STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Thank you all again for proving there are plenty of Penn State football topics to discuss, even in the middle of May. Some of your questions will be saved for future summer stories while others I tried to answer here. Questions have been lightly edited.
After years of being behind regarding NIL, do you feel Penn State is in a place where it can compete financially with the biggest collectives? — Andy M.
There’s little doubt that Penn State is in a much better place now both financially and structurally than it was in the past with football and NIL. How does that compare to other schools? That question is more complicated.
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It can be nearly impossible to compare because so few programs want to discuss on the record what they’re actually doing, especially in terms of money. The idea of losing a competitive advantage because of NIL is very real, even if what most collectives are doing isn’t especially creative or different. No head coach is ever going to say they’re satisfied, because they need people to continue giving. James Franklin has been more forward in the past year, even in terms of posting about the collective on social media — something he rarely did during the first year or two of NIL.
🚨 PSA from @coachjfranklin
We need your help Nittany Nation!
We are just over 25% of our goal with the Retain The Roar Campaign…
But we need ALL of the Penn State Family to get us across the Finish Line 😤
Let’s show them who #WEARE 🦁
DONATE 👉 https://t.co/c9spxpak4n pic.twitter.com/teZDX3SkNf
— State Media (@StateMediaPSU) May 16, 2024
The Happy Valley United collective is in the midst of a $500,000 campaign for football that can best be described as an effort to keep the war chest full for the coming years. Ohio State and Michigan have done similar campaigns to help retain their rosters. Penn State is taking a page from its Big Ten rivals, and that’s fine. It’s all part of the sport now.
The most creative thing I’ve heard in the NIL landscape at Penn State is how football parents have been partnered with members of the State College Quarterback Club. For home game weekends — including the Blue-White game — families have opened guest rooms in their houses to players’ families to help with travel. Think of it like Minor League Baseball host families.
That’s an NIL initiative that’s unique to this landscape. Housing on football weekends isn’t an issue at most schools — especially not to this extent, as there aren’t enough hotels in State College to meet the demand on these select weekends. How does one put a monetary value on that? Clearly it’s a unique perk, but it’s also not a payment.
GO DEEPERCollege football portal confidential: How tampering, NIL deals and portal chaos happenWhy didn’t they pick up a wide receiver in the spring portal? — Max C.
One of the lessons learned now that we have a few cycles of the transfer portal behind us is the value of the winter portal window. That’s when more players — and in many cases, more high-profile players — are looking to move on. This spring window felt underwhelming, and it makes sense that it would be because many teams want new players on campus early enough to go through spring ball.
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In an ideal world, a marquee wide receiver would’ve entered the portal and been pursued by Penn State. However, there wasn’t a big-time option. In fact, former Nittany Lion KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who transferred to Auburn, might have been the best wide receiver to enter the portal during the spring window.
Penn State will never be heavily built around the portal, but it will always use it to supplement needs. It did so with Julian Fleming in January. Now it’s moving forward with what it has and will need to find a way to make it work, whether it’s the emergence of new weapons at wide receiver or a greater reliance on multi-tight end or multi-back sets.
What does the renovation timeline look like for Beaver Stadium? Will there be active construction during the 2025-2026 seasons?
I’ll have more on the stadium next week in a story that aims to hopefully answer many lingering questions about it.
Here’s the quick takeaway, and this is all based on what the plan was and has been for the past two years: Penn State’s board of trustees will vote Tuesday, May 21, on the renovation. Penn State has already appointed an architect, Populous, as part of the process last year, when it used $70 million for design costs, permits and winter maintenance. The stadium maintenance that’s already been completed will now allow for Penn State to host a College Football Playoff game this December, should the Nittany Lions make the CPF and be seeded anywhere from No. 5 through No. 8. That’s why there was so much urgency to get this done this offseason.
The plan is that if the entire renovation is approved on Tuesday, then construction would start in January 2025 and conclude ahead of the 2027 season. Penn State’s original plan was that it would pause construction so games can be played in the stadium. After the season, it would resume working. This is why it’s imperative that certain project deadlines are hit.
It’s unclear what impact, if any, this could have on the stadium capacity for those seasons. I know long-term the goal is that the capacity will remain the same.
GO DEEPERWith home CFP games coming in 2024, Penn State offers prime example of logistical hurdlesWhat am I missing here? Certain media “experts” peg Drew Allar as a first-round pick, based on what? I just do not see the QB intangibles it takes to be successful. Not only is Allar a question mark, but what is up with all of these receivers leaving Penn State? Something is going on behind the scenes, can you offer any thoughts? — Mark M.
Allar is a tough prospect to evaluate right now, so I took your first question to our NFL Draft guru, Dane Brugler. Here’s Brugler’s evaluation of Allar:
“In terms of physical tools, Allar checks almost every box. You take his 10 best throws from last season and he looks like an easy top-10 pick. But the snap-to-snap consistency isn’t there. His decision-making, especially under duress, is the key question mark at this point. Scouts will be expecting improved poise and overall command in 2024 and his progress will ultimately determine if he receives ‘future NFL starter’ grades or pure ‘development/backup’ grades from NFL teams.”
Drew Allar threw for 2,631 yards, 25 TDs and 2 INTs as a sophom*ore. (Brett Davis / USA Today)
As for the wide receivers, only one departure has an impact on the upcoming season. Lambert-Smith’s transfer to Auburn is odd solely because he waited until after spring to leave. He could’ve left in the winter, though he did graduate this spring, so logistically it should be a little easier from that side of it. But not having all spring with your new quarterback and in a new offense is far from ideal.
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Penn State’s recruitment and development at wide receiver has been problematic the past couple of years. The bulk of these departures are players who were going to have limited roles this year at best. If Penn State was losing players to big-time programs, I’d say there were concerns, but besides Lambert-Smith seeking a fresh start after fading down the stretch last season, none of these other exits should be viewed as problematic or even surprising. Malick Meiga is going to Coastal Carolina. Malik McClain — now on his third school — will be at Arizona State. Carmelo Taylor, listed at 5-11, 161 pounds on Penn State’s spring roster, has yet to end up elsewhere.
GO DEEPERHow many Penn State players will go in 2025 NFL Draft? Let the Drew Allar debates beginWhat game do you think will be the White Out? — Sam A.
Ohio State on Nov. 2 is the ideal matchup for the White Out. If this was solely up to Penn State, that’s the game it would want. It would be my pick too. However, we’re all at the mercy of TV. If this becomes a noon kickoff, then I think the White Out should be off the table. A White Out doesn’t feel the same in daylight. Penn State could easily then make Ohio State a Stripe Out, which has become a nice alternative.
If TV doesn’t fall in Penn State’s favor for a night game on Nov. 2, then I think UCLA on Oct. 5 would be a prime candidate. Nothing says welcome to the Big Ten quite like a White Out — assuming it’s under the lights. If Washington came to town earlier in the season, I’d make the case for that game, but coming a week after playing Ohio State might not feel like the right time for it.
Mike Mauti was just hired to help raise money for athletics. Could you see him transitioning into a full-time role in the football program at some point? — Bruce W.
Mauti’s new role as associate director of development for the Nittany Lion Club makes a lot of sense. If there’s anyone from the past 15 or so years that Penn Staters should want out there working in fundraising for athletics, he’d certainly be on the short list of candidates. There’s also value in Mauti’s experience having worked with Penn State’s first NIL collective. I also think this could be viewed as a bit of a proactive move. Should NIL be moved in-house in the future, this could be a perfect kind of role for someone like him.
In terms of a role with the football program, I’m assuming you mean in coaching. I’m sure it’d be on the table, but keep in mind not everyone wants to go into the grind that is college coaching. Mauti has worked with Jordan Hill at the high school level, which is certainly valuable, but I’m not sure if coaching is what he wants to do in the long run. We have seen Franklin add plenty of lettermen to his staff, though, so never rule it out.
GO DEEPERHow college sports leaders have come to grips with talk of a historic settlementI think we can all agree that, at the moment at least, the wide receiver group is the weakest of Penn State’s position groups. What would you say is the strongest for 2024? — Tim
I agree with you on the wide receivers, for sure. The Nittany Lions need Fleming and Harrison Wallace III to stay healthy and have the best seasons of their careers. In addition to that, they’ll need someone like Omari Evans, Kaden Saunders or Liam Clifford — among others — to also step up. Tight end Tyler Warren and these talented running backs can help alleviate some of these challenges, but no doubt this is the group with the most to prove for a second year in a row.
As for the strongest? I’ll go:
- Running backs
- Defensive ends
- Cornerbacks.
Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen can be as good of a one-two punch as any backfield in the country. The production will need to improve from last year, but from a depth and skill perspective, the Nittany Lions are loaded — especially when you add in top-100 recruit Quinton Martin.
At defensive end, the pairing of Abdul Carter, who switched from linebacker, and Dani Dennis-Sutton should be highly productive. That can be one of the best starting tandems in the country, too, despite the losses of Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac. Jameial Lyons is one of the second-year players I’m most curious to watch too. There’s a lot of upside with him.
Though the starting cornerbacks haven’t been cemented, Penn State added a pair of SEC transfers in A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber. If the Nittany Lions hit on both, they’ll be in a really advantageous position.
(Top photo of Julian Fleming: Matthew O’Haren / USA Today)
Audrey Snyder has covered Penn State since 2012 for various outlets, including The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Patriot-News and DKPittsburghSports. Snyder is an active member of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) and is the professional adviser for Penn State’s student chapter. Follow Audrey on Twitter @audsnyder4
