Penn State recruit Ryan Buchholz is a long, powerful defensive end who could be ready to hit the ground running as soon as he arrives on campus this summer. He stands at 6-6 and 240 pounds and has a potent combination of power and speed, a set of skills that could put him in the mix for early playing time at a position that is suddenly shallow after the departures…
Penn State is putting the finishing touches on its 2015 recruiting class and turning more of its attention to the 2016 cycle, which will officially begin following National Signing Day on Wednesday, Feb. 4. After getting off to a scorching start last February, coach James Franklin could again surge when the recruiting calendar flips. The Nittany Lions already have commitments from three top prospects in quarterback Jake Zembiec, defensive end…
Scott Shirley and Andy Shay talk about the history of the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award, discuss the past winners, and run through the 6 finalists for 2015: Sammie Coates (Auburn), Quinterrius Eatmon (USF), Greg Evans (Eastern Illinois), Levi Norwood (Baylor), Dan O’Brien (Minnesota), and Marcus Rios (UCLA). Follow @UpliftingAth on Twitter and visit upliftingathletes.org for more coverage of the nonprofit organization that aligns college football with rare diseases.
Penn State picked up its third verbal commitment two days when three-star tight end Nick Bowers flipped his pledge from Pittsburgh in favor of the Nittany Lions. James Franklin, Bob Shoop and Terry Smith visited Bowers at his Kittanning home to seal the deal after the 6-4, 250-pounder was on campus for an official visit last weekend. Bowers represented the 23rd commitment in Penn State’s 2015 recruiting class, and his…
Penn State has its hands full competing in a Big Ten East division that is loaded with potential and features coaching heavyweights Urban Meyer, Mark Dantonio, Jim Harbaugh and James Franklin. Ohio State is coming off a national championship run and has a tremendous base of talent to remain a national factor in 2015 and beyond. The Nittany Lions are re-establishing themselves as a force on the recruiting trail, adding…
Garry Gilliam helped swing momentum back into the Seattle Seahawks’ favor when they needed it most in the NFC championship. The offensive tackle hauled in an improbable 19-yard touchdown on a fake field goal to help cut into a 16-0 deficit in an eventual 28-22 overtime Seahawks win over the Green Bay Packers. Gilliam plowed through all types of adversity to earn a spot on the Seahawks’ roster as an…
The New England Patriots pummeled the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship, a thorough 45-7 beatdown that would eventually be overshadowed by “Deflategate” and the topic of air pressure in the home team’s footballs. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were grilled about PSI after the NFL found 11 of New England’s 12 footballs were under-inflated. While there’s still no official word on possible penalties handed down by the NFL, the…
The Seattle Seahawks punched their ticket to Super Bowl 49 in dramatic fashion with a 28-22 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field. Seattle needed an onside kick and a fake field goal touchdown to overcome a 16-0 deficit and return to the Super Bowl for a second straight season. The Seahawks’ offense overcame five turnovers and capped the game with a winning 36-yard strike from Russell…
The NCAA last week reached a settlement agreement with state senator Jake Corman and state treasurer Robert McCord that brought an end to a lawsuit challenging the validity of the consent decree Penn State signed in July 2012. As a result, 112 wins were restored, and there was resolution on how Penn State’s $60 million fine would be distributed. The settlement brought finality to the crippling sanctions the NCAA levied…
The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts are on to the AFC championship game after impressive wins in their respective divisional-round matchups. Young Andrew Luck unseated Peyton Manning and the Broncos, an outcome that Keystone Sports Network analyst Jon Ritchie predicted, while the Patriots fended off the Ravens in a matchup that generated controversy over coach Bill Belichick’s deceptive substitution practices. Tom Brady and the Patriots are again heavy favorites…
Penn State coach James Franklin has attracted scores of talent to Happy Valley in his first full year on the job, including a 2015 recruiting class that ranks among the top 10 nationally on Rivals and 247 Sports. The class is full of gifted football players, but perhaps none with the raw talent four-star wide receiver Juwan Johnson brings to the table. Johnson stands at 6-4 and 210 pounds, with…
The Green Bay Packers survived a questionable call and rode the late heroics of quarterback Aaron Rodgers into the NFC championship, where a date with the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks awaits. The ‘Hawks are big favorites behind the NFL’s best rushing attack and a stifling defense that can render even the best quarterbacks ineffective. Green Bay toppled Dallas in the NFC divisional round, while Seattle took care of business against the…
Penn State’s push toward National Signing Day will include long looks at defensive tackle targets Robert Windsor and Kamaal Seymour, either (or both) of whom could add a crucial big body to the Nittany Lions’ 2015 recruiting class. In the absence of Christian Wilkins, who gave a verbal commitment to Clemson, coach James Franklin is still in search of his first defensive tackle in the 2015 class. The Nittany Lions…
Two NFC teams will punch their tickets to the conference championship game this weekend, with both the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers entering the week as heavy favorites in their respective matchups. The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks are 11-point favorites over the Carolina Panthers, and the Packers are six-point favorites over the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Can the Panthers or Cowboys spring an upset after pulling off surprises in…
The Philadelphia Eagles made a series of front-office moves in the hopes of streamlining their personnel strategy, ultimately handing more power to coach Chip Kelly, who just completed his second season in the NFL. General manager Howie Roseman was elevated in job title, but he deferred all personnel strategy to Kelly and a yet-to-be-named executive. The Eagles previously made waves by parting ways with former personnel executive Tom Gamble, which…
Penn State is pushing forward in its 2016 recruiting class with three high-profile commitments already in place in five-star defensive end Shane Simmons, four-star running back Miles Sanders and four-star quarterback Jake Zembiec. That trio has laid the foundation for another nationally elite class if coach James Franklin can continue to build momentum after National Signing Day next month. One of the Nittany Lions’ top remaining targets is Exeter Township…