April 2009 Archives

At least 10 Nittany Lions have signed free agent contracts with NFL teams in the past week.

The Carolina Panthers have picked up both offensive tackle Gerald Cadogan and safety Anthony Scirrotto. The rest of the group includes cornerback Tony Davis (Arizona Cardinals), defensive end Maurice Evans (New York Giants), defensive end Josh Gaines (Philadelphia Eagles), fullback Dan Lawlor (Washington Redskins), receiver Jordan Norwood (Cleveland Browns), safety Mark Rubin (St. Louis Rams), linebacker Tyrell Sales (Indianapolis Colts) and Lydell Sargeant (Buffalo Bills).

And former Lion, defensive tackle Chris Baker, has signed on with the Denver Broncos. He was kicked off the team at Penn State last summer and recently played this past fall at Hampton.

It was quite a welcome home party for Sean Lee.

The All-America hopeful at linebacker put on a jersey in Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon, a year after sustaining a knee injury that wiped out his 2008 season.

He was not expected to play during the Blue-White Game but was on-hand during the autograph session and was the most popular fan attraction.

All-America candidate Navorro Bowman emerged from the Centre County Courthouse Annex with a stern warning, extended probation -- and another chance.

The Penn State linebacker offered this promise to Judge Bradley Lunsford after he was sentenced to another 12 months of probation as well as drug testing and counseling:

"I will not be back here," Bowman said.

The leading tackler last year for the Nittany Lions has been on probation since last May for pleading guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an on-campus fight in the fall of 2007. He also was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

The Penn State linebackers are supposed to be one of the top groups in the nation.

And former walk-on Josh Hull sees himself as a major part of that.

The thing is, he could well get his chance again come September.

Navorro Bowman, an All-American candidate at linebacker for the Nittany Lions, may have more legal trouble to deal with, according to a State College-area TV station.

Bowman, a junior this fall, faces a hearing today in Centre County Court concerning his probationary status, which was reported by WJAC-TV. He has been on probation since last spring for disorderly conduct, a result of charges stemming from a fight in the student union in October 2007.

Penn State will be playing Rutgers again in football -- which is a lot more interesting since former Penn Stater Greg Schiano has built the Scarlet Knights into a winner.

The Nittany Lions will play at Rutgers on Sept. 13, 2014 and the teams will meet in Beaver Stadium on Sept. 12, 2015.

Of course, it really wasn't much of a rivalry when they stopped playing each other regularly in 1995, Penn State holding a 22-2 lead in the series and winning 15-straight at one point. But since, Schiano, a former Nittany Lion assistant, has led Rutgers to four consecutive bowl games.

Penn State's rebuilding secondary has already suffered a potentially serious setback with cornerback A.J. Wallace pulling a hamstring during spring workouts.

Fortunately, at least, it appears that receiver Chaz Powell has escaped a significant injury.

But let's start with the defense.

Nearly 3,000 high school football players from around the country will, once again, participate in Penn State's summer football camps.

There will be five different camp opportunities on campus in June, including the popular "seniors-only camp."

The upcoming Alamo Bowl will be played in January for the first time.

The bowl game, which matches teams from the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences, will be played on Jan. 2, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the San Antonio Buiness Journal.

It will still be televised again by ESPN.

Penn State's newest prized quarterback isn't quite sure enough about Penn State anymore.

At least not just yet.

Pittsburgh-area high school junior Paul Jones, who is rated as one of the nation's top quarterback prospects, has told the Nittany Lion coaches that he wants to check out a few other schools before cementing his pledge to them, according to Jason Ruscitto, his coach at Sto-Rox High.

Penn State appears to be quite serious about recruiting Southern California.

The Nittany Lions have now officially offered a third prospect from there in superstar linebacker/safety Tony Jefferson of Chula Vista, Calif.

Jefferson is 6-foot and 197 pounds and claims 22 scholarship offers but has Penn State, USC, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma as his leaders for now. Not surprisingly, he gives the USC Trojans the lead so far.