Chesney at UCLA

[KingLando]

I don't think the problem is Matt Campbell. It's the dummy that fired Franklin w/o a plan. Shoud have waited until the end of the year. t
Try to pay/keep some of our talent. In any case,I have to give the guy a few years to judge him and his team.

Can you explain how waiting until to the end of the year would have helped?

 

[Big_O]

Penn State lost 49 to the portal, took in 41 portal, 21 seniors, 0 grad students,
graduated around 20, signed 15 out of HS.

UCLA lost 29 to portal, took in 42 portal, 36 seniors, 25 grad students.
graduated high 20's, signed 20 out of HS.

Not quite the numbers I found. According to Sports Illustrated Penn State lost 47 to the portal. Other sources stated 46. There were 30 football players who participated in senior day (Daily Collegian and Penn Live). Almost the entire 20+ recruiting class was lost and CMC was able to sign 15 (various sources). CMC was able to get 39 through the portal, almost all 3* players. And 8 of those players were part of the signing class, so that’s really only 31 net if you count a signing class of 15. Multiple departing players were 4* and therefore both quality and quantity of players suffered.

 

[pendal1]

I still don't believe that to be true and 2025's roster proves we can and will spend

The NIL information seems to indicate we spend approximately 29-32 million on NIL. That is behind Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, USC, and Nebraska alone in this conference and Wisconsin is our equal. And the gap is another 20 million and that's only in our conference.
That's not Pirates level but I don't see us competing for titles if we are a middling program in terms of resources.

 

[NEPA Lion]

Not quite the numbers I found. According to Sports Illustrated Penn State lost 47 to the portal. Other sources stated 46. There were 30 football players who participated in senior day (Daily Collegian and Penn Live). Almost the entire 20+ recruiting class was lost and CMC was able to sign 15 (various sources). CMC was able to get 39 through the portal, almost all 3* players. And 8 of those players were part of the signing class, so that’s really only 31 net if you count a signing class of 15. Multiple departing players were 4* and therefore both quality and quantity of players suffered.

I had a different source, what i was implying is UCLA on paper seems to have an advantage over us.
Watching games up to now the portal players we lost are better contributors to their respective teams
than the ones we took in.

 

[Big_O]

I had a different source, what i was implying is UCLA on paper seems to have an advantage over us.
Watching games up to now the portal players we lost are better contributors to their respective teams
than the ones we took in.

I wasn’t arguing with you. Actually, I was agreeing with you. UCLA had an advantage over Penn State. Plus I would argue that California is a more fertile recruiting ground compared to Pennsylvania unlike 30-40 years ago.

 

[KingLando]

The NIL information seems to indicate we spend approximately 29-32 million on NIL. That is behind Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, USC, and Nebraska alone in this conference and Wisconsin is our equal. And the gap is another 20 million and that's only in our conference.
That's not Pirates level but I don't see us competing for titles if we a middling program in terms of resources.

Which isn't accurate but this year isn't relevant. We weren't going to spend money just to spend it
The Athletic even stated those numbers are based on "sources".
We spent as much as anyone in 2025 which is why Franklin is gone

 

[Roar814]

Would Chesney have taken the PSU job if offered last year? Yes.

Would he take it now? I doubt it. Why would he want it - UCLA’s AD/etc seem to be providing much more alignment than PSU’s, he moved his older parents out to LA, etc.

 

[KingLando]

Would Chesney have taken the PSU job if offered last year? Yes.

Would he take it now? I doubt it. Why would he want it - UCLA’s AD/etc seem to be providing much more alignment than PSU’s, he moved his older parents out to LA, etc.

How do we "know" he would have taken it last year?

 

[Marshall2323]

That post is kind of vague. Someone can lose interest for an infinite number of reasons. It doesn't suggest the reason. There was media talk that Jimmy Sexton allegedly prevented Chesney from taking the PSU job (Todd McShay). I Googled it and found out that Chesney wasn't represented by Sexton. He was represented by Excel Sports Management. I'm not clear how Sexton could have prevented Chesney from taking the PSU job. Maybe I'm just not creative enough. I think Excel would have blasted Sexton if he interfered with their client.

Lots of candidates probably lost interest after talking to Pat Kraft.

 

[Marshall2323]

PSU would have paid Chesney about 3 million more a year than UCLA.

PSU is paying Campbell 8 million in 2026 and it moves up to 9.25 million by 2033. He gets a 1 million retention bonus every year. No hiring bonus. PSU paid 2 million buyout to Iowa State.

Chesney is getting paid 5.4 million in 2026 and it moves up to 5.8 million in 2030. He gets a $500,000 retention bonus every year. 3.7 million hiring bonus, paid in 2 installments.

Both get performance bonuses.

Campbell got the better contract.

Campbell got the better contract and UCLA got the better coach.

 

[Chumboshifko1]

Lots of candidates probably lost interest after talking to Pat Kraft.

Give us some emoji pollution.

 

[Chumboshifko1]

Campbell got the better contract and UCLA got the better coach.

 

[bdgan]

Campbell's chance for a "same year" rebuild were DEFINITELY hindered (greatly) by Kraft's stunning incompetence.

But in this era, (100% annual free agency) there are no systemic excuses for the rebuild taking longer than 2027 (next year). Just the way it is.
By now he certainly should know what he needs, as should every coach in the nation. And every player in the nation is "on the market".
There is no longer any reason to expect to wait beyond "Year 2" to evaluate the likelihood of where a coach can take a program.

I hope you're correct but I don't think you are. Start with 85 players I assume 105 includes kids that have virtually no chance to make an impact. Let's say 25 leave every year due to graduation. That still leaves a base of 60 players who you hope will be able to grow and contribute. If 20 don't live up to expectations you still have a base of 40. You might be able to supplement that with 10 good portal players. If you need a QB spend $3 million and get a good one. If you need 3 linemen spend $2 million and get them. Add a top WR for another $million.

The problem is PSU doesn't have a base of 40 potential star players. I'm not sure if we have more than a dozen which means we would need to add 38 in the portal. I just don't see that happening. Look at the portal players in recent years. AJ Harris was highly rated when we got him. In 2025 WR Kyron Hudson, WR Devonte Ross, and DE Enai White were the big portal additions. Amare Campbell was a nice pickup at LB last year. So I agree we can certainly add some good talent but adding the 30+ we need to field a sustainable playoff contender seems like a pipe dream. Most star players stick with their current team because they've grown fond of their coaches and teammates. If we want an OSU starter we have to pay MORE than OSU pays and that seems unlikely. We got Peoples this year because he has a better chance to start at PSU.

How many .500 teams from last year are going to make the playoffs this year will mostly new players from the portal?

 

[JoePaMajorCFBrecord409Ws]

I hope you're correct but I don't think you are. Start with 85 players I assume 105 includes kids that have virtually no chance to make an impact. Let's say 25 leave every year due to graduation. That still leaves a base of 60 players who you hope will be able to grow and contribute. If 20 don't live up to expectations you still have a base of 40. You might be able to supplement that with 10 good portal players. If you need a QB spend $3 million and get a good one. If you need 3 linemen spend $2 million and get them. Add a top WR for another $million.

The problem is PSU doesn't have a base of 40 potential star players. I'm not sure if we have more than a dozen which means we would need to add 38 in the portal. I just don't see that happening. Look at the portal players in recent years. AJ Harris was highly rated when we got him. In 2025 WR Kyron Hudson, WR Devonte Ross, and DE Enai White were the big portal additions. Amare Campbell was a nice pickup at LB last year. So I agree we can certainly add some good talent but adding the 30+ we need to field a sustainable playoff contender seems like a pipe dream. Most star players stick with their current team because they've grown fond of their coaches and teammates. If we want an OSU starter we have to pay MORE than OSU pays and that seems unlikely. We got Peoples this year because he has a better chance to start at PSU.

How many .500 teams from last year are going to make the playoffs this year will mostly new players from the portal?

.500??? You think this team is going 6-6??? Where are we getting 3 wins? scUM is not a good team (they look very mediocre), but we're plain rot-gut bad..... no way we're winning a road game with this pathetic defense and a just plain awful redzone offense even if we get to the redzone. You don't win road games kicking FGs.

Where precisely are the 3 sure wins on the rest of our schedule? The way we play defense and offensively in the redzone, we can (and do) lose to anybody - and I mean anybody. The fact that this roster is being paid +$30 million and is quite possibly the worst team in the Conference, is just criminal malpractice by Krafty The Clown.

 

[Chumboshifko1]

.500??? You think this team is going 6-6??? Where are we getting 3 wins? scUM is not a good team (they look very mediocre), but we're plain rot-gut bad..... no way we're winning a road game with this pathetic defense and a just plain awful redzone offense even if we get to the redzone. You don't win road games kicking FGs.

Where precisely are the 3 sure wins on the rest of our schedule? The way we play defense and offensively in the redzone, we can (and do) lose to anybody - and I mean anybody. The fact that this roster is being paid +$30 million and is quite possibly the worst team in the Conference, is just criminal malpractice by Krafty The Clown.

Grunt and push. Hard.

 

[Nitt1300]

No point in talking about who we didn't get. I'd worry about how far the desirability of this job has fallen now.

You think the last search was a cluster? Wait until the next one.

 

[taryn]

Grunt and push. Hard.

but we beat,beat the university of new york AT BUFFALO!!!!!

 

[DaytonRickster]

Chesney misses the playoffs and flips to PSU . I
Love it when a plan comes together.

Don't like to read about this happening to players, PSU or others.

 

[Chumboshifko1]

but we beat,beat the university of new york AT BUFFALO!!!!!

The guy isn't here. Obsessing about it isn't going to make any difference.