Have to hope that the team gets more contribution on the field from 2024 portal players than the 2023 group

[GregInPitt]

Was looking at the 2023 group, Collins, Ford, Potts, McClain, Cephas, Duck, Thompson.

Big Contributors:
Thompson (2023 starting punter with eligibiity remaining)
Potts (3rd string RB, very solid when called upon)

Jury still out:
Colins (young player - only got a couple plays and I saw Franklin chew him out after one of them. He either makes a big move this Winter/Spring or gets blown away by young talent at CB.
Ford (year lost due to injury, likely in 2024 DT rotation)
McClain (showed talent but never seemed to bumble the game chances he got)

"Ducks":
Duck
Cephas

 

[bdgan]

Was looking at the 2023 group, Collins, Ford, Potts, McClain, Cephas, Duck, Thompson.

Big Contributors:
Thompson (2023 starting punter with eligibiity remaining)
Potts (3rd string RB, very solid when called upon)

Jury still out:
Colins (young player - only got a couple plays and I saw Franklin chew him out after one of them. He either makes a big move this Winter/Spring or gets blown away by young talent at CB.
Ford (year lost due to injury, likely in 2024 DT rotation)
McClain (showed talent but never seemed to bumble the game chances he got)

"Ducks":
Duck
Cephas

Crazy question but is there any chance Cephas returns? He hasn't announced a destination and he'll have trouble learning the playbook anywhere else.

As for the others:

CB Harris better be the real deal or PSU is in trouble.
CB Kimber isn't as highly rated but PSU loses their top 3 CBs so he'll get a shot.
WR Fleming is still rated 4* but that's a drop from when he was a HS prospect.
OL Rucci is also rated 4* but down from when he was a HS prospect.

IMO all 4 have to make an impact in order for PSU to make the playoffs.

 

[bcspsu]

Crazy question but is there any chance Cephas returns? He hasn't announced a destination and he'll have trouble learning the playbook anywhere else.

As for the others:

CB Harris better be the real deal or PSU is in trouble.
CB Kimber isn't as highly rated but PSU loses their top 3 CBs so he'll get a shot.
WR Fleming is still rated 4* but that's a drop from when he was a HS prospect.
OL Rucci is also rated 4* but down from when he was a HS prospect.

IMO all 4 have to make an impact in order for PSU to make the playoffs.

At least all of the players you mentioned have played for elite or solid programs against the very best competition in college football. They obviously have some predigree or they wouldn't have been at those programs. Therefore, I'm hopeful that they'll find their "game" at PSU more than they did at their original schools.

 

[Psubiomed]

Crazy question but is there any chance Cephas returns? He hasn't announced a destination and he'll have trouble learning the playbook anywhere else.

As for the others:

CB Harris better be the real deal or PSU is in trouble.
CB Kimber isn't as highly rated but PSU loses their top 3 CBs so he'll get a shot.
WR Fleming is still rated 4* but that's a drop from when he was a HS prospect.
OL Rucci is also rated 4* but down from when he was a HS prospect.

IMO all 4 have to make an impact in order for PSU to make the playoffs.

Why would PSU bring back Cephas after he slammed the program on his way out the door?

Only getting Fleming is a failure by the way. They needed 3 and only got one, leaving them with Fleming, little Clifford, and jack $hit. Pathetic.

 

[bdgan]

Why would PSU bring back Cephas after he slammed the program on his way out the door?

Only getting Fleming is a failure by the way. They needed 3 and only got one, leaving them with Fleming, little Clifford, and jack $hit. Pathetic.

I'm still confused about what happened to KLS. I assumed he was in the dog house but he didn't enter the portal.

I think Wallace is good over the middle when healthy. We'll see.

Evans still has time to improve and Ivey will have a year with the team under his belt.

I've got to believe at least 1 of those 4 will step up this year. If not something is really wrong.

 

[Psubiomed]

I'm still confused about what happened to KLS. I assumed he was in the dog house but he didn't enter the portal.

I think Wallace is good over the middle when healthy. We'll see.

Evans still has time to improve and Ivey will have a year with the team under his belt.

I've got to believe at least 1 of those 4 will step up this year. If not something is really wrong.

KLS had his jersey framed, but I guess we can now consider that as NOT a guarantee a kid is leaving. Wallace has proven nothing other than being injury prone. Frankly it would surprise me if he ever plays again, he's made of glass. Cephas, as it turns out, was the locker room cancer everyone thought KLS was. Evans has done nothing other than two long catches against Ohio U and a broken Sparty.

I don't see anything next year to be positive about other than Julian, and MAYBE a brand new KLS, and maybe little Cliff catching 2 or 3 first downs per game. They failed in the portal for the second straight year.

AK will need to save the day with magic, for psu to get to 10-2.

 

[GregInPitt]

Crazy question but is there any chance Cephas returns? He hasn't announced a destination and he'll have trouble learning the playbook anywhere else.

As for the others:

CB Harris better be the real deal or PSU is in trouble.
CB Kimber isn't as highly rated but PSU loses their top 3 CBs so he'll get a shot.
WR Fleming is still rated 4* but that's a drop from when he was a HS prospect.
OL Rucci is also rated 4* but down from when he was a HS prospect.

IMO all 4 have to make an impact in order for PSU to make the playoffs.

They could bring him back. But I don't see it happening. Franklin said from the beginning of the portal that if a player is lookin, so is he. And there is only so much practice practice time, so many practice reps, and so much coaching to go around. I believe PSU has moved on from Cephas and will spend the staff's energy and practice time getting Flemming and any other incoming WR transfers that happen to come to PSU ready, continuing to develop the young WR's returning, and evaluating the 2024 class WR's to see if any of them can help in 2024 as they show up on campus.

Kimber does not look to be as physical as Harris or in the mold of how PSU likes their outside CB's, but he has started college games and that experience may get him on the field in 2024 even if it's in the slot.

It would seem that Rucci would get right into the fray of competition for OT playing time during the practices and preparation between now and the 2024 season, along with Shelton, Williams, Donkoh, Onoh and maybe some others. Hope we get some feedback on how that group begins sorting out towards the end of Spring practices.

 

[ryoder1]

I'm still confused about what happened to KLS. I assumed he was in the dog house but he didn't enter the portal.

I think Wallace is good over the middle when healthy. We'll see.

Evans still has time to improve and Ivey will have a year with the team under his belt.

I've got to believe at least 1 of those 4 will step up this year. If not something is really wrong.

That is what we thought this year. I am hopeful the WRs you mention are actually better than their on-field performance has shown and the issue has been Allar and a poor passing scheme. Obviously then with the new OC we need Allar to develop into what we all thought he could be (All B10 caliber QB) and the OC can construct a passing game that gets WRs open.

 

[bcspsu]

Sadly, we won't get the portal boost that many of our top opponents get. We just don't play the portal game the way elite teams do. We look for top performers from a level down or naturally talented players that didn't pan out at top schools. Meanwhile, Ohio St and Michigan are stealing all conference level starters from major programs. I think it's more than NIL although that is a significant factor. Franklin has alluded to other programs tampering with rosters. I think top portal classes are at least partially a product of that. Franklin doesn't believe in that.

Weren’t impact players like Chop Robinson, Johnny Dixon and even Mitchell Tinsley all portal players? Also, Franklin up to now is bringing in five to six portal players, most from elite programs, and probably will bring in a few more in the spring. So, Franklin has played and is playing the portal game.

How many portal players do you want Franklin to bring in after each season? I believe that he has done a decent job supplementing perceived holes in the roster while mainly relying on our recruiting classes like OSU and Michigan do, which I believe is the best way to build a program. I mean, if you recruit well, you shouldn’t need to bring in a bunch of portal players like CU did last season, and look at how that worked for them.

 

[bdgan]

if you recruit well, you shouldn’t need to bring in a bunch of portal players like CU did last season, and look at how that worked for them.

CU spent all of their NIL money on Sanders and Hunter so the rest weren't very good.

 

[bcspsu]

CU spent all of their NIL money on Sanders and Hunter so the rest weren't very good.

Yes, which solidifies my point that if you are going to rely on a bunch of portal players, you're probably going to be disappointed with the results. I believe that programs like PSU should use the portal judiciously to plug a few holes, but not to build a program, because the vast majority of portal players, especially at the elite programs, are portal players because they weren't starters or getting significant playing time, which means that they probably aren't going to be impact players.

 

[bdgan]

Yes, which solidifies my point that if you are going to rely on a bunch of portal players, you're probably going to be disappointed with the results. I believe that programs like PSU should use the portal judiciously to plug a few holes, but not to build a program, because the vast majority of portal players, especially at the elite programs, are portal players because they weren't starters or getting significant playing time, which means that they probably aren't going to be impact players.

I agree with that but you'd like to think PSU would be an attractive destination for a top 10 WR or OL. Indiana, Indiana, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Rutgers all picked up higher rated WRs than PSU.

 

[bcspsu]

I agree with that but you'd like to think PSU would be an attractive destination for a top 10 WR or OL. Indiana, Indiana, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Rutgers all picked up higher rated WRs than PSU.

I expect that a few more portal players will come to PSU in the spring based on how the coaches perceive the strengths and weaknesses of the roster after spring practice.

 

[bdgan]

I expect that a few more portal players will come to PSU in the spring based on how the coaches perceive the strengths and weaknesses of the roster after spring practice.

I assume most players entering the portal after spring practice have been told they're not likely to start at their current school.

 

[bcspsu]

I assume most players entering the portal after spring practice have been told they're not likely to start at their current school.

Well, at this point, you're just looking for depth.

 

[GregInPitt]

I believe Chop decided on PSU in the Spring. But that was a special case where PSU had recruited him hard when he was in H.S. and MD had been using him as a LB where as PSU believed that Chop could be a top DE. Likely a combination of Chop believing in PSU's vision as his year at MD went on and PSU's need at DE.

Franklin says that he focuses on players that PSU is familiar with due to past relationships with those players and their families which would seem to cut down on the misses as far as team culture and locker room fit. Sure he would take an instant starter that fills a need, but his plan seems to work out for team chemistry as well as adding some talent. Even Cephas, a team mate in H.S. with Hardy, was likely somewhat known to the staff. But it's still a crap shoot to a good extent as we have seen.......

 

[SR108]

Was looking at the 2023 group, Collins, Ford, Potts, McClain, Cephas, Duck, Thompson.

Big Contributors:
Thompson (2023 starting punter with eligibiity remaining)
Potts (3rd string RB, very solid when called upon)

Jury still out:
Colins (young player - only got a couple plays and I saw Franklin chew him out after one of them. He either makes a big move this Winter/Spring or gets blown away by young talent at CB.
Ford (year lost due to injury, likely in 2024 DT rotation)
McClain (showed talent but never seemed to bumble the game chances he got)

"Ducks":
Duck
Cephas

I don’t think portal transfers are promised anything other than a fair chance to compete. I would not give up on the young corners who played against Old Miss and assume the transfer players are a lock. Young players/ first time starters make mistakes. Portal players are brought in for depth and competition.

If they are better than what you already have they will play.

 

[GregInPitt]

I don’t think portal transfers are promised anything other than a fair chance to compete. I would not give up on the young corners who played against Old Miss and assume the transfer players are a lock. Young players/ first time starters make mistakes. Portal players are brought in for depth and competition.

If they are better than what you already have they will play.

I never read anything by anyone here that said anyone was giving up on the young corners that played in the Peach Bowl.

The highly touted portal player Harris seems to have much less experience than Miller, and both Tracy and Washington also seemed to develop nicely during their true freshman seasons. Payne as well, even though he redshirted, as he was mentioned last Spring as being a player to watch going forward. Miller was in nice position on a number of completions in the bowl game but he was up against an big, strong NFL level receiver. Kimber seems to have experience that rivals Miller as he started for a season. Should be nice competition and a team can't have enough CB's that can cover.

 

[LandoComando]

Was looking at the 2023 group, Collins, Ford, Potts, McClain, Cephas, Duck, Thompson.

Big Contributors:
Thompson (2023 starting punter with eligibiity remaining)
Potts (3rd string RB, very solid when called upon)

Jury still out:
Colins (young player - only got a couple plays and I saw Franklin chew him out after one of them. He either makes a big move this Winter/Spring or gets blown away by young talent at CB.
Ford (year lost due to injury, likely in 2024 DT rotation)
McClain (showed talent but never seemed to bumble the game chances he got)

"Ducks":
Duck
Cephas

Can't be much worse