KSN Podcast: Penn State news, from the O-line to Big Ten rivals and more

August 7, 2015

Penn State has kicked off its summer training camp this week and hopes to create momentum in a few key areas. The offensive line is the big issue going into the 2015 season after the unit struggled to protect quarterback Christian Hackenberg and create running lanes a year ago. That group is worth watching to see progress in camp, along with linebackers and running backs, to name a few. Fifth-year senior…

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KSN Podcast: Penn State 2016 recruiting overview and key targets

August 3, 2015

Penn State is set to enter summer camp and turn its focus to the current team, but coach James Franklin is far from finished on the recruiting trail. The Nittany Lions are loaded with talent in their 2016 recruiting class and still have a number of high-profile targets within their reach. Penn State could still add big-time prospects to a class that has consensus top-10 rankings. Franklin has 18 verbal…

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KSN Podcast: Penn State news and notes on Lavert Hill, Micah Parsons and more

August 2, 2015

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…

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KSN Podcast: Previewing Penn State football storylines entering summer camp

August 2, 2015

Penn State comes off a strong finish to a 2014 season that featured its share of trials and tribulations. Coach James Franklin went 7-6 in his Happy Valley debut while working with a deeply flawed offense that featured inexperience at offensive line and wide receiver and little support for sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The results were forgettable as Penn State ranked among the worst offenses in the country. Looking ahead…

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KSN Podcast: Talking Penn State recruiting with Rivals analyst Adam Friedman

August 2, 2015

Penn State is well on its way to another nationally acclaimed recruiting class under second-year coach James Franklin, with 18 commits in a 2016 class that currently ranks among the top 10 nationally on all four major recruiting services. The Nittany Lions are poised to add another elite collection of talent to a roster that continues to reload in the aftermath of NCAA sanctions. Looking ahead to 2017, the state…

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KSN Podcast: ‘Tucker’s Tape’ on Penn State recruits Cameron Brown and Shaka Toney

July 26, 2015

Penn State pushed its 2016 recruiting class to 18 commits last week when Cameron Brown and Shaka Toney, both listed as linebacker/defensive ends, pledged during Lasch Bash weekend. The Nittany Lions added two versatile defenders to a top-10 class that addresses virtually every need. Brown and Toney have the potential to help at multiple positions, an approach that coach James Franklin continues to take on the defensive side of the…

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KSN Podcast: Breaking down the latest Penn State news, recruiting exploits and more

July 25, 2015

The Penn State football program continued its momentum on the 2016 recruiting front at the Lasch Bash and also laid more framework for 2017 and beyond with a number of elite targets. One of those is based in the Nittany Lions’ backyard in Central Dauphin rising sophomore Micah Parsons, a defensive end who should push for a five-star rating in the 2018 class. In addition to securing commitments from outside…

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KSN Podcast: Talking Penn State uniforms, QB recruit Sean Clifford’s commitment, more

July 20, 2015

Penn State has made headlines several times this week with the commitment of four-star quarterback Sean Clifford and the announcement that player names would be removed from uniforms. The jersey decision, which coach James Franklin made as a nod to the program’s tradition, ended a three-year era that former coach Bill O’Brien started prior to the 2012 season. Clifford represents the first verbal commitment in Penn State’s 2017 recruiting class….

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KSN Podcast: Interview with Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo

July 12, 2015

Penn State is reloading quickly under coach James Franklin with a huge influx of talent in the 2015 recruiting class to go with valuable experience gained by a young roster in 2014. The Nittany Lions still have issues to resolve, notably along the offensive line, but depth and numbers are on the upswing after laboring through three seasons of NCAA sanctions. Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo has spent time…

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KSN Podcast: The best players Penn State will face in 2015, Nos. 11-16

July 12, 2015

Penn State faces a steady stream of NFL talent in a 2015 schedule that might start with an early run of winnable matchups but inevitably gets into difficult matchups in a loaded Big Ten East division. Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State all have NFL-caliber talent up and down their roster, but perhaps none more so than Urban Meyer’s defending national champion Buckeyes. Among the list of 25 players on…

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KSN Podcast: Penn State recruits at The Opening, national title odds and more

July 11, 2015

Penn State had a quartet of 2016 recruits in Beaverton, Ore., this week competing at The Opening, one of the nation’s most prestigious talent showcases. The group had plenty of positive moments, including notable performances at the event’s SPARQ combine testing. Miles Sanders turned in the best performance of the group, finishing 23rd in the field with a well-rounded effort. Shane Simmons checked in with the fastest 20-yard shuttle time…

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KSN Podcast: Ranking the best players Penn State will face in 2015, Parts 1 and 2

July 9, 2015

Penn State will face many individual challenges in its 2015 football schedule in a wide variety of opposing players, from stars to under-appreciated grinders and everything between. That goes for players inside and outside of the Big Ten, with lesser-known stars such as San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey and Temple’s Praise Martin-Oguike in the Lions’ future. Bob Flounders sorted through the top 25 players on Penn State’s schedule and ranked…

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KSN Podcast: Penn State recruiting updates, more news and notes

July 6, 2015

Penn State has picked up a full head of steam on the recruiting trail with a class that ranks No. 6 nationally and is up to 15 verbal commitments. A run on defensive linemen has put the Nittany Lions back among the nation’s elite recruiting classes, highlighted by eight players ranked among the top 250 players in the country, according to 247 Sports. The recruitment of defensive tackles has been…

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KSN Podcast: Interview with 247 Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong

June 28, 2015

Penn State is one of the nation’s hottest programs on the recruiting trail with a run of four commitments in six days that pushed the 2016 class into the top 10 nationally in all four major recruiting services. Three of those four verbal commitments came from defensive tackles, which were timely additions at a big area of need beyond the 2015 season. James Franklin has wasted no time building three…

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KSN Podcast: Penn State recruiting updates, a look at Jim Haslett’s new role

June 26, 2015

Penn State is on a big-time roll in its 2016 recruiting class with four new commitments in a span of six days. Punter Blake Gillkin and defensive tackles Christian Colon, Michael Dwumfour and Ellison Jordan all gave their verbal pledges this week, bringing the class total to 14. While Colon and Jordan committed late in the week — and after the podcast in this post was recorded — Gillikin and…

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KSN Podcast: Fan questions from Penn State’s James Franklin to impact freshmen and more

June 22, 2015

The fan questions segment on the Keystone Kickoff Show focused largely on hot button issues at Penn State but also stuck with current events in asking about LeBron James’ likely position if he were to move from basketball to football. Bob Flounders and Andrew P. Shay talked about how to define success for James Franklin in his second season, which positions best lend themselves to early success for freshmen, where…

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