I don’t know about you guys, but to me it seems our commentariot is as unmotivated this week as the football team reportedly was this week during practice. Regardless, we still prevail – and no matter
what happens, we’ll all still win in the tailgating lots (and we’re only one week out of wrestling season!). Onto the questions!
409_Ducks asks: It would be nice to beat Indiana. Is it possible, yes. Is it likely, no.
It would shock me more than any other result so far this season. Except for maybe the UCLA loss, that was out there for me.
Darth Recon asks: Does the size of our punter give us a decided advantage in punt week?
Considering net punting is the only statistical category in which PSU has even a single logo in my Just the Stats post this week, I don’t see how Gabriel Nwosu isn’t a decided advantage. If we didn’t have him…that’d be a record-setting post, in my recollection.
Wvpsufan asks: Supposedly Penn State has talented players but the fact is that they are not playing like it. Wonder what is going on in the locker room? Is the team completely demoralized?
In sports, momentum is a HUGE thing, bigger than so many want to give credit for. It’s why a shooter has games like Andrew Funk did in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2023, or why a team that starts out 0-8 in Big Ten play can make it to the Frozen Four like the PSU hockey team did last season.
But momentum can be for negative things in sports, as well as positive. That’s why breaking bad streaks are so important to celebrate – they can turn things around. And why it’s so important to not let one loss spiral. This team let one loss spiral, and now Franklin is gone – and I’m sure that the team feels awful about it, which builds into the spiral.
Losing both their starting quarterback and starting middle linebacker can’t have helped momentum either.
kingkub asks: The NIL era has caused a lot of discussion and heartburn. What fallout do you see from the PSU efforts due to the disastrous season? Companies are definitely going to think twice before signing next years class as a result of the investment this year. Do you see another PSU QB making $3.1mil (the reported amount that Drew is making this year)?
It is far, FAR too early to make this call right now. We have no idea who the coach will be next season, let alone who will be on the team – with the transfer portal alongside the aforementioned NIL, things can change really quickly.
A very splashy hire (which is still a possibility, despite what many naysayers believe) could bring in high calibre recruits, which can bring in NIL dollars, which can bring in more high calibre recruits, etc etc. If Franklin had stayed, even if they’d won against Iowa, the disappointment of this season likely would hamper NIL more than whatever’s going to happen with our new coach and team.
UTmountainlion asks: With the vacancies piling up and everyone renegotiating contracts, it appears that the firing of CJF has started a cascade of events unforseen. I know there are a lot of people that say we are the best open job right now, but does that mean we’ll get the best coach? On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that we get anyone that could be considered an upgrade at coach this year? I’m at a 3.
Three seems low. I think we’ll have someone that could be considered a *potential* upgrade – I’m pretty confident at that (and no, Matt Rhule wouldn’t be that person). I think I’m at about a 7 for that.
There’s virtually no coaching hire that everyone would consider an upgrade that would be a good fit at Penn State. But there are many that are feasible and are great coaches that have the potential to take this team to the next level, and that level of hope is what most PSU fans are looking for, I think.
PSU1979dude asks: How time sensitive is finding the right coach? Are you concerned about letting the early signing day pass without a perm head coach? For most schools early signing day is massive
I’m nowhere near as concerned as I would have been prior to the transfer portal era. It’s not as dire having less than star-studded recruiting classes nowadays in college football, as evidenced by Penn State’s opponent this week – Indiana’s recruiting class this past year wasn’t even in the top 30, but they’re now #2. That’s encouraging.
LocalYocal asks: You are THE God of PSU. Honestly, who’s your ONE pick, right now? For arguments sake, who your #2?
I think I’d take the geeky dude from Missouri 1st (partially because I think he’d bring a couple pretty decent local QBs with him, though it’s about more than instant gratification…) and Brohm 2nd because he seems fun and successful.
I’m still on the Kalen DeBoer train. I know it’s not likely, but that would be my ideal result right now. I liked what he did at Washington, and I think he’d be a good culture fit up here (which you can’t say for most SEC coaches). He’s a good age and has been successful, with a ton of upside.
LionsfanAllan asks: I am 100 % on the Mike Elko train. As of this writing, there has been no extension, and he has not made any comment (to my knowledge) about staying at TaM. Am I just being delusional?
Maybe a little bit? He does have strong ties to Pennsylvania and the northeast, so our recruiting territory would be not unfamiliar for him. Why I think it wouldn’t be likely is the fact that A&M spent so dang much to part ways with Jimbo Fisher, that they’d likely be able to match almost anything that PSU would throw at Elko. Ultimately, it would be where Elko decides he would want to end up, and if he thinks he could have more success here than in the SEC.
As I’ve been typing this, though, I’ve started to convince myself it could happen. Who knows!?! Not us!
CaptBombs asks: If you had to pick one “focus” for the new coach what would it be?
QB developer, weird/unique offensive system, former lineman/”trenches”, defense-first, skill-position/athletes, ace recruiter?
I’ve always been a defense-first kinda gal, but I’m just tired of boring, inefficient offenses. I want something consisted and flashy and just good. It doesn’t have to be complex, but it does have to be actually point-scoring – I know, what a concept!
JayMPSU asks: Am I the only one burned out by the coaching search and all the stupid stuff surrounding it? Firing a coach that early in the season has been awful.
You are definitely not the only one (though I’m not feeling the same way). Honestly, the stuff would have been just as stupid, if not more so, had Franklin not been fired yet – the narrative would be different, but it would still be a very strong narrative. Every week, instead of hot takes on who would be the next coach, we would get hot takes on an even hotter coaching seat. I’d rather this, because there’s something worse about a not-yet-fired coach walking the sidelines when everyone knows he’s not going to be there the next season.
LocalYocal asks: So, Ms. Greene, the name “Pat Fitzgerald” has been heard with increased volume for the PSU job lately… it’s your mailbag, you have unlimited space and little to no oversight, sooo… how does that make you feel?
Please, be honest, open, complete and uncensored… we all NEED to be entertained right now.
Vomiting is my biggest fear, so this says more than my words ever could.
wvpsufan asks: What would you think about hiring the first female HC for football and who would you recommend?
Personally I would recommend my wife based on the way she yells at the TV while watching games
BTW are there any female coaches of any college men’s teams? I know that many women’s teams have male coaches.
I would love for Penn State to be the first to hire a female head coach, but I love winning more. And there’s no female coaches that have had the experience necessary to lead a program like PSU; why there haven’t been is a different conversation, but there definitely haven’t been.
As for your last question, yes there are! As of last year, 6% of NCAA mens teams are led by women (574 female coaches out of 9,291 positions.
Former_DC_Buck asks: I am your Temu Fairy godfather. Due to my nature and tariffs I can only grant you ONE wish about Drew Allar interceptions and all I can do is take away one interception but I can promise you no more interceptions for the remainder of the game. And even though my manager won’t like it I will throw in no more turnovers bu anyone on offense or special teams.
Would you like me to take away last year’s late game INT against ND or this year’s INT in the second OT against the Ducks? Why?
I’d say the one earlier this year. It’s likely recency bias, but that one changed the trajectory of the season and I’d doubt all but last week’s loss would have happened had PSU prevailed in the game against Oregon. Momentum for the season would have been in Penn State’s favor, and as stated above, there’s more to be said for that than many folks believe.
Smee asks: Ten days until Oklahoma at the BJC! Will you be doing predictions again this season?! (Please, please, pretty please!).
You bet your bottom dollar, I will! We’ll be having our first post on wrestling up on BSD this weekend (looking like Sunday), so keep your eye out!
I was watching Thursday’s Iowa dual as I started writing this mailbag, and it’s getting me hype for the season. Some of the commentary during the dual was interesting to say the least, and I’m certainly glad we’re starting our season with a higher profile dual meet than Bellarmine.
Gerry Dincher asks: If Cael Sanderson had stayed at Iowa State do you think he would have lead the Cyclones to 12 national titles since then? How frustrated would you be if you were a Cyclones fan knowing that the two of the greatest wrestlers of all time and the two greatest wrestling coaches of all time left Ames to achieve legendary status in Iowa City and State College?
He definitely would have won some, but I think 12 is a stretch. The recruiting for Iowa State, especially having to compete with Iowa, is much tougher than at Penn State, which started virtually selling itself almost immediately upon Cael’s hire here. There also aren’t many elite wrestling training centers on the east coast, so he’s been able to tap into that for post-collegiate wrestling dreams as well – also a draw that would have been more difficult to recruit to.
David Taylor would have still been with Cael, but who knows if Ed Ruth would have been – let alone all of the subsequent PA hammers that elected to stay in-commonwealth and train with the best.
kingkub asks: I see that there is an 18% chance that Dylan Mingo, the #1 point guard and #2 overall recruit in the country signs with Mike Rhodes. What are the chances that he comes to Penn State (he’s from Farmingdale NY)?
18%, or about 1 in 5 😉
48-14 asks: I notice that you’ve gotten a year older since last November, and about 10 years older over the last decade. What words of wisdom would you have given your younger self if you had the opportunity?
Don’t worry so much, and don’t be so hard on yourself. I, like so many, was incredibly hard on myself and self-deprecating (I still am, but I’ve learned to be more forgiving over the years). Also, buy Nvidia stock.
