH PARSONS IN THIS MOCK DRAFT!
Says Pro Football Focus: 7. EAGLES – LB MICAH PARSONS, PENN STATE The Eagles could easily be players in this quarterback class…
NOVA A 4-ROAD-FAVE VS. MARQUETTE, PSU 4-HOME-DOG VS. ILLINOIS
By Skip Charles in Vegas The Strip books like Villanova as a 4-point road fave vs. Marquette and Illinois as…
HERE’S HOW PENN STATE CRUSHED ILLINOIS 56-21 TO FINISH 4-5!
By Melody Miller The Nits routed Illinois 56-21 in Big Ten Championship Week action, improving to 4-5 on the year…
PENN STATE WINS AND THEN PASSES ON A BOWL — GOOD FOR THEM!
By Anne Burke Penn State beat Illinois yesterday and then decided to pass on a bowl bid. Following the Nits’…
PENN STATE 15 1/2 FAVE VS. ILLINI, ND 10 1/2 DOG VS. CLEMSON
By Skip Charles in Vegas The sports books on the Strip have made Penn State a 15 1/2-point fave at…
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Penn State had 121 players on its roster when it started training camp in August, and a breakdown of those numbers reveals just what dire straits the Nittany Lions are in:
A whopping 88 underclassmen, barely 75 scholarship players, a fourth head coach in as many years (including Tom Bradley, the interim coach in 2011) and zero chance at a bowl game this season.
And yet somehow none of that seems to have any impact on the enthusiasm surrounding the start of the James Franklin era in Happy Valley. Not to mention the untold thousands of PSU alums who crave Philly sports news, rumors and blogs.
"Obviously, very excited," Franklin, who hails from Bucks County and is used to Philly sports news, rumors and blogs, declared before his team’s first practice.
He was even more excited after Penn State won its opener 26-24 against on Sam Ficken’s last minute field goal and Christian Hackenberg’s school record 454 passing yards.
Franklin takes over a different program than the one Bill O’Brien inherited in 2012. On the heels of the sex abuse scandal that rocked the university and brought Joe Paterno’s career to a discomforting end, the cupboard wasn’t bare as much as it was decimated. Two years later, with O’Brien now coaching the Houston Texans, a foundation has at least been laid for Franklin to build upon.
He has a quarterback in place and doesn’t need to overhaul the offensive or defensive systems. There’s plenty of talent, just very little depth. So as the Nittany Lions began preparations for their Aug. 30 season opener against Central Florida in Ireland, Franklin and his staff focused on making the most of what little they have. That starts with sophomore quarterback Hackenberg, one of the few Nittany Lions who opens camp with any job security but with the potential to make a lot of Philly sports news, blogs and rumors.
"He competes with himself,” offensive coordinator John Donovan said. “We have a lot of guys in here who will be competing for jobs. He’s a guy who just wants to be the best. He’s going to do whatever he has to do to be great."