Rojas is good but never healthy. I like Tatsch. He should have played more last year. I think you are referring to Bacon. He has a good reputation. The ISU guys seem like old school LBs. I hope they are athletic enough to play in a much more athletic league (B1G).
2027 Recruiting Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
At the most important position we were lousy. Allar is being drafted for his size and arm strength, not his play. If he played better than he did at PSU but was 6'1" with just average to above average arm strength he may not even be drafted.
DDS underperformed as a whole in his career. I think right now as I type this he is over running a play. I can't think of anyone we will really miss besides Kaytron.
Wheatley was good as well, but the secondary appears to be in good hands.
Speaking of Vega. Is this a relative?
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4-star DL Jon Ioane commits to Washington over Cal, Penn State, Stanford and UCLA
Four-star defensive lineman Jon Ioane announced his verbal commitment to the Washington Huskies on Thursday.
I like your optimism. I'm not 11-1 optimistic but I think CMC was an excellent hire and the program's future will have an upward trajectory.
Brandon Sherrard - Shadow Creek - Cornerback
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My concerns are the lines, especially DLine. I hope this is where we see the Campbell difference with physical line play but still athleticism. Really optimistic about QB and WRs. I think RB will be solid. Secondary very good. LB solid. TE excellent. Also remember, Campbell is changing the culture for the better. I think he is instilling more toughness and we will have a more gritty team unlike the softer BGJ teams.
I am still thinking 10-2 with a good shot at the playoffs but reserve the right to change that after watching the first couple of games!
Grunk as per espn rating 142.6 Allar 135.7 Becht 134.8
receiving yards Pena 552 Ecklisden 526
These stats as per ESPN are a bit concerning, as they do not predict an upgrade at QB or WR. I honestly thought PSU with its extra NIL money would make a splash with a play maker (WR) in the portal. Instead, rumor has it that a few (Rap, Rojas and Donkah and a few others) were paid up to 40% over other offers to keep them from VT.
Rocco played with an injured shoulder all year and had surgery on it immediately after season ended.
Tre Segarra - Byrnes - Running Back
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David Folorunsho - St. Patrick - Defensive Line
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Josiah Ampofo - St. John's College - Defensive Line
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Tre Segarra - Byrnes - Running Back
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He would be a really strong addition to the 2027 class. His high school plays in a strong football region.
Yes. Everyone knows that. Does that mean he's fixed or fragile post op? You are what your record says you are. Even with assumed improvement, do you see the passing game stretching the field? If so, based on what? That's my point.
If healthy, Rapp is an absolute stud. But he is, IMO, a more traditional in line TE and underneath target. He needs to be complimented with outside speed. Running back can be solid, but asking anyone to be Fatman is also a lot.
The schedule is very accommodating, however, even if wildly successful, at some point this group would need to face an Oregon or OSU. The mantra here has been to win the big one.....we just fired the guy who in most games beat the "teams without a pulse." There are 10 of them on this years schedule.
I agree with all your early assessments about the team except one.
When has Tony Rojas ever been a stud against strong competition in the B1G? When has Tony Rojas ever completed a season healthy?
Until Rojas actually proves it on the field against top competition, he continues to be more media hype than anything else.
Segarra would be more than just a strong addition. He would be the best player in Penn State’s 2027 class easily in my opinion.
Marshall, I think these are fair and reasonable points as opposed to the “coach can do no wrong” approach you took with Franklin.
That doesn’t mean anything. Look up how bad it can affect everything if you have a bad injury there.
I do see the passing game stretching the field. If you ask Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who were drafted in rounds 2 and 3 by the Texans this past year, both have said Taylor Mouser likes to take his shots down the field. When healthy, Rocco has proven he can do that. Also, Franklin was too worried about turning the ball over, and I think we can all agree Andy Kotelnicki didn’t know what he was doing. Eck and Sowell are good WRs, and Koby Howard is going to be a stud. I think all three can stretch the field. Rap and Benjamin Brahmer are going to be nightmares for defenses as far as tight ends go. The schedule is super soft, which is why my expectations are high. I mean, if they are going against Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana, I wouldn’t expect them to go 11-1. I’m not saying they’re going to win the national championship, but with the way the roster is, I say we can compete with most high-end teams.
I have never watched Rocco Becht play during any season. So, I can’t offer fair assessment of his productivity.
I can comment on Rojas after watching him fail to live up to the annual ”he’s a star” hype from the media. It’s not Rojas’s fault. It‘s the unfair lofty expectations some people have placed on Rojas when there is zero history of him ever being a great LB at Penn State.
I am not saying Rojas can’t get there. I hope he does have an all-American type season.
Sean Saint Fleur - DeMatha Catholic - Defensive Line
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If we beat USC who should be top 20 but lose to Michigan and Washington then also in the first rd of the playoff that would make us 1-3 in big games. Winning 25% of our big games is not good but would be significantly better than BGJ performed over his tenure. And yes, if Campbell did not improve on this in subsequent years he should be fired.
As for Becht and the passing game, it is important to note we have different coaches. You have to believe that will be a positive. Remember, Franklin/Kotelnicki/O'Brien/Yurcich took a highly likely first rd QB in Allar and dropped him to the 4th rd all the while developing him to be one of the most "unclutch" QBs in PSU history.
I thought we were getting cignetti 2.0.
Washington and usc are now big games??
What year did that start?
Playoff wins vs top 11 Boise and smu were not big games. Bowl win vs Washington wasn't a big game. 2024 win vs usc not a big game.
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Penn State recruiting stays hot, picks up commitment from four-star LB Blake Betton
Penn State continued its run on the recruiting trail with another four-star commitment on defense on Saturday.
DeMatha DL Sean Saint Fleur says he'll 'defintely' take official visit to Penn State following offer
Penn State extended an offer to DeMatha defensive lineman Sean Saint Fleur on Saturday during a visit to State College. Learn more, here!
This is an excellent pickup. I think any questions about MC’s recruiting abilities have been answered over the last few weeks. For anyone counting, PSU 6 recruits vs VT 2.
Not sure if you are a PSU fan or not. You sound like a bitter BGJ supporter. I think there is a BOGO on Va Tech season tickets now so be sure to check that out.
Yes they are big games if they are ranked opponents. BGJ gets credit for squeezing out the USC win in '24 and I guess if it makes you happy winning the Bowl game vs Washington in 2017. Beating SMU and Boise in the playoffs can count but we sure got an easy draw but I will give it to him.
If you read my message again I clearly say that winning one of four is not good enough and if that is the best Campbell can do then he should be fired after a few years of that underperformance.
One last point on BGJ, you can pullout every win that could be considered Big- OSU 2016, Wisky 2016, Mich 2017, 2019, USC 2024, Washington 2017 Fiesta, Utah, 2023 Rose, SMU and Boise in 2024 playoffs- he was still lousy in big games. His record was atrocious versus top 10 and top 5. Campbell will be held to the same standard. Those bowl wins are iffy because the bowls were largely irrelevant outside the playoff games.