Penn State enters a crucial three-game stretch to wrap up its 2015 season with a road trip to well-rested Northwestern on Saturday. The Nittany Lions have momentum on their side but a key opportunity on the horizon to secure their eighth victory of the season and a clear signal of progress in coach James Franklin’s second season.
Penn State has had its ups and downs this season but most recently came away encouraged from a 31-30 win over Maryland that was boosted by Christian Hackenberg and the big-play passing attack. Coach James Franklin talked about that strategy and the health of Saquon Barkley this week, and Bob Shoop broke down his defense in the advance of today’s game against Illinois.
Penn State has the No. 4 recruiting class in the country in 2016, a group of 19 verbal commitments that could be coach James Franklin’s best collection of talent since arriving in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions are still within arm’s reach to a number of high-profile targets but also have work to do to retain commits such as Lavert Hill, Quinn Nordin and Miles Sanders. Michigan is a big…
Penn State got ominous news on the recruiting front this week when four-star cornerback Lavert Hill made his intentions known to visit Michigan for the BBQ at the Big House recruiting event. Hill, who committed to the Nittany Lions last January, is in line to visit his third school following stops at Michigan State and USC this summer. Hill has been on de-commitment watch for months, with that talk slowing…
Fan questions went well beyond Penn State football topics this week, branching out to the New England Patriots and Deflategate and ranking the best postseason sports to watch. Bob Flounders and Andrew P. Shay did give their best guesses on who the Nittany Lions’ kick returners would be this season and chose a drinking buddy between current and former coaches James Franklin, Bill O’Brien and Joe Paterno. And the segment…
The latest Penn State football news centers largely around the passing of Fran Fisher, the revered former broadcaster and administrator who was a fixture at Nittany Lions games and practices. But Penn State was also active on the recruiting trail and announced this week that the Nov. 21 Michigan game would be the team’s annual “White Out.” There are threats on the recruiting front with rumors of commits Lavert Hill…