Penn State category, Page 76
Penn State’s Maddie Holmberg named track All-American
Maddie Holmberg’s career at Penn State isn’t quite over. It was announced recently that she was granted another season to compete in track and field for the Nittany Lions. On top of that, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced Tuesday that Holmberg, along with...
Clairton’s Lamont Wade approaches senior year at Penn State, learns to confront change
The world is changing for Clairton’s Lamont Wade as he approaches his senior season at Penn State. And the covid-19 pandemic that canceled spring football and threatens the structure — if not the entirety — of the 2020 season is only partially responsible. He is 21 years old now, a...
Penn State’s Shane Simmons finds positives amid uncertaintyVideo
The loss of the time spent bonding with teammates has been the gain of priceless family time. Missing on-field work for the purpose of fine-tuning skills for the best senior season possible is difficult, but the abundance of free time has allowed for personal exploration into newfound hobbies. For Penn...
Shaka Toney’s turn to serve as Penn State leader, provide NFL-caliber pass rush
Shaka Toney didn’t take long to make a positive first impression on his new position coach. So imagine what some of Toney’s Penn State teammates who have known him for three or four years think about him. “He’s well respected among our teammates,” Nittany Lions cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields said, “so...
Penn State counting on Tariq Castro-Fields to be leader, lockdown corner as a senior
Tariq Castro-Fields is well aware what Penn State expects of him this season, as he’s being counted on to be both a leader and a lockdown defender at cornerback. What Castro-Fields didn’t know is that none of the 37 Nittany Lions selected in the first round of the NFL Draft...
Even without lead ‘Wild Dog,’ Penn State D-line expects to remain strength
Two of last year’s most prominent Wild Dogs have moved on from Penn State. The leader of the pack has, too. But the Nittany Lions defensive line believes it can still be dogged. Plenty of talent remains at defensive end and tackle for Penn State in 2020, even if a...
Pitt, Penn State, Duquesne athletes beat national averages in classroom progress
Student-athletes from Penn State, Pitt and Duquesne surpassed national averages in academic progress over the past four years, according to data released Tuesday by the NCAA. At Penn State, a school-record 20 teams earned perfect APR scores of 1,000 during the 2018-19 academic year, an increase of seven from the...
Virus has NFL prospects pondering threat of a lost season
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Burrow was a competent if unspectacular quarterback as a backup at Ohio State and during his first post-transfer season at LSU. In 2019, he transformed into Super Joe. Imagine if a pandemic had shortened or wiped out that last, golden season for Burrow, who won the...
Senior offensive linemen Michal Menet, Will Fries don’t second-guess decision to return to PSU
When school was in session, Michal Menet’s days were structured almost like he was back on Penn State’s campus. “You can roll out of bed, make some breakfast, sit down and do your class,” the Nittany Lions’ fifth-year senior center said Wednesday. But the semester has ended, exams are finished,...
Former WPIAL great Tanisha Wright starts WNBA coaching career in Las Vegas
Tanisha Wright retired from the WNBA in 2019 to cap a 14-year playing career. Now the former West Mifflin and Penn State star is returning to the women’s professional league as a coach. Wright on Wednesday was named an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces, coached by former Detroit Pistons...
Penn State defenseman Cole Hults named Big Ten Player of the Year
Former Penn State defenseman Cole Hults has been named Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Hults is the first player in the history of Penn State’s program, which opened NCAA play in 2012-13, to claim the honor. As a junior this season, Hults appeared...
6 Penn State players sign undrafted free agent contracts in NFL
Six undrafted Penn State players have signed with NFL teams, giving the Nittany Lions a total of 11 preparing for professional football camps this summer. The undrafted players include: • Tight end Nick Bowers, a Kittanning graduate (Las Vegas Raiders), a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. • Wide receiver Dan...
Penn State picks up football commitment from ex-Clemson baseball recruit Lonnie White Jr.
Penn State’s latest football recruit switched not only his choice of schools but also his choice of sports to join the Nittany Lions. Malvern Prep athlete Lonnie White Jr. made a verbal commitment to Penn State on Thursday, becoming the school’s 12th recruit from the class of 2021. White, 6-foot-2,...
Penn State’s James Franklin ‘confident … hopeful’ season of some sort will occurVideo
James Franklin has heard all the possible scenarios for how to safely begin and maintain the college football season in this year of the global pandemic. They include a shortened season, delayed season, full season with fans or full season with partial fans. Almost anything is up for discussion. “I’m...
Big Ten extends suspension of athletics through June 1
After previously canceling all organized team activities, including spring sports, through the end of the academic year, the Big Ten Conference on Monday extended the suspension through June 1. The conference said in a statement it will re-evaluate at that time. “The Big Ten Conference will continue to use this...
Penn State’s 2021 class ranked 12th after defensive end Rodney McGraw’s commitment
Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class was ranked 12th in the nation — fifth in the Big Ten — on Sunday after defensive end Rodney McGraw promised to enroll next year. McGraw’s commitment gives the Nittany Lions 11 verbals, with more than seven months remaining before national signing day. Thank you...
Nittany Lions defensive line coach John Scott walked long road to Penn StateVideo
Not long after John Scott Jr. graduated from Western Carolina in 1999, he had a difficult time separating from football. Penn State’s first-year defensive line coach tried the indoor version of the game, spending one season playing for the soon-to-be defunct Greensboro (N.C.) Prowlers of AF2. He also crossed the...
Penn State gets verbal commitments from 4-star QB, in-state kicker
Five days after the Pittsburgh Steelers made a Canadian their top pick in the draft, Penn State got a verbal commitment from a French-Canadian four-star quarterback. A post to the Twitter account of Orleans, Ontario, native Christian Veilleux made the announcement Wednesday. It came 3 minutes after a tweet from...
Penn State line coach Phil Trautwein draws inspiration from Adam Taliaferro
James Franklin likes Phil Trautwein’s story. That’s not the only reason Penn State’s coach hired Trautwein this year to replace Matt Limegrover as offensive line coach. But his story should serve as motivation for his players. Trautwein’s father was in the Air Force, so the family moved around the country...
Montour, Penn State grad John Hufnagel continues to build winning legacy in CFL
The Canadian Football League will hold its draft Thursday, and, like he has for the past decade-plus, John Hufnagel will be in the middle of the action. The Montour and Penn State graduate is president and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders, a position he has held since 2016. From...
Colts draft Penn State defensive tackle Rob Windsor in the sixth round
Defensive tackle Rob Windsor, who started two years at Penn State, was drafted in the sixth round Saturday by the Indianapolis Colts (No. 193 overall). Windsor was named third-team All-Big Ten last season after recording three sacks in 13 starts. He was more productive in 2018 but received only honorable...
New York Giants choose PSU linebacker Cameron Brown in 6th round
Linebacker Cameron Brown, who became a productive playmaker during his final two seasons at Penn State, was drafted in the sixth round Saturday by the New York Giants (No. 183 overall). Brown will reunite with former Penn State defensive line coach Sean Spencer, who was hired by the Giants this...
Texans draft Penn State’s John Reid in 4th round
Cornerback John Reid, a three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention choice, became the third Penn State player drafted this year when the Houston Texans selected him in the fourth round Saturday (No. 141 overall). Former Penn State coach Bill O’Brien is coach of the Texans. Reid joins second-round picks Yetur Gross-Matos...
Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler goes to Broncos in second round
Kahlee Jacoby Hamler, better known as Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler, joined teammate Yetur Gross-Matos as second-round draft choices Friday night when he went to the Denver Broncos (46th overall). Gross-Matos, a defensive end, was chosen eight picks earlier by the Carolina Panthers. Hamler is only 5-foot-9, 178 pounds,...
Carolina Panthers select Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos in the second round
Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos slipped into the second round of the NFL Draft, but he didn’t have to wait long Friday night before he was selected 38th overall by the Carolina Panthers. Gross-Matos (6-foot-5, 266 pounds) was the second defensive end picked, following Ohio State’s Chase Young, the...
