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Recruiting tidbit... truly astounding

N&B4PSU

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Just took a quick peek at the '22 team recruiting.

ND at #2 has 3 players with a rating of 5.9 At #3, we have 4.

#1 osu also has 4.

Of course, they also have SIX (6) kids rated at 6 or better. Jeez.

Not sure if this is the best osu class of all time but it's freaking impressive.

So if we have kids who plan to make a statement when they get here... they're sure as hell gonna have their chance.
 
Just took a quick peek at the '22 team recruiting.

ND at #2 has 3 players with a rating of 5.9 At #3, we have 4.

#1 osu also has 4.

Of course, they also have SIX (6) kids rated at 6 or better. Jeez.

Not sure if this is the best osu class of all time but it's freaking impressive.

So if we have kids who plan to make a statement when they get here... they're sure as hell gonna have their chance.
If OSU lands most of the kids they appear to be the leader for -- or at least in a good spot to get -- then their 2022 class could wind up #1 all-time (ahead of 2021 Alabama and 2021 OSU). They're at 286 points already with only 17 commits -- and they're expecting to land about 9-10 more.

They benefit from having elite recruiters at several positions -- particularly WR, DL, and secondary. And guys who have stayed on the staff for years. That's the key.
 
Just took a quick peek at the '22 team recruiting.

ND at #2 has 3 players with a rating of 5.9 At #3, we have 4.

#1 osu also has 4.

Of course, they also have SIX (6) kids rated at 6 or better. Jeez.

Not sure if this is the best osu class of all time but it's freaking impressive.

So if we have kids who plan to make a statement when they get here... they're sure as hell gonna have their chance.

Yes, There should be no lack of challenge or motivation or confidence and these commits seem really focused.
 
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I’d $uggest there are other bigger key$ to their recruiting $ucce$$
Yes and of course PSU's 2022 recruiting is white hot. Therefore someone has to point out that Ohio St is buying higher rated recruits than we have recruited. I don't care about the kids that Ohio St bought, they are often a different type of recruit. For example, they have recruited how many top 100 WRs in the last few cycles? Great, but this is causing a bunch of them to portal. They are just not Penn St recruits.

Ohio St's program is a business. Penn State's is a family.
 
I’d $uggest there are other bigger key$ to their recruiting $ucce$$
Money certainly plays a role when you consider the $ they're investing in assembling an elite staff, for one. Their LB coach was offered the DC position at Tennessee, and turned it down after OSU gave him more money. The ability to keep a staff loaded with elite recruiters is huge.

But if the implication is that the difference between them and us is that they're paying for recruits.......well, did Larry Johnson buy the stud DEs he got while at PSU? Did we buy the recruits that picked PSU over OSU?

Sometimes I wonder if people who resort to the "paying recruits" argument think through the logical implications of what they're alleging.
 
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Money certainly plays a role when you consider the $ they're investing in assembling an elite staff, for one. Their LB coach was offered the DC position at Tennessee, and turned it down after OSU gave him more money. The ability to keep a staff loaded with elite recruiters is huge.

But if the implication is that the difference between them and us is that they're paying for recruits.......well, did Larry Johnson buy the stud DEs he got while at PSU? Did we buy the recruits that picked PSU over OSU?

Sometimes I wonder if people who resort to the "paying recruits" argument think through the logical implications of what they're alleging.
To your point, I hadn’t thought it through. I also know that accusing tosu of cheating is low hanging fruit, but considering it’s Sunday morning, I just went for the quick (lazy) laugh I suppose. Deserved or not, tosu has a reputation, and it’s not just PSU fans who think it. As long as they keep winning, I suppose they don’t care what others think, but it’s still there.
 
To your point, I hadn’t thought it through. I also know that accusing tosu of cheating is low hanging fruit, but considering it’s Sunday morning, I just went for the quick (lazy) laugh I suppose. Deserved or not, tosu has a reputation, and it’s not just PSU fans who think it. As long as they keep winning, I suppose they don’t care what others think, but it’s still there.
That's fair, and I've made the cheating allegations before, too.

OSU has certainly been caught before during the Tressel era -- Maurice Clarett has spoken openly about it. But as a general rule, I think the argument is used way too often.......and it's always applied to others but never us. Which is why I noted that people on here accuse LJ of cheating without recognizing that LJ was at Joe's side for 15 years. Was he cheating here, too?

I just prefer to be very cautious when accusing kids and their families of cheating without any actual evidence. We all know how we'd feel if a bunch of Pitt fans accused Fearbry and his family of getting paid, for instance. In reality, there are many legit reasons why a kid would be attracted to PSU over Pitt.
 
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If OSU lands most of the kids they appear to be the leader for -- or at least in a good spot to get -- then their 2022 class could wind up #1 all-time (ahead of 2021 Alabama and 2021 OSU). They're at 286 points already with only 17 commits -- and they're expecting to land about 9-10 more.

They benefit from having elite recruiters at several positions -- particularly WR, DL, and secondary. And guys who have stayed on the staff for years. That's the key.

they do a great job, and next to Bama, set the standard in recruiting success. This largely then translates to the field, as better players get more wins. In the last ten years, they have also been fortunate to start each year with a proven stud QB that fits their system, which has also helped them.

Do you think they have guys staying on their staff for years? I don't have data, but they seem to have big names exiting, including the HQ a few years ago, DC's and OC's turnover. Not sure how their stability of staff compares to ours.
 
they do a great job, and next to Bama, set the standard in recruiting success. This largely then translates to the field, as better players get more wins. In the last ten years, they have also been fortunate to start each year with a proven stud QB that fits their system, which has also helped them.

Do you think they have guys staying on their staff for years? I don't have data, but they seem to have big names exiting, including the HQ a few years ago, DC's and OC's turnover. Not sure how their stability of staff compares to ours.

They've definitely had some big losses -- Jeff Hafley being the most impactful. And of course the likes of Fickell, Ash, Herman, Schiano, etc.

Larry Johnson has been there nearly 10 years now. Kerry Coombs on and off for about the past 10 years -- he has put 8 DBs into the 1st round during that span. Their OL coach has been there for about 5 years. Brian Hartline about 4 years now. Kevin Wilson about 4-5 years. Their RB coach about 6 years or so -- and he turned down a chance to be HC at Colorado State to stay as a position coach at OSU. And so on.

They've been crazy successful at keeping position coaches in place, even passing on big time coordinator or G5 HC gigs. That kind of stability is huge.
 
They've been crazy successful at keeping position coaches in place, even passing on big time coordinator or G5 HC gigs. That kind of stability is huge.
I think you hit the key to their recruiting success. If you listen to recruits on why many of them chose a school, a big part of it is their relationship with the assistant / position coach.

As for the cheating part, it's comical in the sense that I travel all around different conferences and sites and the same accusations go on everywhere. Go the the ACC boards and Dabo and Clemson are the most underhanded cheaters out there. Same with Oklahoma in the Big 12. And as much as some points fingers at OSU in the B1G, it's nothing compared to how the SEC hammers Saban and Alabama in the SEC. My God, you would think Saban is Lucifer himself. I really believe Saban is at the point where he doesn't have to cheat - his success speaks for itself when it comes to recruiting. Same with the others as all have dominated their conferences for a few years now,

But in reality - ask yourself - if schools like Alabama, Clemson, OSU, Oklahoma, and to a lesser degree recently - Oregon - were all the widespread cheaters as opposing fans claim they are, don't you think opposing coaches and schools would turn them in ? Recruits talk especially after they select a final school. Just ask Phil Fulmer if he feels safe in Alabama after all these years. And don't kid yourself, if Harbaugh and Michigan had proof, they'd drop a dime on OSU IN A HEARTBEAT. Just the nature of the beast
 
I think you hit the key to their recruiting success. If you listen to recruits on why many of them chose a school, a big part of it is their relationship with the assistant / position coach.

As for the cheating part, it's comical in the sense that I travel all around different conferences and sites and the same accusations go on everywhere. Go the the ACC boards and Dabo and Clemson are the most underhanded cheaters out there. Same with Oklahoma in the Big 12. And as much as some points fingers at OSU in the B1G, it's nothing compared to how the SEC hammers Saban and Alabama in the SEC. My God, you would think Saban is Lucifer himself. I really believe Saban is at the point where he doesn't have to cheat - his success speaks for itself when it comes to recruiting. Same with the others as all have dominated their conferences for a few years now,

But in reality - ask yourself - if schools like Alabama, Clemson, OSU, Oklahoma, and to a lesser degree recently - Oregon - were all the widespread cheaters as opposing fans claim they are, don't you think opposing coaches and schools would turn them in ? Recruits talk especially after they select a final school. Just ask Phil Fulmer if he feels safe in Alabama after all these years. And don't kid yourself, if Harbaugh and Michigan had proof, they'd drop a dime on OSU IN A HEARTBEAT. Just the nature of the beast
Wolvie, I agree with much of what you say except for the dime dropping. Coaches are extremely hesitant to openly and “officially” accuse their counterparts of cheating for multiple reasons.

1. Few coaching positions are lifetime jobs, and being branded as a rat usually isn’t a positive.
2. Because of the macho nature of the job, whining about your competition would be less than manly.
3. Due to what I believe is a pretty universal winking of the rules in the profession, the old those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones adage applies.
4. Finally and most importantly, what’s the point? Whistle blowing only works if there is a ruling body both capable of and interested in enforcing rules. In the landmark case of “The University of North Carolina vs Every Reasonable and Honest Person in the World” the NCAA clearly stated their position in the matter.
 
so the rich get richer will pay players a ton of money to come to their school to just play football,oh well!
 
Wolvie, I agree with much of what you say except for the dime dropping. Coaches are extremely hesitant to openly and “officially” accuse their counterparts of cheating for multiple reasons.

1. Few coaching positions are lifetime jobs, and being branded as a rat usually isn’t a positive.
2. Because of the macho nature of the job, whining about your competition would be less than manly.
3. Due to what I believe is a pretty universal winking of the rules in the profession, the old those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones adage applies.
4. Finally and most importantly, what’s the point? Whistle blowing only works if there is a ruling body both capable of and interested in enforcing rules. In the landmark case of “The University of North Carolina vs Every Reasonable and Honest Person in the World” the NCAA clearly stated their position in the matter.

It's not done in the open and there is often more than one coach involved. Ask Frank Beamer if he knows who ratted out VaDreck over Kevin Jones. He'll probably come up with a list.
 
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But if the implication is that the difference between them and us is that they're paying for recruits.......well, did Larry Johnson buy the stud DEs he got while at PSU? Did we buy the recruits that picked PSU over OSU?

Sometimes I wonder if people who resort to the "paying recruits" argument think through the logical implications of what they're alleging.
He obviously bought everyone he's landed at OSU, but was completely clean here...if you aren't beating your rival on the field, then the fanboys need to accuse them of cheating.
 
Money certainly plays a role when you consider the $ they're investing in assembling an elite staff, for one. Their LB coach was offered the DC position at Tennessee, and turned it down after OSU gave him more money. The ability to keep a staff loaded with elite recruiters is huge.

But if the implication is that the difference between them and us is that they're paying for recruits.......well, did Larry Johnson buy the stud DEs he got while at PSU? Did we buy the recruits that picked PSU over OSU?

Sometimes I wonder if people who resort to the "paying recruits" argument think through the logical implications of what they're alleging.
I believe the OSU W/L record speaks volumes to recruits. We have to beat them more consistently on the field to catch them in recruiting. PSU's "feather in the cap" is development and family atmosphere. However, NIL access/results will now become a very big issue for the 4 & 5 star players which is a big hurdle for PSU. Ibdon't like NIL but it is now a major part of the recruiting pitch. Interesting to watch and compare the NIL results for PSU players vs other programs.
 
I think you hit the key to their recruiting success. If you listen to recruits on why many of them chose a school, a big part of it is their relationship with the assistant / position coach.

As for the cheating part, it's comical in the sense that I travel all around different conferences and sites and the same accusations go on everywhere. Go the the ACC boards and Dabo and Clemson are the most underhanded cheaters out there. Same with Oklahoma in the Big 12. And as much as some points fingers at OSU in the B1G, it's nothing compared to how the SEC hammers Saban and Alabama in the SEC. My God, you would think Saban is Lucifer himself. I really believe Saban is at the point where he doesn't have to cheat - his success speaks for itself when it comes to recruiting. Same with the others as all have dominated their conferences for a few years now,

But in reality - ask yourself - if schools like Alabama, Clemson, OSU, Oklahoma, and to a lesser degree recently - Oregon - were all the widespread cheaters as opposing fans claim they are, don't you think opposing coaches and schools would turn them in ? Recruits talk especially after they select a final school. Just ask Phil Fulmer if he feels safe in Alabama after all these years. And don't kid yourself, if Harbaugh and Michigan had proof, they'd drop a dime on OSU IN A HEARTBEAT. Just the nature of the beast

Absolutely correct.

Harbaugh reported Ryan Day for apparently allowing an assistant to have a workout with kids outside of permitted coaching time. If he had evidence of cheating on the recruiting trail, he'd absolutely bring it up.

I agree with you on Saban and not having to cheat. That same standard probably applies to OSU and schools like Oklahoma (for offensive recruits). Their reputations for churning out elite talents and winning are crazy attractive to recruits. The programs that attract attention are the Ole Miss type programs that suddenly land a bunch of 5* kids out of the blue.

The cheating allegations happen everywhere. Go to Eleven Warriors -- they'll accuse Bama of buying a kid that picked Alabama over OSU, for instance. Ironically, allegations of cheating almost always flow upward -- weaker teams accusing stronger teams. You don't see OSU fans accusing Maryland of cheating, for instance.

It's a great way to rationalize one's place in the pecking order. The teams better than my team cheat. We, on the other hand, are the very best of those who do it fair and square.
 
The cheating allegations happen everywhere. Go to Eleven Warriors -- they'll accuse Bama of buying a kid that picked Alabama over OSU, for instance. Ironically, allegations of cheating almost always flow upward -- weaker teams accusing stronger teams. You don't see OSU fans accusing Maryland of cheating, for instance.

It's a great way to rationalize one's place in the pecking order. The teams better than my team cheat. We, on the other hand, are the very best of those who do it fair and square.
Hell, on the basketball side, when we started recruiting better than in the past by landing guys like Carr and Stevens, fans of teams like St Joe's and Temple were accusing us of paying players because we were rising in the pecking order above where they thought we should fall.
 
It's not done in the open and there is often more than one coach involved. Ask Frank Beamer if he knows who ratted out VaDreck over Kevin Jones. He'll probably come up with a list.
I’m not saying ratting out doesn’t happen. It’s just that the incidents are rare compared to the “assumed, actual, imagined, verifiable” acts of line crossing in college football. I’m certain that coaches are often pleased when another program is accused as long as they don’t have to be on record as the accuser.
 
There is no question that a huge mistake was made in letting LJ walk.

Interesting tidbit from the 2021 class.

The number 1 and number 4 recruits are OSU DEs
The number 2 and 3 recruits are Alabama OTs

Some very interesting potential future play off matchups there.
 
This is the beauty of the portal. Half those kids will be in the portal if they are not satisfied with their roles. As much as I hate the portal, I do believe it will help even the playing field.
 
There is no question that a huge mistake was made in letting LJ walk.

Interesting tidbit from the 2021 class.

The number 1 and number 4 recruits are OSU DEs
The number 2 and 3 recruits are Alabama OTs

Some very interesting potential future play off matchups there.

PSU made the right call hiring Franklin over LJ -- can't really blame either side from what transpired afterward. I know LJ was offered his same position, although I know that's not satisfying after serving as interim HC. Definitely the biggest assistant coaching loss we've suffered in ages. He's truly the GOAT at his position.

Those two DEs he's bringing in are going to be a serious problem.
 
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If OSU lands most of the kids they appear to be the leader for -- or at least in a good spot to get -- then their 2022 class could wind up #1 all-time (ahead of 2021 Alabama and 2021 OSU). They're at 286 points already with only 17 commits -- and they're expecting to land about 9-10 more.

They benefit from having elite recruiters at several positions -- particularly WR, DL, and secondary. And guys who have stayed on the staff for years. That's the key.
You mean like Yurcich?
 
Money certainly plays a role when you consider the $ they're investing in assembling an elite staff, for one. Their LB coach was offered the DC position at Tennessee, and turned it down after OSU gave him more money. The ability to keep a staff loaded with elite recruiters is huge.

But if the implication is that the difference between them and us is that they're paying for recruits.......well, did Larry Johnson buy the stud DEs he got while at PSU? Did we buy the recruits that picked PSU over OSU?

Sometimes I wonder if people who resort to the "paying recruits" argument think through the logical implications of what they're alleging.

That's fair, and I've made the cheating allegations before, too.

OSU has certainly been caught before during the Tressel era -- Maurice Clarett has spoken openly about it. But as a general rule, I think the argument is used way too often.......and it's always applied to others but never us. Which is why I noted that people on here accuse LJ of cheating without recognizing that LJ was at Joe's side for 15 years. Was he cheating here, too?

I just prefer to be very cautious when accusing kids and their families of cheating without any actual evidence. We all know how we'd feel if a bunch of Pitt fans accused Fearbry and his family of getting paid, for instance. In reality, there are many legit reasons why a kid would be attracted to PSU over Pitt.

I think you hit the key to their recruiting success. If you listen to recruits on why many of them chose a school, a big part of it is their relationship with the assistant / position coach.

As for the cheating part, it's comical in the sense that I travel all around different conferences and sites and the same accusations go on everywhere. Go the the ACC boards and Dabo and Clemson are the most underhanded cheaters out there. Same with Oklahoma in the Big 12. And as much as some points fingers at OSU in the B1G, it's nothing compared to how the SEC hammers Saban and Alabama in the SEC. My God, you would think Saban is Lucifer himself. I really believe Saban is at the point where he doesn't have to cheat - his success speaks for itself when it comes to recruiting. Same with the others as all have dominated their conferences for a few years now,

But in reality - ask yourself - if schools like Alabama, Clemson, OSU, Oklahoma, and to a lesser degree recently - Oregon - were all the widespread cheaters as opposing fans claim they are, don't you think opposing coaches and schools would turn them in ? Recruits talk especially after they select a final school. Just ask Phil Fulmer if he feels safe in Alabama after all these years. And don't kid yourself, if Harbaugh and Michigan had proof, they'd drop a dime on OSU IN A HEARTBEAT. Just the nature of the beast

Wolvie, I agree with much of what you say except for the dime dropping. Coaches are extremely hesitant to openly and “officially” accuse their counterparts of cheating for multiple reasons.

1. Few coaching positions are lifetime jobs, and being branded as a rat usually isn’t a positive.
2. Because of the macho nature of the job, whining about your competition would be less than manly.
3. Due to what I believe is a pretty universal winking of the rules in the profession, the old those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones adage applies.
4. Finally and most importantly, what’s the point? Whistle blowing only works if there is a ruling body both capable of and interested in enforcing rules. In the landmark case of “The University of North Carolina vs Every Reasonable and Honest Person in the World” the NCAA clearly stated their position in the matter.

It's not done in the open and there is often more than one coach involved. Ask Frank Beamer if he knows who ratted out VaDreck over Kevin Jones. He'll probably come up with a list.

So, @Art knows. Cheating happens. And it has cost us some recruits. I know this for a fact, at least during the Paterno years when I had some connections.

I've heard first-hand accounts of schools/boosters offering vehicles to recruits... sometimes they present it in a way that makes the recruit and his family believe it's a legitimate perk ("the vehicle comes out of the 'scholarship money' that is allocated to you").

I know for a fact that there have been some very high-profile recruits that were supposed to sign with Penn State but went the other way when the "bag" was presented. Basically what happens in these scenarios is a competing school offers an incentive, and the recruit goes back to PSU asking if they will match. In the examples that I know, with high-profile recruits, PSU says no and goes dark on the recruit after months/years of recruiting efforts.

As for the questions about LJ, he himself has had to say no to recruits who asked PSU to match. PSU wouldn't even have that conversation and simply walked away.

LJ signed some very good players at PSU, but even he never really signed the ultra-elite, 5-star players that he's signing on the reg at OSU.

I do believe OSU has traditionally offered the most "enhanced" packages possible in every way... can't really speak to Urban Meyer or Ryan Day, but I suspect tradition rules the day at OSU. Either way, they have an excellent product to pitch as regular playoff participants but the expansion should make PSU one of the biggest and most immediate beneficiaries.

Also, now that NIL rules are in effect, maybe that gives other schools a chance to compete on a more level playing field. Hard to say, time will tell. SEC donors have fewer resources available at their disposal than us, but they are culturally more inclined to play the money game.
 
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This is the beauty of the portal. Half those kids will be in the portal if they are not satisfied with their roles. As much as I hate the portal, I do believe it will help even the playing field.
I agree that the portal, for better or worse, allows players not satisfied with their positions to quickly change. However, I think there’s 1 big caveat to that rule- they will change, unless they’re on a team always in the playoff hunt.

So player X at Penn St, or Iowa, Texas A&M, etc may change on a whim but I don’t think you’re going to see many ditch Bama, Clemson, Ohio St, unless they are transferring from 1 of those schools to another.

Not saying it won’t happen but I think they’ll be much more willing to stay given a playoff appearance each year.
 
This is the beauty of the portal. Half those kids will be in the portal if they are not satisfied with their roles. As much as I hate the portal, I do believe it will help even the playing field.
I'd love to believe that but here is my counterpoint...

osu (at the moment, btw) has 10 players in the 5.9+ category and we have 4 (ND 3). If osu loses 4 to the portal and we lose 2.... ya get my drift. I fully expect by sign-in time we'll have 6 and they will have 15. We lose half and they lose 6.... still a lot of big time studs over there.

I'm hopeful the portal evens things out but I suspect big * schools will be just fine and the rest of us will scratch and claw.

Until we beat osu on the field in back-to-back years, it's a tough sled.
 
So, @Art knows. Cheating happens. And it has cost us some recruits. I know this for a fact, at least during the Paterno years when I had some connections.

I've heard first-hand accounts of schools/boosters offering vehicles to recruits... sometimes they present it in a way that makes the recruit and his family believe it's a legitimate perk ("the vehicle comes out of the 'scholarship money' that is allocated to you").

I know for a fact that there have been some very high-profile recruits that were supposed to sign with Penn State but went the other way when the "bag" was presented. Basically what happens in these scenarios is a competing school offers an incentive, and the recruit goes back to PSU asking if they will match. In the examples that I know, with high-profile recruits, PSU says no and goes dark on the recruit after months/years of recruiting efforts.

As for the questions about LJ, he himself has had to say no to recruits who asked PSU to match. PSU wouldn't even have that conversation and simply walked away.

LJ signed some very good players at PSU, but even he never really signed the ultra-elite, 5-star players that he's signing on the reg at OSU.

I do believe OSU has traditionally offered the most "enhanced" packages possible in every way... can't really speak to Urban Meyer or Ryan Day, but I suspect tradition rules the day at OSU. Either way, they have an excellent product to pitch as regular playoff participants but the expansion should make PSU one of the biggest and most immediate beneficiaries.

Also, now that NIL rules are in effect, maybe that gives other schools a chance to compete on a more level playing field. Hard to say, time will tell. SEC donors have fewer resources available at their disposal than us, but they are culturally more inclined to play the money game.
Sure, cheating happens, but it doesn't the way folks here think it does. People who have the kind of money thrown around here don't give it away. Hell, Chip Kelly had the consideration for Lache Seastrunk and LaMichael James charged to Oregon.

BTW, shit happens at PSU, too.
 
I'd love to believe that but here is my counterpoint...

osu (at the moment, btw) has 10 players in the 5.9+ category and we have 4 (ND 3). If osu loses 4 to the portal and we lose 2.... ya get my drift. I fully expect by sign-in time we'll have 6 and they will have 15. We lose half and they lose 6.... still a lot of big time studs over there.

I'm hopeful the portal evens things out but I suspect big * schools will be just fine and the rest of us will scratch and claw.

Until we beat osu on the field in back-to-back years, it's a tough sled.

Yeap.

The first step is signing student-athletes who can play football, go to class and represent Penn State University in the community. And that's exactly what James Franklin has been doing from Day 1. This year, he is assembling what might go down as his greatest class at Penn State.

From there, systems, coaching, lifting, nutrition, practice and development turn this raw product into a cohesive football machine. CJF strikes me as exceptional in these categories.

Then you have game planning, schemes and execution.

People might be surprised to see how good our defense has statistically been under @Art's favorite guy Brent Pry, but they've been damn good. Nobody will forget those extremely unlikely (dare I say "fluke?") plays that OSU pulled off against us in the 4th quarter in back to back years, nor Indiana and others last year... hard to say if it's a scheme problem, game planning, execution or just plain bad luck.

Ultimately, you'd like to have some talented players dictating the outcome of those games. OSU is signing more of them, so we have to make up it in other ways.

Historically, CJF has "played up" to OSU's level when we go head-to-head with the Buckeyes, but the 1-5 record doesn't really reflect that. Should be 3-4 despite the sanctions or 2-5 at worst, but OSU is in the prime of their program whereas we've been digging out of unjust obstacles.

All that being said, look at the recent hires James Franklin has made. They're all extremely promising. Look at his recruiting. Extremely promising. I have a feeling that practice is about to become a thousand times more meaningful now that coronavirus is no longer a factor. CJF always aspired to create "the most competitive atmosphere in college football." Well, thanks to CV19, position groups were not allowed to compete against each other. Practice should be different to his summer.

Last, Wisconsin's going to be a tough out on the road for our season opener. Would be thrilled if we could somehow get that win, but if we don't I hope our fans ride with this team as Mike Yurcich installs a new offense and gives us a chance to heat Auburn and perhaps make some noise after that.

Ultimately, this Class of 2022 will be sophomores when the college football playoff expands to 12 teams, so lots to look forward to for the Nittany Lions in coming years!
 
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Sure, cheating happens, but it doesn't the way folks here think it does. People who have the kind of money thrown around here don't give it away. Hell, Chip Kelly had the consideration for Lache Seastrunk and LaMichael James charged to Oregon.

BTW, shit happens at PSU, too.

Yes, but in your previous example, you're saying money (and/or "benefits") was the deciding factor for a recruit that everyone expected to sign with PSU. And everyone lost their shit when he didn't. Agree or disagree?

This is kind of what we've been up against with a few programs in head-to-head recruiting battles, and not just the usual suspects. Not sure if we should feel more or less at ease with these new NIL rules in place.

Either way, winning solves everything, but that's a never-ending debate about what comes first -- the chicken or the egg.
 
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