Penn State wrapped up its spring practice session last month and shifted its focus to the recruiting trail and other locations as the program heads toward the summer. James Franklin has been spotted at Yankee Stadium and soon kicks off his annual Coaches Caravan tour. Franklin made a splash with a hard first-pitch strike between a Yankees-Rays game, which was surely no accident, given the coach’s attention to every detail….
KSN Podcast: Talking all things Penn State with Fight On State’s Mark Brennan
Penn State has made headlines this month for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which being the Blue-White game and continued success on the recruiting trail. But coach James Franklin is also back in the news as the notion of satellite camps is more scrutinized than ever. With Jim Harbaugh taking his camps show on the road virtually anywhere, coaches from the ACC and SEC have renewed their…
KSN Podcast: Reviewing Penn State’s Blue-White spring scrimmage
Penn State wrapped up its spring practice session on April 18 with its Blue-White spring scrimmage. The Blue team took home a 17-7 win led by a majority of the Nittany Lions’ first-team offense and defense. Christian Hackenberg saw more action than planned and completed 17 of 29 passes for 180 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Wide receiver Saeed Blacknall and running back Nick Scott also garnered attention…
KSN Podcast: Ross Tucker ranks Penn State’s 2015 recruits
Penn State’s 2015 recruiting class is signed and official, and it ranks as one of the best in the nation. Not only that, the Nittany Lions are getting 25 talented players who provide a valuable jolt of depth to a roster that sorely needed it in the wake of NCAA sanctions. That depth from Nos. 1 to 25 is a calling card of the class, but the group isn’t lacking…
KSN Podcast: Latest on Penn State recruiting, satellite camps and more
Penn State is at the root of fresh headlines on satellite camps as grumblings grow louder from coaches and leaders in the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences. The act of guest-coaching in the backyard of SEC and ACC programs is stirring up the likes of Nick Saban, Dibo Swinney and others, particularly as Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh borrows the satellite concept and takes it to brand new levels. But while that…
KSN Podcast: Rivals analyst Mike Farrell talks Penn State recruiting
Penn State is rolling along to another nationally ranked recruiting class in 2016 with verbal commitments from six blue-chip prospects. Coach James Franklin continues to see better and better results on the recruiting trail, a trend that could continue with the Nittany Lions still in the mix for a number of the region’s top prospects. The projected returns in the ’16 class serve to complement a talented ’15 recruiting class…
KSN Podcast: Interview with 2016 Penn State QB recruit Jake Zembiec
Penn State is getting a talented quarterback in its 2016 recruiting class in four-star pro-style passer Jake Zembiec, a 6-2, 205-pound prospect from Aquinas Institute in Rochester, N.Y. Zembiec is pushing forward through spring workouts in advance of a busy summer and a senior season that could help elevate his national recruiting profile. He missed much of his junior season with a broken wrist. Zembiec said he is “110 percent”…
KSN Podcast: Last-minute preview of Penn State’s Blue-White game
Penn State’s Blue-White spring football scrimmage kicks off at 4 p.m. EST today, bringing an official end to the Nittany Lions’ spring practice session. Coach James Franklin has a deeper, more talented roster this time around and gets one more look at key position battles, including defensive end, offensive line, wide receiver and running back. Bob Flounders, Andrew P. Shay and Dustin Hockensmith took a look at key players to…
KSN Podcast: Penn State football news and notes on Michal Menet, Trace McSorley, more
Penn State coach James Franklin is speaking this spring with exponentially more optimism than he did at the same last season, and why not? His team is deeper and more experienced, with bona-fide strengths on both sides of the ball. Franklin spoke this week about his talented secondary and the head-turning play of backup quarterback Trace McSorley in his last public comments before Saturday’s Blue-White scrimmage. The Nittany Lions also got…
KSN Podcast: Assessing Penn State’s tight ends in 2015 and beyond
Penn State has a blend of experience and youth at the tight end position, led by redshirt senior Kyle Carter and redshirt sophomore Adam Breneman. The group also features breakout candidate Mike Gesicki and incoming freshmen Nick Bowers and Jonathan Holland. Even in the absence of Jesse James, coach James Franklin has all the ingredients for a productive unit with significant upside. Franklin has been clear about at least one…
KSN Podcast: Ross Tucker breaks down Tommy Stevens, Penn State’s future QB competition
Penn State has at least one more season with talented junior Christian Hackenberg under center. Coach James Franklin is adding talented signal-callers to the mix with Trace McSorley in the 2014 recruiting class, Tommy Stevens in ’15 and Jake Zembiec currently committed in ’16, but the overlying question remains: will Penn State have a legitimate starter in place when Hackenberg does elect to jump to the NFL, either in 2016…
KSN Podcast: Latest Penn State football news and notes, plus key position battles
Penn State heads into the final week of spring practice with known issues, particularly along its offensive and defensive lines, and key position battles that will linger into summer camp. A handful of Nittany Lions recently shed light on those battles and predicted a breakout season for defensive end Carl Nassib, a possibility that would go a long way toward easing concerns about depth on the D-line. Bob Flounders and…
KSN Podcast: Breaking down Penn State’s recruiting efforts with Scout.com’s Brian Dohn
Penn State has five verbal commitments in its 2016 recruiting class but potential to add pledges from a handful of the region’s top prospects. The Nittany Lions have mutual interest with Pennsylvania products such as Cary Angeline, Damar Hamlin, Khaleke Hudson and Michal Menet and could be considered the favorites for all four. Scout.com national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn joined Dustin Hockensmith and Andrew P. Shay on the Keystone Sports…
KSN Podcast: Breaking down Penn State’s defensive line entering the 2015 season
Penn State has at least one huge advantage as the coaching staff searches for two new starting defensive ends. Defensive tackles Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel are so disruptive inside, the ends are free to attack with a huge majority of one-on-one situations. The same support helped Deion Barnes and C.J. Olaniyan combine for 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks last season. A handful of Nittany Lions are competing…
KSN Podcast: Breaking down Penn State’s 2015 defensive back recruits with Ross Tucker
Penn State is adding five talented bodies from the 2015 recruiting class to an already-loaded defensive backfield. Three safeties will join the fold in Jarvis Miller, Ayron Monroe and Johnny Petrishen, while cover corners John Reid and Garrett Taylor both vie for time on the outside. It’s a talented group that can reinforce a blossoming strength for defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Which of those players stands the best chance of…
KSN Podcast: Latest Penn State recruiting news with PennLive’s Greg Pickel
Penn State hasn’t churned out verbal commitments at the same rate in the 2016 recruiting cycle as it did in 2015, but James Franklin and staff are making headway with a number of blue-chip prospects. Visit weekends yielded valuable trips to campus for the likes of offensive tackles Michal Menet and Jauan Williams, defensive back Damar Hamlin and linebacker Brendan Ferns, all good signs despite them leaving without commitments. Another…