2016 Penn State Football

SoxJox

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Time to put 2015 to bed.

Here's a quick look ahead.

The Blue-White game is set for April 16.

Here's the 2016 schedule (Home games in caps):
  • Sept. 3: KENT STATE
  • Sept. 10: at Pitt (Heinz Field)
  • Sept. 17: TEMPLE
  • Sept. 24: at Michigan
  • Oct. 1: MINNESOTA
  • Oct. 8: MARYLAND
  • Oct. 22: OHIO STATE
  • Oct. 29: at Purdue
  • Nov. 5: IOWA
  • Nov. 12: at Indiana
  • Nov. 19: at Rutgers
  • Nov. 26: MICHIGAN STATE
Some notes:
  • The rivalry with Pitt is renewed, as the teams meet for the first time since 2000 (Pitt won 12-0 - ouch).
  • The UM game is much earlier in the season than usual.
  • Three of the toughest four games - vs OSU, Iowa, and MSU - are at home.
 

SoxJox

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Wow. That's quite some projection. Who knows?

I'll wait until after the final 2016 class is in the roost, and the Blue-White game to make a prediction. But if what you say comes to fruition, the JF era will be very short-lived.
 

SoxJox

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Adam Breneman, RS Soph TE, is hanging up his spikes due to continuing injuries. He actually missed his Sr. year in HS with a knee injury, but when recruited in the 2013 class, he was still the #1-2 rated TE in the country. Injuries limited him to less than 20 catches at Penn State. His commitment and continued reaffirmation in late 2012/early 2013 in the wake of sanctions was key in keeping that class together.

Here's his open letter to Penn State.

Meilleurs voeux à mon ami. Dies vitesse.

I imagine Penn State will honor his scholarship for the duration of his eligibility.
 

canderson

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Adam Breneman, RS Soph TE, is hanging up his spikes due to continuing injuries. He actually missed his Sr. year in HS with a knee injury, but when recruited in the 2013 class, he was still the #1-2 rated TE in the country. Injuries limited him to less than 20 catches at Penn State. His commitment and continued reaffirmation in late 2012/early 2013 in the wake of sanctions was key in keeping that class together.

Here's his open letter to Penn State.

Meilleurs voeux à mon ami. Dies vitesse.

I imagine Penn State will honor his scholarship for the duration of his eligibility.
He graduated in December, not sure if he's going to graduate school.
 

SoxJox

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247 Sports reporting Philadelphia (Pa.) Prep Charter defensive tackle Karamao Dioubate has decommitted f

The 6-foot-3, 279-pound prospect took an official visit to Auburn in December and has also been in touch with Michigan State and South Carolina about taking official visits in January.
 

canderson

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247 Sports reporting Philadelphia (Pa.) Prep Charter defensive tackle Karamao Dioubate has decommitted f

The 6-foot-3, 279-pound prospect took an official visit to Auburn in December and has also been in touch with Michigan State and South Carolina about taking official visits in January.
there is the first domino.

Oh he's a DT. Ouch, they have no real talent there at all and that's the 4th or 5th DT to decommit from Franklin. That defense is going to give up serious yards and points next season.
 
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SoxJox

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DC Bob Shoop is in Tennessee, reportedly interviewing for job.

"The interview would mark at least the third time Shoop has reportedly had contact with a SEC program about its defensive coordinator job in two years; in 2014, he interviewed for the open LSU job, and late in 2015, he turned down overtures from Auburn's Gus Malzahn to become the Tigers' new defensive play caller."

"Tennessee's interest comes just days after Shoop told Penn State reporters in Jacksonville, Fla., ahead of the TaxSlayer Bowl that he had no plans to leave the school."

"Finances would appear to be one of the bigger roadblocks to a deal, if one was on the table. Shoop is making nearly $1 million per year at Penn State, according to FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman. That was a raise from the salary Shoop had when he arrived with Franklin at Penn State in 2014, and came as a response to LSU's interest in Jan. 2015."
 

canderson

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His wife hates State College, they are vying for the Vanderbilt job when it opens and I guess think being in Knoxville helps.

And Franklin is steering the Titanic IMO.
 

SoxJox

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Shoop gone. Dropping like flies.

Candy, I know you're down on the Lions, as am I to a lesser degree, but one decommit and one coordinator leaving [on his own] somehow does not equate to dropping like flies from my perspective. I'm not including Donovan's departure in this assessment because that actually was a very, very good thing in my eyes, so I can't fault Franklin there. And I'm not counting Lavert Hill either, as his decommit was some time ago.

Yes, there are signs that things are not as rosy as Nittany Nation would like, and there are some ominous indications that more may be coming. But those potential eventualities are going to have to come to fruition before I'll consider the sky as falling.

As time goes on, I am less and less thrilled with Franklin's hiring and subsequent coaching and game management. But then I pinch myself and remember that Penn State still is not beyond the reach of sanction's effects. It may yet be some time before Penn State is back to historical strength. But really, when it comes right down to it, has the Penn State program really been one of strength in quite some time? They certainly haven't been in the discussion for contending for a national champion like the Ohio States, Alabamas, and Auburns of the college football world.

I mean, they recorded their best record in the past 10 years in 2005, when they went 11-1, and they preceded that with records of 3-9 and 4-7 in 2003 and 2004, respectively. OK, they did have a decent stretch between 2006-2009 (9-4 / 9-4 / 11-2 / 11-2), but that's not championship quality performance.

Maybe I'm just recalibrating my expectations somewhat downward as the program moves forward. But college football is a cyclical sport. Remember the glory days of yore when the perennial powers were schools like U. of Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, USC, UCLA, Nebraska, and Miami?. Each of those programs have come and gone (with some now coming back, which only serves to reenforce the point of the cyclical nature).
 

canderson

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Good points. Penn State has been relevant once (twice if you consider 2009) in the past two and a half decades. Fans need to realize they a a middle tier P5 program and nothing more. They're essentially the northern version of South Carolina.

I think Franklin doesn't survive next year. His game management is atrocious, I really wonder how he won at Vanderbilt. The spread between PSU and Michgan, Michigan State, maybe even Iowa and of course OSU is light years in coaching IMO.

I will add I'm told almost daily how PSU is a top program and they are a year away from playing for a title. I was told last week they'll go 11-1 next year!
 
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SoxJox

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Yeah, he graduated in December. This is the new thing the past few years for GA's with remaining eligibility. And his numbers this year were lows in both receptions and yards.
 

SoxJox

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Herb Hand now gone too.

cander, we have liftoff.

"I want my guys to get the opportunity to be head coaches," Franklin said. "I don't want them to ever leave for lateral moves, and the administration has been very supportive to help us keep the staff intact. "

"The problem, though, is that two Lions' assistants have now left, and both made the lateral moves Franklin didn't want to see."

I'm hearing echoes of Bee Gees "Gotta Get a Message to You" ringing in my ears.

To be fair, perhaps losing Herb Hand, like OC Donovan, is not such a loss. But it's the rapidity and short succession of the turnover that must be concerning to Franklin, the administration - and, gulp, recruits.

Ah screw it. Let's just dial up another 6-8 years of mediocrity.
 

SoxJox

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Penn Live's take on recent developments: the sky is not falling.

"It would stand to reason that the coaching staff shuffling is done, and while many have called it "an exodus" and opined that something is wrong with the Penn State program, this is simply the norm in college football. It's just stayed away from University Park for a long time.
"The hires James Franklin makes now will be important, undoubtedly, and Brent Pry will have big shoes to fill. But if a coordinator and a position coach leaving a college program indicate that it is spiraling, there wouldn't be any programs left.
"On the player side of things, a few more transfers can be expected. It was always going to be this way, what with Penn State restricted to a lower than normal number of recruits for a couple years, only to have those restrictions nullified earlier than expected. Plans morphed, which led to some depth scarcity and some positions overloaded with players. This is the result."
 

SoxJox

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With Nyeem Wartman-White (whose place Reeder ostensibly took) expected back from injury, and with Reeder's dad being a former Blue hen and brother on the current roster, not surprising.

Still, the trajectory is sideways at best.
 

SoxJox

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Yes - both had experience in SEC territory.

And there are now reports that Shoop paid his own buyout of $800K. The article points to that as evidence of how badly he wanted to be at Tennessee. Or, alternatively, how badly he wanted to get away from Penn State - contrary to his public statement just days ago about wanting to remain at Penn State for "as long as they'll have [him]."
 

SoxJox

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I'm not sure Penn State would have ever been able to leverage Hand's historical knowledge of the southeast anyway, but it would seem this could help Franklin continue his objective of dominating the state in recruiting. But just because Limegrover is from PA doesn't mean he has any established relationships with HS coaches in the region. And Hand was well known for his personality and ability to speak in a language (especially with social media) that today's HS kids like. Too bad he couldn't translate that into improved OL performance.

Not an overwhelming pedigree, but not a deficient one either. It will take Penn State time to establish a rhythm. Disruptions at the 2-year mark for Franklin just delays improving from 7-6 records to something more like 8-4 or 9-3 seasons. And it will be a long, long time, if ever, that Penn State gets to 10-2 and 11-1, much less championship caliber level.
 

canderson

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LOL

Akeel Lynch is the latest to join the mass exodus.

They'll have less scholarship players than during sanctions at this rate. I imagine when Nordin drops his PSU charade the recruits class drops in ranking quite substantially,
 

SoxJox

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Now this one definitely does NOT surprise me. Lynch was the projected star before Barkley displaced him. With talent like Lynch's, I can surely understand why he would want to leave.

But...there are many quality programs that are multi-level deep in talent at multiple positions, and you don't see them baling like we're witnessing at Penn State. Instead, in most programs it motivates the "underdog" to compete and earn the spot. Maybe it's a sign of Lynch's lack of confidence in his ability to outperform Barkley. Maybe a sign of Lynch's view of "other things" going on? Don't know.

In any case, absent public disclosures by the parties involved, we'll likely never know any particular motivation.

In the end, it may not matter. It's the perception and image that will remain in the public's eye. Sandy Barbour has her work cut out for her. James Franklin may not be losing control, but he is losing control.
 

SoxJox

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Of course it's funny. "A slightly more pleasant version of Maryland." I spewed coffee with that one.

Nice touch with Harbaugh marrying the mother. This must be a sideways reference to Harbaugh offering to sleep over at Nordin Quinn's house when the dead period ends.

Can't believe it's generated nearly a 1,000 comments - some even of a serious nature.
 

terrynever

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Voice of Doom (me) says let the unhappy campers leave. The offense is going to be better next year when Miles Sanders joins Barkley in the backfield. The Nits will have a mobile QB instead of a statue. The OL will be better now that Hand job has gone back to where he belongs. Moorhead will fit his offense to the talent instead of whatever Donovan was trying to do with Hack.

Yes, the Nits are a Mediocre P5 program and have been for a long time. Thought everyone here knew that.
 

SoxJox

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5* Miles Sanders, the nations #1 RB (Scout), shuts down recruiting will not visit Michigan State as previously expected, and remains firmly committed to Penn State.

Final career stats: 508 carries / 4,573 yards / 59 TDs

Pittsburgh Woodland Hills star Miles Sanders saw an offensive coordinator change at Penn State, then heard rumblings in the recruiting circles about coach James Franklin leaving the program soon, and he admitted he was concerned.

However, after meeting with new Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead on Saturday night during an in-home visit with Sanders and his mom, a feeling of comfort came over him.

So after speaking it over with his family, Sanders, the No. 1 running back in the nation, said he will not visit Michigan State and he is all set with the Nittany Lions.

"I feel stress free," the 6-foot, 200-pound Sanders said. "I've been talking to my family about it and stressing about it, so it feels good."

And he wants Penn State fans, and recruits, to know all is good with the program.

"My message to other recruits is I think it's a good time to joing the family," Sanders said. "The last two years, we were still in the building process. I think this year is the first year we will have a full roster of 85 scholarship players. I think we're going to do big things starting next year. The Big Ten needs to look out."
 
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canderson

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Confirmed...Dwumfour commits to UM.

And cander, I think UT needs you more. :)
Charlie is going to end up with a loaded class. He's the anti recruiter, he waits until after the season to do OVs and seal the deal by getting current players to do heavy lifting.
 

SoxJox

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Actually, the other guy in the class - (P) Blake Gillikin - ain't no slouch as a PK, with season longs of 56, 53, and 52 yards. For field goals, go to the 4:14 mark.

Penn State will be fine in the kicking game, with or without Nordin (although I'm still hoping he maintains his commitment)

 
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