Nittany Nation

Penn State football chat, 8 p.m., May 20

Frank Bodani — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:00:26 +0000

The Penn State news keeps coming, no matter that we’re still more than three months from the season.

So let’s chat about everything going on. Join Penn State beat reporter Frank Bodani tonight from 8 to 9 p.m.

We’ll follow-up on last week’s Sports Illustrated article, touch on recruiting and discuss the latest with the governor’s lawsuit against the NCAA.

Your thoughts on Big Ten scheduling and re-alignment?

In the meantime, check out my column from earlier today. Former Nittany Lions Mike Mauti and Mike Farrell speak out in support of trainer Tim Bream … and against Sports Illustrated.

Penn State defends itself against Sports Illustrated story

Frank Bodani — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:35:26 +0000

Penn State has issued statements refuting a Sports Illustrated story to be released later today that is expected to be critical of the medical care surrounding the football program.

Bill O’Brien says recent changes in the team’s medical care were made “in the best interests of our program.”

The latest cover of SI calls the story a “special report” and features this headline: “Do Athletics Still Have Too Much Power at Penn State?”

The university was made aware of the story last week, according to Jeff Nelson, Penn State’s assistant athletic director. He also emailed the university’s response to the piece.

The article contends that Penn State football players will receive a drop-off in medical care in 2013, coinciding with recent staff changes, Nelson said.

The main players in the story reportedly are athletic director Dr. Dave Joyner, Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, the Nittany Lions’ former physician and orthopedic surgeon, and Gettysburg’s Tim Bream, the head athletic trainer for football.

“To characterize the medical care Penn State provides our student-athletes as anything other than the highest quality is erroneous,” the university statement reads. “Access to urgent and quality care for our athletes is no less than where it was at any point in the past 20 years.

“We provided Sports Illustrated with facts and data that demonstrate our commitment to our student athletes and how we compare to other peer institutions. Instead, the article sensationalizes in order to insinuate lower standards and largely ignores statements from the Dean of the College of Medicine.”

“Contrary to the reporter’s assertions, Dr. (Wayne) Sebastianelli remains the doctor in charge of the university’s entire medical program for intercollegiate athletics, including football. Further, there has been no change in the support provided by State College-based Penn State orthopedic surgeons, including Dr. Sebastianelli.”

The Sports Illustrated piece is done by senior writer David Epstein and was not available online Tuesday evening.

In February, Sebastianelli was moved to director of athletic medicine. Dr. Scott Lynch replaced him as team orthopedic surgeon and Dr. Peter Seidenberg took over as team physician.

Also in the winter, Penn State reached out to other universities in order to judge their medical care, Nelson said. He said Penn State football players will receive similar or even greater care this coming season compared to schools such as Ohio State, Alabama and LSU.

Here is Joyner’s prepared statement released Tuesday:

“Care of our student-athletes is a top priority for Penn State, as it always has been. The present medical care model is very consistent with peer institutions in the Big Ten and elsewhere. The present system offers appropriate and exceptional medical care for our student-athletes.

“It’s terribly unfortunate some want to make baseless accusations. We refuse to engage in such a conversation.”

Bill O’Brien also released a statement:

“When I was hired as the head football coach at Penn State, I was asked to observe areas of the football program and then make recommendations. After observing our medical organization in the football program for a full year, I recommended that it would be in the best interests of our program, and most importantly our student-athletes, to make a change in the team physicians.”

O’Brien said Dr. Seidenberg will attend our practices and Dr. Lynch will attend games.

Former Nittany Lions ink rookie deals with Minnesota Vikings

Sherry Coons — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:35:43 +0000

Former Penn State linebackers Mike Mauti and Gerald Hodges signed their rookie contracts to play for the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday.

Hodges was taken in the fourth round with the 120th overall pick of this year’s NFL draft. Mauti was chosen in the seventh round, with the 213th overall pick.

Both players took to Twitter on Tuesday after signing their deals …

Happiest moment of my life.. I got called up to sign my contract after my workout #GODISAMAZING twitter.com/g_hodges6/stat…

— Gerald Hodges (@g_hodges6) May 14, 2013

Michael Mauti is officially a Minnesota Viking. (Photo by: Tony Mills) twitter.com/OnwardState/st…

— Onward State (@OnwardState) May 14, 2013

Mauti is rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered during his senior year at Penn State but is confident in his progress and his ability to play at the next level.

Nine former Nittany Lions participate in NFL mini-camps

Sherry Coons — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:22:42 +0000

Former Nittany Lion Jordan Hill (97) is blocked by Seattle’s Jared Smith during the Seahawks’ recent rookie minicamp. in Renton, Wash. (Associated Press/Ted S. Warren)

A number of former Nittany Lions are pushing forward with their NFL dreams. Nine players from Penn State participated in rookie minicamps this month.

During last month’s NFL Draft, three Nittany Lions were selected, including first-team All-Big Ten defensive tackle Jordan Hill (Seattle Seahawks), All-Big Ten linebacker Gerald Hodges (Minnesota Vikings) and first team All-America linebacker Michael Mauti (Minnesota Vikings).

Another four signed free-agent contracts. They are tackle Mike Farrell (Pittsburgh Steelers), cornerback Stephon Morris (New England Patriots), first-team All-Big Ten center Matt Stankiewitch (New England Patriots) and running back Michael Zordich (Carolina Panthers).

Two former Penn Staters were invited to NFL rookie minicamps, including quarterback Matt McGloin (Washington Redskins and Carolina) and linebacker Pete Massaro (Philadelphia Eagles).

A total of 332 Nittany Lions have been drafted into the NFL, including 36 in the first round.

There were 30 former Penn State student-athletes with NFL teams at the end of the 2012 regular season, placing Penn State in the top 15 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players.

A big recruiting day keeps Penn State rising, surprising

Frank Bodani — Sat, 11 May 2013 17:25:43 +0000

It will be a recruiting day to remember for Bill O’Brien, a symbol as much as anything.

Despite still facing several years of NCAA sanctions in one form or another, Penn State continued to surprise many with its continued recruiting prowess on Friday.

Bill O’Brien continues to sell recruits on Penn State, despite tough times.

Despite being limited to bringing in only 15 scholarship recruits per year, the Lions collected two more key commitments in one day and are more than halfway finished with their 2014 class.

Most important about it all?

It’s that O’Brien and his staff continue to land pledges from athletes who are at the top of their position boards, this time from Maryland safety Marcus Allen and Michigan outside linebacker Jared Wangler.

The Lions now have nine verbal commitments with nearly nine more months before national signing day.

And, shockingly to some, they continue to climb the national recruiting team rankings, as high as No. 11 by FOX Sports NEXT and No. 13 by Rivals.com — and ahead of Ohio State, for now.

This comes despite those small recruiting numbers and three more years without bowl games and the chance to play for a Big Ten or national title.

A couple of weeks ago, Penn State made a run on talented receivers, getting commitments from three within 10 days, including super talent DeAndre Thompkins of North Carolina. Now, the attention has turned to defensive backs.

Just over a week ago, standout Coatesville athlete Daquan Worley joined the fold. He could play tailback or receiver but figures to get a first look at cornerback in college.

And things ramped up more on Friday, starting with Allen’s pledge in the morning.

The safety from Marlboro, Md. is about 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds and is regarded as an impressive four-star prospect (out of five) by some national recruiting sites.

Allen reportedly also held scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Maryland, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia Tech and others.

He is ranked as the No. 24 safety in the nation and the No. 5 overall player in Maryland, according to 247Sports.

“He plays so smoothly,” said Greg Pickel, a recruiting analyst with FightOnState.com. “The biggest things are his athleticism and his willingness to go downfield and hit people.”

“He runs and hits. He loves hitting,” wrote Brian Dohn of FOX Sports NEXT. “He is aggressive and he reads plays quickly, and he plays very fast.

“If Allen winds up putting on 30 pounds, a move to outside linebacker should be an easy transition if the Nittany Lions and Allen want to take that path.”

Dohn went on to say that Allen’s “ceiling is off the charts if he can clean up a few aspects, which he should be able to do at Penn State.” Improvement include increasing his body control and not overrunning plays with his aggressiveness.

The Lions also appear to be in excellent standing with another defensive back, Maryland’s Troy Vincent, Jr., who may decide in the coming weeks.

Then, later on Friday, Wangler joined Penn State’s class to close out the linebacker recruiting for the year.

He is 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds and possesses good speed and pass coverage skills, which will fit well in that outside spot, Pickel said.

Penn State was Wangler’s first Football Bowl Subdivision offer a few weeks ago. He eventually picked the Lions over Michigan State and Cincinnati.

He committed to Penn State while on a recruiting visit with his father, John Wangler, a former Michigan quarterback. Jared Wangler’s older brother, Jack, will be a walk-on wide receiver for the Wolverines this fall.

Jared Wangler is “capable of playing both safety and linebacker because his coverage skills are so good,” Pickel said.

More specifically, Penn State assistant coach Ron Vanderlinden described his future role as a “hybrid linebacker,” Wangler told Allen Trieu of FOX Sports NEXT. “I’d blitz off the edge a lot and I’ll be covering receivers a lot. Mike Hulls plays the spot now.”

So what is next for Penn State recruiting?

With six more slots possibly open, the expectations include landing at least one offensive and one defensive lineman and possibly a quarterback. That could leave room for two more defensive backs, including Vincent, Jr.

A new Nittany Lion: Maryland safety Marcus Allen joins the fold

Frank Bodani — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:28:14 +0000

Penn State is more than half finished with its 2014 recruiting class with nine months to go.

Earlier today, Marlboro, Md. safety Marcus Allen gave his verbal commitment to Bill O’Brien, according to multiple recruiting sites — the eighth overall pledge in the class and the second defensive back in the past week. (Penn State can only sign 15 recruits instead of the usual 25 because of NCAA sanctions).

Defensive coordinator John Butler welcomes another defensive back recruit … Maryland’s Marcus Allen.

Allen is about 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. He is regarded as a three-star prospect (out of five) by some experts and a four-star by others.

Allen reportedly also held scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Maryland, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia Tech and others.

He is ranked as the No. 24 safety in the nation and the No. 5 overall player in Maryland, according to 247Sports.

“I chose them because with their limit in scholarships, they chose me,” Allen told 247Sports. “When safeties committed in the last class and filled the slots, they still chose me.”

The Nittany Lions received their first verbal commitment from a defensive back last Friday in Coatesville athlete Daquan Worley.

Next up?

Upcoming Penn State targets who could make their decisions soon include Michigan linebacker Jared Wangler and Maryland defensive back Troy Vincent, Jr.

The Lions have until early February to fill out this class, which figures to center on offensive and defensive line help, another defensive back or two and possibly a quarterback.

Scholarships at PSU have become a numbers game

Jim Seip — Wed, 08 May 2013 04:02:07 +0000

Down to 67 scholarships before the start of preseason practice, Penn State has nearly reached its NCAA-imposed 65 scholarship limit a year before it was required to. In the latest podcast, Frank Bodani and Jim Seip discuss how this will affect recruiting. Versatility will be a key word for PSU moving forward.

Penn State patience: Expect opponents like Miami and Virginia Tech after the sanctions

Frank Bodani — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:30:52 +0000

Bill O’Brien has to be looking ahead even more than most college coaches because of the NCAA sanctions.

Bill O’Brien wants to upgrade the non-conference schedule. He just may need to wait until the NCAA sanctions are over.

And that pertains to scheduling.

Lining up opponents, particularly marquee ones, often must be done years in advance. Most everyone in a power conference wants to play at least seven home games to bring in enough revenue to fund escalating athletic budgets.

This was difficult even decades ago once Penn State joined the Big Ten and had limited non-conference wriggle room — long before NCAA sanctions made it even more difficult.

Remember that two-game series with Miami in 1999 and 2001? That was announced during preparations for the Rose Bowl at the end of 1994.

And, so, speaking of Miami .¤.¤.

It appears as if the series will be rekindled. Actually, we’ve heard the deal is all but settled — a three-game pact with one in Beaver Stadium, one in Miami and another in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

But it’s likely not to be played until after the sanctions have expired — maybe not until a couple of years after the bowl game ban expires in 2015. Remember, the 65-scholarship limits on the roster doesn’t expire until after the 2017 season.

The same thinking goes for another deal that’s reportedly nearly finalized: a home-and-home with Virginia Tech. The two school, amazingly enough, have never met in football.

Also, don’t be surprised if Penn State eventually locks up a bid to open a season in Jerry Jones’ extravagant Cowboys Stadium.

Until then, Penn State must be careful. The Big Ten will increase to nine conference games in 2016. That will make playing with a depleted scholarship roster even tougher.

Plus, O’Brien doesn’t want to go on the road recruiting for a sanctioned team after an ugly, losing season — no matter how great the strength of schedule.

Winning, then, becomes crucial in an entirely different way.

Same for scheduling.

Penn State and Central Florida: Much more to the matchup

Frank Bodani — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:32:30 +0000

Just a few months ago, Central Florida wasn’t even on the Penn State schedule.

And UCF coach George O’Leary? Well, he was the guy brought up in a few conversations about being Bill O’Brien’s coaching mentor for half of a decade at Georgia Tech.

Now, look what a good friendship can do for a couple of football teams .¤.¤.

Bill O’Brien will be leading his Lions in three night games this season, including against mentor George O’Leary and UCF in September.

When the Virginia Cavaliers wanted out of their return date in Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions agreed this winter and quickly picked up O’Leary’s Knights as a replacement. They’ll be playing in State College on Sept. 14.

It’s an interesting non-conference matchup for Penn State, especially considering the shaky depth possibilities during NCAA sanctions and Central Florida’s recent flashes of success.

But now?

Well, that Sept. 14 game in Beaver Stadium just got bigger. It will be shown in prime time, a 6 p.m. kickoff on the Big Ten Network.

This marks the third time Penn State will play under the lights this fall. They also will do a 5 p.m. start on homecoming Oct. 12 against Michigan before traveling to Ohio State for an 8 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 26.

But let’s get back to Central Florida.

The return trip hasn’t been set yet, though many were hoping for a date in Orlando to be announced for the 2014 or ’15 season. Then again, rumors began circulating late last week that the matchup, instead, may be played in Ireland to start next season.

O’Brien and O’Leary: In prime time the first year and in Ireland the second? For Penn State, that would be getting the most possible from a two-game series against an otherwise forgettable opponent.

Penn State football chat, 8 p.m., May 6

Frank Bodani — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:18:34 +0000

As Bill O’Brien heads out on the second week of the Penn State coaches’ caravan, we’ve decided to chat again about the Nittany Lions.

Recruiting and scheduling continue to stay hot topics, and we’ll talk about what happens next.

The Big Ten continues to make news.

And preseason camp continues to inch closer.

So join Frank Bodani tonight from 8 to 9, and bring all of your questions, opinions and debate points.

In the meantime, check out my column today on what makes Mike Mauti the most intriguing linebacker ever at Linebacker U.