Penn State category, Page 50
James Franklin says Penn State has to be more competitive with NIL
UNIVERSITY PARK — James Franklin took a question Wednesday afternoon on the sunny practice field outside the Lasch Building, but did not immediately answer it. Instead, he went back to something asked right before — about NIL and how Penn State can compete. “I can’t get off this,” Franklin said....
James Franklin set to move Penn State forward with 1st chapter of tenure in rearview mirror
UNIVERSITY PARK — James Franklin sat on the balcony outside of his office in the Lasch Building on May 31, taking a moment to contemplate a question. Franklin has been Penn State’s head football coach since January 2014, helping it navigate sanctions that could have crippled the program for the...
Belle Vernon grad Bailey Parshall enjoys breakthrough season as Penn State’s ace
She is a left-handed flamethrower who fanned nearly 1,000 batters in her high school softball career at Belle Vernon, where the Leopards rode her talents to three WPIAL championships before seeing her off to the next level at Penn State. As a college senior this season, she hurled the fifth...
Former Penn State, Pitt stars named to College Hall of Fame ballot
Former Penn State football stars Paul Posluszny, Ki-Jana Carter and D.J. Dozier and ex-Pitt quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward have joined a group of 218 coaches and players whose names have been placed on the ballot for the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame’s Class...
Penn-Trafford grad, Penn State standout Josh Spiegel lives out dream of homering at PNC Park
Young baseball players in Western Pennsylvania grow up dreaming about the moment. Josh Spiegel experienced it. The Penn-Trafford graduate hit a three-run homer at PNC Park on May 17, leading Penn State to a 19-6 victory over Pitt. Spiegel drove a first-pitch slider over the North Side Notch in left-center,...
West Virginia snares Rodney Gallagher, but where are the other top area players?
With one complete academic year and his senior football season ahead of him, Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher — to his credit — did not squeeze every last bit of drama from his high-profile recruitment. The No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania, per Rivals.com, announced Wednesday he will enroll at West Virginia...
Penn State QB Christian Veilleux showed promise in his 2021 debut: Can he take another step forward in the fall?
STATE COLLEGE — Christian Veilleux was more than a little rusty when he relieved ailing starting quarterback Sean Clifford early in Penn State’s Big Ten East game with Rutgers last November at Beaver Stadium. Veilleux, a freshman, made his debut for the Nittany Lions vs. the Scarlet Knights when Clifford...
Former Gateway soccer standout Sam Alexander set to cheer on Nittany Lions
Sam Alexander fashioned one of the top varsity careers in the history of Gateway boys soccer as a lockdown goalkeeper who earned numerous all-star honors for his play. His athletic endeavors continue at Penn State but in a slightly different direction. Last month, Alexander, a freshman on the University Park...
These 10 Penn State football players could go in the 2023 NFL Draft
Penn State football had eight players go in the 2022 NFL Draft over the weekend and another five sign as undrafted free agents after the three-day event concluded. The eight players selected set a new high in the James Franklin era of Nittany Lion football and set a program high...
Penn State, Syracuse football to play home-and-home series
The Penn State and Syracuse football teams announced a nonconference home-and-home series for the 2027 and 2028 seasons on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions will host the Orange on Sept. 4, 2027, and will travel to Syracuse Sept. 9, 2028. Penn State leads the series, 43-23-5. The teams last played in...
What are Penn State’s biggest questions heading into August camp?
Penn State’s spring drills concluded a little more than a week ago. Predicting the Nittany Lions’ place in the Big Ten in the fall is a little more complicated this season, given the program’s huge personnel losses. But James Franklin and his assistants know they are working with some talented...
Jesse Luketa goes to Cardinals in 7th round, the 8th Penn State player drafted
Jesse Luketa, who grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, became the fifth Penn State player drafted Saturday — and the eighth in the past three days — when the Arizona Cardinals selected him in the seventh round (256th overall). Luketa was the last of the Nittany Lions drafted — seven...
Packers draft Penn State left tackle Rasheed Walker in 7th round
Considering his size, strength, footspeed and experience in a Power 5 program, it was only a matter of time until Penn State offensive left tackle Rasheed Walker was drafted. Walker, 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, was finally chosen by the Green Bay Packers on Saturday in the seventh round (249th overall). At...
Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields goes to the 49ers in 6th round
When the San Francisco 49ers drafted former Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields with last pick (221st overall) in the sixth round, they added a defender with the requisite experience in big games against quality opponents. Castro-Fields (6-foo-1, 197 pounds) played at Penn State from 2017-21, appearing in 52 games with...
Ravens choose Penn State punter Jordan Stout in 4th round
All-American Jordan Stout did it all at Penn State — punting, placement kicking and kickoffs. After making Stout the first punter drafted Saturday, (fourth round, 130th overall), the Baltimore Ravens will use him almost exclusively as a punter. Which makes sense with Justin Tucker, one of the best kickers in...
Panthers choose Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith in 4th round
Brandon Smith, who was part of Penn State’s linebacker rotation for three seasons, was drafted in the fourth round Saturday (120th overall) by the Carolina Panthers. Smith (6-foot-3, 241 pounds) was one of 19 Penn State first-year freshmen to appear in a game in 2019, launching a career that included...
Bears select former Gateway, Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker
Former Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker, who was named an All-American safety on the junior college and Power 5 levels after a decorated career at Gateway, started a new journey Friday night when he was drafted in the second round (48th overall) by the Chicago Bears. Brisker is the fifth...
Falcons choose Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie in 2nd round
Arnold Ebiketie transferred from Temple to Penn State last year for the purpose of showing the NFL he could handle Power 5 blockers. The league’s talent evaluators paid attention, and Ebiketie, a defensive end, was chosen Friday night in the second round of the NFL Draft (38th overall) by the...
Penn State hires Patrick Kraft as its next athletic director
Patrick Kraft, who has held leadership roles at Boston College, Temple, Loyola Chicago and Indiana for the past 15 years, has been named Penn State’s next athletic director. Kraft will assume his new position July 1 and replace Sandy Barbour, who previously announced she will retire this summer. Barbour has...
Commanders pick Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson in 1st round, 16th overall
The Washington Commanders took a long look at former Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson and were not bothered by his relatively slight 5-foot-11, 184-pound frame. So much so that the Commanders made Dotson a first-round choice Friday (No. 16 overall). “I’m a big fan of Jahan Dotson. I think...
Where will former Nittany Lions go in the 2022 NFL Draft? Here’s a final look at projections
The draft is set to begin this week and final mock drafts are getting published. There are three Nittany Lions who seem set to go in the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, and potentially all three could go in the first two rounds. Let’s take a final...
From Gateway water boy to Penn State star, Jaquan Brisker ready for the NFL
Sometimes, Jaquan Brisker inserted himself into practice drills at Gateway High School, inching as close to the varsity football team — and his brothers — as a 12-year-old boy could get. Other times, he was quick to provide relief, producing a cold drink of water for the tired and thirsty...
AP source: Penn State finalizing deal to make BC’s Kraft AD
Penn State is working to finalize a deal with Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft to replace the retiring Sandy Barbour and become the school’s next AD. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that the school and Kraft were closing in on an agreement. The...
Penn State shows emphasis on running game during final spring practice
UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State lined up for its first three plays of its final spring practice Saturday with the same decision, one that’s been emphasized over the last two months. They were going to run. The three run plays went for 11 yards, but more importantly they answered emphatically...
‘Old man’ Sean Clifford, Penn State offense use spring ball to improveVideo
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford considers himself a good communicator, but he’s found connecting with his younger teammates to be a bit tougher this spring. He attributes it to the age gap. Now in his sixth season with the Nittany Lions and fourth as their starter, Clifford...
