2022 Transfer Portal Wish List

[GregInPitt]

I’m sure Sutherland is a great guy and hope he surprises me. But if he’s the best we got at field LB we are in trouble.

I’d give my right one for another Posluszny in the middle.

We really don't know what the staff is thinking, and there are more options than just giving the Sam LB spot to Sutherland.

Jacobs has now played some at Will, and the staff knows he is an All-B10 player at Sam. I believe playing Jacobs at Will in the bowl game and the practices that preceded that game were as much or more about creating flexibility with PSU's best returning LB than just projecting Jacobs to Will for 2022.

With the staff confident that Jacobs can play on either side, if it is the case, that allows a more open competition for the other LB's to find the best Mike and then to find the best at either Sam or Will to compliment Jacobs.

Until I hear from Franklin and Diaz that Sutherland is the 2022 starting Sam LB I'm holding out hope that he will be a backup LB and Safety and continue as special teams captain.........

 

[CbusLion10]

We really don't know what the staff is thinking, and there are more options than just giving the Sam LB spot to Sutherland.

Jacobs has now played some at Will, and the staff knows he is an All-B10 player at Sam. I believe playing Jacobs at will in the bowl game and the practices that preceded that game were as much or more about creating flexibility with PSU's best returning LB than just projecting Jacobs to Will for 2022.

With the staff confident that Jacobs can play on either side, if it is the case, that allows a more open competition for the other LB's to find the best Mike and then to find the best at either Sam or Will to compliment Jacobs.

Until I hear from Franklin an Diaz that Sutherland is the 2022 starting Sam LB I'm holding out hope that he will be a backup LB and Safety and continue as special teams captain.........

Agreed on all. The next 6 months of development for King and Elsdon will answer a lot of questions in the LB room. Earn your money, Diaz!

 

[horace19040]

Thank you for saying that. Too many people feel like a critical eval of a player means they aren't good people or aren't a hard worker when that isn't the case at all. Truth is, if we are counting on JS as a LB next year, then our LB crew is in trouble.

They are not. Happy now?

 

[GregInPitt]

Agreed on all. The next 6 months of development for King and Elsdon will answer a lot of questions in the LB room. Earn your money, Diaz!

King and Elsdon competing at Mike and/or Will, but as neither King or Elsdon look like candidates for Sam, Buddin may be the best option to compete with Sutherland at Sam if they end up wanting Jacobs at Will......

A lot of evaluation by the coaches and development by the young players between now and the end of Fall practice to determine the 3 LB's that will form the best LB unit. The question remains if there will be another addition to the competition.

 

[ryoder1]

King and Elsdon competing at Mike and/or Will, but as neither King or Elsdon look like candidates for Same, Buddin may be the best option to compete with Sutherland at Sam if they end up wanting Jacobs at Will......

A lot of evaluation by the coaches and development by the young players between now and the end of Fall practice to determine the 3 LB's that will form the best LB unit. The question remains if there will be another addition to the competition.

There is still a decent chance (50/50) that we could get a portal LB post Spring ball, right? Or has that ship sailed in terms of getting a high quality LB from the portal? Although not ideal they miss Spring practice but if they are experienced then I would think they could ramp up quickly.

Were King and Buddin both 4 stars? I think King but not Buddin? What about Elsdon?

I do not see Sutherland as one of our starting LBs. I hope the coaches don't either but unfortunately if he is all we got and/or outperforms King, Buddin and Elsdon then we have our answer barring a portal rainmaker.

So who can we blame for this precarious and uncomfortable LB room? Is this on Pry and certainly Franklin played a role in this. Diaz has his work cut out for him. Hopefully he does a great job!

 

[CbusLion10]

There is still a decent chance (50/50) that we could get a portal LB post Spring ball, right? Or has that ship sailed in terms of getting a high quality LB from the portal? Although not ideal they miss Spring practice but if they are experienced then I would think they could ramp up quickly.

Were King and Buddin both 4 stars? I think King but not Buddin? What about Elsdon?

I do not see Sutherland as one of our starting LBs. I hope the coaches don't either but unfortunately if he is all we got and/or outperforms King, Buddin and Elsdon then we have our answer barring a portal rainmaker.

So who can we blame for this precarious and uncomfortable LB room? Is this on Pry and certainly Franklin played a role in this. Diaz has his work cut out for him. Hopefully he does a great job!

Maybe after spring, but slim pickens at that point and less time to learn.

CB King was 4*, his LB brother was high 3*. Looked big and very quick in his limited action this year. Hopefully just needed time to learn the defense, has tools.

Elsdon was a low 3* I believe, but some considered him to be under the radar from a smaller school/division. Hasn’t looked like a starter this far, but shows promise in my opinion. Tough SOB.

Seems to me the recruiting is poor partially due to scholarships going to massive amounts of DB at the expense of LB numbers. Note we’ve had a lot of transfers out of the secondary..

 

[GregInPitt]

There is still a decent chance (50/50) that we could get a portal LB post Spring ball, right? Or has that ship sailed in terms of getting a high quality LB from the portal? Although not ideal they miss Spring practice but if they are experienced then I would think they could ramp up quickly.

Were King and Buddin both 4 stars? I think King but not Buddin? What about Elsdon?

I do not see Sutherland as one of our starting LBs. I hope the coaches don't either but unfortunately if he is all we got and/or outperforms King, Buddin and Elsdon then we have our answer barring a portal rainmaker.

So who can we blame for this precarious and uncomfortable LB room? Is this on Pry and certainly Franklin played a role in this. Diaz has his work cut out for him. Hopefully he does a great job!

Players will continue to go into the portal, and Franklin and his staff will continue to evaluate them to determine if any might improve the roster, so who knows.

Do stars matter once players get on campus? I don't believe so. Both King and Buddin were early offers by Franklin and Pry and both were candidates to burn their redshirts in their true freshman seasons. Isn't that more of a reflection of their potential than "stars"?

Roster management is a full time job for any team's staff, and who can really predict the decisions of 17 year olds? So I don't prefer to talk about blame.

Last season we had a pretty high pedigreed group of LB's on the field, one of the best groups ever in terms of ratings coming out of high school, with Jacobs and Smith both having some 5 star evaluations as I recall and Brooks being a 4 star as well. Yet their collective play was below par based on the expectations of LB U. And there have been years when lower rated groups (coming out of H.S.) have developed into All Americans. Sean Lee, Shane Conlan, Jack Ham...

So wouldn't it be smarter to wait until we actually see King an Buddin play a good bit more before rating them as PSU LB's? But I'll agree that we have seen enough of Sutherland, and Katshir to be pretty sure they won't be all B10 LB's at PSU....... But then again I wouldn't have predicted that Luketa would have a break out seasons after what he showed in previous seasons, but it now looks like Luketa has a great chance to be drafted and play on Sundays, and for all we know he will play some LB on Sundays.....

 

[Texas Lion]

Players will continue to go into the portal, and Franklin and his staff will continue to evaluate them to determine if any might improve the roster, so who knows.

Do stars matter once players get on campus? I don't believe so. Both King and Buddin were early offers by Franklin and Pry and both were candidates to burn their redshirts in their true freshman seasons. Isn't that more of a reflection of their potential than "stars"?

Roster management is a full time job for any team's staff, and who can really predict the decisions of 17 year olds? So I don't prefer to talk about blame. Last season we had a pretty high pedigreed group of LB's on the field, one of the best groups ever in terms of ratings coming out of high school, with Jacobs and Smith both having some 5 star evaluations as I recall and Brooks being a 4 star as well. Yet their collective play was below par based on the expectations of LB U. And there have been years when lower rated groups (coming out of H.S.) have developed into All Americans. Sean Lee, Shane Conlan, Jack Ham...
So wouldn't it be smarter to wait until we actually see King an Buddin play some before rating them? But I'll agree that we have seen enough of Sutherland, and Katshir to be pretty sure they won't be all B10 LB's at PSU....... But then again I wouldn't have predicted that Luketa would have a break out seasons after what he showed in previous seasons, but it now looks like Luketa has a great chance to be drafted and play on Sundays.....

At DE, he was still a pretty piss poor LB.

 

[ryoder1]

Players will continue to go into the portal, and Franklin and his staff will continue to evaluate them to determine if any might improve the roster, so who knows.

Do stars matter once players get on campus? I don't believe so. Both King and Buddin were early offers by Franklin and Pry and both were candidates to burn their redshirts in their true freshman seasons. Isn't that more of a reflection of their potential than "stars"?

Roster management is a full time job for any team's staff, and who can really predict the decisions of 17 year olds? So I don't prefer to talk about blame. Last season we had a pretty high pedigreed group of LB's on the field, one of the best groups ever in terms of ratings coming out of high school, with Jacobs and Smith both having some 5 star evaluations as I recall and Brooks being a 4 star as well. Yet their collective play was below par based on the expectations of LB U. And there have been years when lower rated groups (coming out of H.S.) have developed into All Americans. Sean Lee, Shane Conlan, Jack Ham...
So wouldn't it be smarter to wait until we actually see King an Buddin play some before rating them? But I'll agree that we have seen enough of Sutherland, and Katshir to be pretty sure they won't be all B10 LB's at PSU....... But then again I wouldn't have predicted that Luketa would have a break out seasons after what he showed in previous seasons, but it now looks like Luketa has a great chance to be drafted and play on Sundays.....

I agree that we should not be wedded to the star rankings after they are in the program. At that point it moves to how are they actually performing against their peers day to day. I was just wondering what their pedigree was out of HS.

It would be great to find some old school tough gritty LBs but I think they are few and far between these days. At least for Franklin and I believe all the top programs it is all about recruiting elite athletes with speed and size with the right measurables. I think intangibles like grit, toughness, heart, smarts is low down on the checklist. Not to say none of our recent LBs have had those intangibles but that is not what is earning them the scholly.

As far as the situation we are in at LB, it is Franklin's job to manage the roster, the whole roster, and ensure we don't get caught with low numbers at a certain position group. Yeah it is hard to predict what a 17 year old will do but again he gets paid $7 mill plus to get it right and manage the roster effectively.

I do think we will end up in a decent to good spot at LB for next season. Not great but certainly not a disaster. Maybe that is optimistic blind faith but there is talent there especially with King and Buddin so we need to develop them.

 

[lazydave841]

I believe that we will bring a LB in after spring practice if one presents itself. The staff might very well be more satisfied with what we have than the fans are. We can scream portal, but I've not seen any bona-fide studs in there at LB yet. Don't be hung up on HS * ratings for kids a couple years into college ball.

Key thing to watch is Jacobs this off season. If they move him to Will, he's likely to bulk up 10-15 lbs.

Another thing to remember is the amount a kid can improve from Y1 to Y2. For all the hoopla, Jacobs was wildly inconsistent as a freshman, yet was very good as a sophomore.

King, Buddin, Elsdon, and Katshir could see similar growth this off season.

Also, Diaz has rolled the dice on freshman before. So Carter and Wylie could step in sooner than later.

 

[veebs]

I believe that we will bring a LB in after spring practice if one presents itself. The staff might very well be more satisfied with what we have than the fans are. We can scream portal, but I've not seen any bona-fide studs in there at LB yet. Don't be hung up on HS * ratings for kids a couple years into college ball.

Key thing to watch is Jacobs this off season. If they move him to Will, he's likely to bulk up 10-15 lbs.

Another thing to remember is the amount a kid can improve from Y1 to Y2. For all the hoopla, Jacobs was wildly inconsistent as a freshman, yet was very good as a sophomore.

King, Buddin, Elsdon, and Katshir could see similar growth this off season.

Also, Diaz has rolled the dice on freshman before. So Carter and Wylie could step in sooner than later.

I dont see Katshir: as a starter. Hopefully one of the true freshman steps up.

 

[PSULionsDub]

I dont see Katshir: as a starter. Hopefully one of the true freshman steps up.

If Katshir and Elsdon get meaningful playing time, then it’s going to be a long season. Both are not Big Ten caliber linebackers. What was a position of strength for us just a year or two ago has turned into a position group that needs a lot of help.

 

[lazydave841]

I dont see Katshir: as a starter. Hopefully one of the true freshman steps up.

His development this year and how it equates will mean a lot. If he gets passed up on the depth chart and is #6 or #7 in the rotation then he's likely gone after '22 season.

 

[GregInPitt]

His development this year and how it equates will mean a lot. If he gets passed up on the depth chart and is #6 or #7 in the rotation then he's likely gone after '22 season.

Katshir has already been passed up on the depth chart, every year. For 2022 he would be a redshirt senior, as a member of the 2018 recruiting class. If King and Buddin make any progress at all they are very likely to pass him up, but hard to believe a player that never really held a significant role at LB for 4 years is really getting pass up. Katshir's time to make a move seems to have passed.

Hey, it would be great to see a light go on for Katshir, see him make a leap in the S&C program going into Spring practice,.... But I believe it is more likely that he is in the portal after Spring practice than him getting significant playing game time next Fall.....

The true candidates for breakout seasons, other than Jacobs, seem limited to King and Buddin, with the next tier being Wylie and Carter both true freshmen. We really need Diaz to work some magic with the PSU LB roster, especially Wylie and Carter who unfortunately won't arrive at PSU until the summer.

 

[GregInPitt]

If Katshir and Elsdon get meaningful playing time, then it’s going to be a long season. Both are not Big Ten caliber linebackers. What was a position of strength for us just a year or two ago has turned into a position group that needs a lot of help.

I agree that Katshir and Elsdon have shown about nothing to make anyone believe they are candidates to break out as above average B10 LB's in their PSU careers. But other than having Parsons on the field for something less than 2 seasons, PSU's LB's haven't been a strength for some time. Even last season with 2 former 5-star and 1 solid 4 star talent starting the LB's really did not show anything resembling the PSU units of the Sean Lee era, among others.....

 

[PSULionsDub]

I agree that Katshir and Elsdon have shown about nothing to make anyone believe they are candidates to break out as above average B10 LB's in their PSU careers. But other than having Parsons on the field for something less than 2 seasons, PSU's LB's haven't been a strength for some time. Even last season with 2 former 5-star and 1 solid 4 star talents starting the LB's really did not show anything resembling the PSU units of the Sean Lee era, among others.....

Elsdon dates the former PSU track and field athlete who used to date Julien Fleming during Fleming’s college recruiting process. I saw a recent picture of the two of them together and I have to say that Elsdon does not even look like a football player.

 

[GregInPitt]

Short but true article....

Penn State Football: James Franklin’s Roster Conundrum

Penn State Football has several holes that need to be addressed. The problem is how the current roster is hampering Franklin's efforts to fill these needs.

victorybellrings.com

 

[lazydave841]

Help maybe on the way. Be it pass rushers or LBs.

Football sees Murphy twins enter the transfer portal

Following a string of entries to the transfer portal this offseason, the football team has now lost two defensive standouts in redshirt freshman defensive ends Grayson Murphy and Gabriel Murphy. Playing in all 13 games last season, the twin brothers were key in the Mean Green defense, combining

www.ntdaily.com

We have offered both.

 

[marshall23]

This could be a key addition.

WKU's Spencer enters transfer portal

Western Kentucky’s offensive line will look much different this fall.

www.bgdailynews.com

 

[Texas Lion]

Also Tyler Sheen from Vanderbilt.