Coatesville cornerback Daquan Worley pledges for Penn State

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Frank Bodani

The first priority for Penn State recruiting was its receivers. 
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Now, the all-important defensive back situation could start clearing up quickly for the Nittany Lions’ 2014 class of prospects. 
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Coatesville High’s Daquan Worley reportedly informed Penn State assistant coach Ron Vanderlinden of his verbal commitment late Friday morning. 

Penn State defensive coordinator John Butler welcomes Penn State’s first defensive back commitment of the year … Coatesville corner Daquan Worley.


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Worley is 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds and stars for former William Penn head coach Matt Ortega as a running back and defensive back. He is slotted as a cornerback and possible return man at Penn State. 
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Worley chose the Lions over Rutgers but also claimed scholarship offers from Georgia Tech and Pitt. 
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He only recently began generating Penn State recruiting buzz but is still a top talent, said Greg Pickel of FightOnState.com. 
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“You absolutely take him right away. He’s instinctive and you can’t really teach that with a cornerback or anybody,” Pickel said. “His speed and instincts stand out. 
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“He hasn’t had his name out there like some of the other guys, but this kid is a player you take in this class without question.”
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Penn State to play Central Florida in Ireland?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Frank Bodani

Bill O’Brien continues to sound hopeful about Penn State playing a football game in Ireland. 
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Now, it seems that the Nittany Lions also could be closer to finding an opponent. 
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It could be O’Brien vs. O’Leary in Dublin.

The University of Central Florida’s Rivals.com site posted an “insider’s story” late Thursday about how the two universities could be close to agreeing to a deal to play in Dublin to kick off next year.

Bill O’Brien be leading his team onto the field in Ireland against Central Florida next year, says a Rivals.com report.

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The Orlando Sentinel says part of the on-going negotiations involve financial concerns. The Knights would be giving up home game revenue while incurring substantial travel costs.

The teams also must choose between playing in larger, historic Croke Park (83,200) or smaller but newer Aviva Stadium (50,000) — the site of last season’s Notre Dame/Navy game, the first college football game in Ireland in 16 years.

O’Brien has been mentioning the possibility of an overseas game for several months now. It would serve as a recruiting tool and a reward for players and fans during the NCAA sanction years, when the Lions are ineligible for a bowl game. 
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Penn State is banned from bowl games and Big Ten title game appearances through 2015.
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As for Central Florida, it will be play in Beaver Stadium in September as a late replacement for Virginia, which was released from its commitment. Many figured that Penn State would make a return trip to Orlando, possibly in 2014. 
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But Ireland, apparently, could work, as well. Many figured that Penn State would seek an opponent from the East with some national or even world-wide appeal, such as Army or Navy, or a Catholic school like Boston College. 
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But O’Brien does have a strong relationship with Central Florida head coach George O’Leary, who was his mentor at Georgia Tech and nearly became his head coach at Notre Dame.
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On Thursday in Camp Hill, O’Brien was asked to update the Ireland game progress. 
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“I’m pretty positive about it. I wouldn’t say it’ll be announced tomorrow.” 
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Then again, maybe it will be announced sooner than later — with an intriguing choice for an opponent. 
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Posted in Beaver Stadium, Bill O'Brien, bowl game, Football, NCAA, Penn State | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Penn State still seeking answers as scholarships disappear

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Frank Bodani

Penn State’s football scholarships seem to be slipping away, one by one, to a place few others have ever gone. 
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And yet how many truly understand the NCAA sanctions nine months after they were handed down? 
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Bill O’Brien is trying to manage Penn State’s unprecedented scholarship reductions aggressively.

Point one: The Nittany Lions played about half of last season with only 70 scholarship players — 15 below the amount allowed for Football Bowl Subdivision teams. 
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Point two: In preparing to adjust to the worsening lack of depth, coach Bill O’Brien expects his team to be down to about 65 scholarship players this fall — at the NCAA punishment level a year early. 
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Posted in Bill O'Brien, Blue/White, Football, Frank Bodani, NCAA, Penn State, Recruiting | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Penn State tickets vs. Syracuse on sale this week

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Frank Bodani

Nittany Lion Club members can begin ordering tickets Friday for Penn State’s season-opener Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in suburban New York City. 
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Club members and football season ticket holders will be assigned a date they can order tickets for the Syracuse game based on NLC point totals. Tickets can be purchased online via their account manager or by calling 1-800-NITTANY (648-8269) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting May 3. 
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Club members can purchase up to 10 tickets based on priority points. Penn State-Syracuse tickets range from $75 to $175. Ticket sales resume 8 a.m. on Monday May 6. 
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The Nittany Lions will be playing at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. for the first time since 2000. 
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Penn State and Syracuse have met 70 times, the second-highest total for a Lion opponent, behind only Pitt. The Lions lead the series, 42-23-5. 
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The teams met every season from 1944-90 but did not play again until 2008.
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Christian Hackenberg and Bill O’Brien: A crucial trust builds for Penn State

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Frank Bodani

Christian Hackenberg will arrive at Penn State in just over a month. 
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And now it’s suddenly imperative that the schoolboy quarterback star emerge as at least the No. 2 option for coach Bill O’Brien when the season opens in late August.

Christian Hackenberg arrives at Penn State in early June. And with only one other scholarship QB to beat out by the end of August.


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“Of course, (redshirting) would be the best thing for Christian,” his father said. “But could Christian be the exception to the rule? Physically, yeah. .¤.¤. But to me it’s more of a mental aspect. At (quarterback) you can do more damage than good playing a kid too early.
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“Having said that, look who’s coaching him .¤.¤.” 
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Is Hackenberg ready for this? Did O’Brien do the right thing by essentially driving away QB Steven Bench? 
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Check out my column here later this evening.
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Penn State Chat, 8 p.m., April 29

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Frank Bodani

The Blue-White Game has been played. Spring practice is over. Things were supposed to be slowing down for Penn State football.

And then it suddenly got interesting yet again.

Can junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson win the starting quarterback job from true freshman Christian Hackenberg?

So we’re going to come back with another Penn State chat on Monday from 8 to 9 p.m. to discuss it all.

Everything from landing a third top-tier receiver in the new recruiting class to unexpectedly losing a quarterback to transfer.

What do you think of Bill O’Brien now? And of his re-shaped quarterback class for the season that consists of Tyler Ferguson and incoming Christian Hackenberg?

Posted in Bill O'Brien, Blue/White, Chat, Christian Hackenberg, Football, Penn State, Recruiting, Tyler Ferguson | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wally Richardson coming back “home” to Happy Valley

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Frank Bodani

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Wally Richardson is returning from the Deep South to work at Penn State again. 
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The former two-year starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions has been named Director of the Football Letterman’s Club. He will begin his duties in early June. 
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The letterman’s club has more than 1,000 dues-paying members and a database of more than 1,500 former Penn State football players and student managers. He also will serve as the primary liaison between Penn State football and the State College Quarterback Club.

Wally Richardson won two bowl games and set Penn State passing records. Now, he’s returning to work for the university.

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“I am really excited to be coming back to Penn State,” Richardson said. “I am looking forward to the opportunities .¤.¤. interacting with all the former players and connecting with the current and more recent players.

“This is a great opportunity to help further strengthen and bond between the guys who have recently played and those who played at Penn State, whether it was 10, 20 or 50 years ago.” 
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Surprised? Penn State’s recruiting glue is a receiver from North Carolina

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Frank Bodani

The key to this Penn State recruiting class may well be a 6-foot, 175-pound receiver from North Carolina. 
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That’s the way one national analyst sees it. 
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Some background: 

In his second full recruiting season, Bill O’Brien has loaded up on skill players, including intriguing receiver prospect DeAndre Thompkins.


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Because of NCAA sanctions, Penn State can sign no more than 15 recruits next February in its Class of 2014. And the Nittany Lions actually may not even have space for that many as they continue trimming their roster toward the mandated 65 limit. 
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Quickly enough, they targeted several top-end defensive backs and receivers. Woodland Hills’ Troy Apke was the first wideout to join this small class two weeks ago. 
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That provided the incentive (or pressure) to the other receivers: Get on board quickly before the spots vanish. 
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Delaware’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Chris Godwin, finished up the receiver recruiting late Tuesday night when announced that he would be coming to Penn State. 
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But in between them? 
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That was North Carolina’s DeAndre Thompkins, who pledged to the Lions on his Blue-White weekend recruiting visit. The best part about him? He also can play defensive back as well as return kicks. 
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Penn State lands another top receiver (and maybe the best one) in Chris Godwin

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Frank Bodani

Penn State recruiting is now turning heads again under Bill O’Brien. 
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The Nittany Lions, somewhat surprisingly, landed their third impressive wide receiver recruit late Tuesday evening in Delaware’s Chris Godwin. 
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While their first two receiver commitments — Pittsburgh’s Troy Apke (Woodland Hills) and North Carolina’s DeAndre Thompkins — have impressive speed and potential, Godwin is the highest-rated of the Lions’ early six verbal pledges in the Class of 2014. 
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All three receiving recruits possess standout speed.

Bill O’Brien got a big win in recruiting Tuesday night, landing four-star receiver Chris Godwin of Delaware … already the third speedy WR of the group.


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But Godwin’s skills may be a bit more refined, said Greg Pickel, a recruiting analyst with FightOnState.com.
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Godwin is 6-foot-2 and about 195 pounds and chose Penn State over offers from Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Stanford, California, Northwestern and others. He was the Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year with 42 receptions for 834 yards and 12 touchdowns. 
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He is regarded as an elite four-star prospect by the major recruiting services. 
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Posted in Bill O'Brien, Christian Hackenberg, Fans, Football, NCAA, Penn State, Recruiting | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bill O’Brien the No. 13 coach in the nation? That’s about right, for now

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Frank Bodani

Time and again, people wonder what Bill O’Brien could have done in his first year at Penn State (on the field and in recruiting) without NCAA sanctions. 
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So let’s get this out of the way: The Nittany Lions would have won at least two more games (probable 10-2 finish) and would have locked down one of the top 10 to 15 recruiting classes in the nation. 
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They would have gone to a pretty good bowl game, too.

National Coach of the Year winner Bill O’Brien leads his team onto the field before the Blue-White Game.

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And O’Brien would have received lots of feel-good publicity. 
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And yet .¤.¤. 
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Posted in Awards/honors, Bill O'Brien, bowl game, coaching staff, Football, Jerry Sandusky, NCAA, Penn State, Recruiting | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment