Penn State category, Page 6
Penn State returns to ‘basketball facility’ Rec Hall in hopes of curing late-game woes
STATE COLLEGE — The Bryce Jordan Center won’t ever be heralded as one of the cathedrals of college basketball, even if it housed Penn State hoops for the next 100 years. The venue is largely considered best suited for concerts or other events like the university’s annual THON fundraiser for...
Penn State’s ‘all-in’ push for 2025 follows successful model set by Big Ten foes
In Penn State’s post-Orange Bowl locker room — between the tears, yelling or thousand-yard stares — it was clear the 2024 team felt it was capable of winning a national championship. Junior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was among those seemingly most impacted by the loss, seeking solace from former Penn...
Tre Donaldson scores 7 during Michigan’s game-closing 9-0 run for a 76-72 victory over Penn State
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tre Donaldson scored seven of his career-high 21 points during a game-closing 9-0 run, and Michigan edged Penn State, 76-72, on Monday night. Michigan grabbed three offensive rebounds on one possession midway through the second half before Rubin Jones sank a 3-pointer to extend the lead...
Penn State’s James Franklin pries coveted assistant away from rival to be Lions’ new DC, per reports
Few know the impact Jim Knowles can have on a defense better than James Franklin. Knowles, one of the top defensive minds in the sport, is expected to be Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports. Franklin hired Knowles away from Ohio State, where he spent the last...
AP Top 25: Ohio State, Notre Dame are 1-2 in final poll; Penn State finishes 5th
Ohio State was No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll of the season Tuesday after beating Notre Dame for its first national championship since 2014. The Buckeyes (14-2) received every first-place vote following their mostly dominant run through the College Football Playoff. The Irish (14-2)...
Proposed changes to ACC championship game create more problems than answers
As the ACC tries to game the system, a question arises: Is the game itself really worth playing? Two days before Ohio State beat Notre Dame, 34-23, to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN published a story with quotes from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips about some potential changes...
Ace Baldwin Jr., Yanic Konan Niederhauser lead Penn State over Rutgers 80-72 to snap 4-game skid
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ace Baldwin Jr. had 22 points, Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 18 and Penn State snapped a four-game losing streak with an 80-72 victory over Rutgers on Monday night. Baldwin made 6 of 16 shots with three 3-pointers and 7 of 9 free throws for the Nittany Lions...
Penn State’s veteran offensive line appears to be team strength heading into 2025
Penn State’s offensive line may be its strongest unit heading into 2025. The running back room, with returns from Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, certainly has an argument, but the big boys up front were a strength in 2024 and are only losing one player from the regular rotation. Starting...
Kobe King’s decision to enter NFL draft leaves Penn State inexperienced at linebacker
With the NFL Draft declaration deadline passing Wednesday and an extended transfer window coming to a close, Penn State’s stay-or-go decisions for the 2025 season are all but wrapped up. It’s been a good set of decisions for Penn State overall as Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Dani...
Penn State drops 4th in row, falls to red-hot Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Frankie Fidler had a season-high 18 points and Jaden Akins scored 16, leading No. 12 Michigan State to a 90-85 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night. The Spartans (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten) have won 10 straight for the first time since the 2018-19 season, the...
Report: Penn State starting WR Omari Evans to enter transfer portal
The dominoes are set to fall quickly in Penn State’s wide receiver room after another disappointing season. The Nittany Lions have added two transfers for 2025 in USC’s Kyron Hudson and Troy’s Devonte Ross. Now, one starter from 2024 is on his way out. Junior receiver Omari Evans plans to...
QB Allar, RBs Allen, Singleton announce plans to return to Penn State
Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar, who announced a vague plan to return to campus in December, officially has decided to return to Penn State in 2025. And his two backfield mates are coming back, as well. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen also announced Monday that they plan to return...
Starting Penn State defender Dvon J-Thomas officially enters NFL Draft
Though he was out of college eligibility anyway, starting Penn State defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas made his declaration for the NFL Draft official Sunday night. In a message posted to social media, J-Thomas expressed his love for the university he spent six years at and thanked many along his journey....
Penn State falls to Oregon for 3rd loss in row
STATE COLLEGE — Jackson Shelstad scored 17 points, Keeshawn Barthelemy added 15, Jadrian Tracey had 13 and No. 15 Oregon held on to beat Penn State, 82-81, on Sunday. Nate Bittle had 11 points, TJ Bamba and Kwame Evans Jr. added 10 apiece for the Ducks (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten),...
Zane Durant’s decision to skip 2025 NFL draft a crucial benefit for Penn State
It’s NFL declaration time for a collection of draft-eligible Penn State players in the wake of the Nittany Lions’ College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame. And on Saturday morning, two days after the Orange Bowl, James Franklin and his staff got some great news. Zane Durant, Penn State’s...
RB Nick Singleton starred in the Orange Bowl, which might have been his final game at Penn State
MIAMI — Penn State’s postgame locker room was — aside from an expletive or two — silent. The Nittany Lions were less than an hour removed from losing to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal. There were hugs. There were tears. Standing off to the side was Penn...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: James Franklin is a Penn State hero, so why all the hate?
To Penn State fans, James Franklin should be a hero. Penn State made the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinals. Any Penn State supporter would have been salivating at that prospect before the season. The Nittany Lions were very competitive in both those games, losing to...
Penn State QB Drew Allar reflects on interception in CFP Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame
MIAMI — Drew Allar sat on the Hard Rock Stadium grass alone, slamming the ground with both hands after making the biggest mistake of his football career. While Notre Dame celebrated, offensive lineman Drew Shelton helped his quarterback to his feet. Walking back to the Penn State sideline, Allar put...
Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter to enter NFL Draft
It doesn’t come as a surprise, but Penn State’s biggest star is off to the next level. Junior defensive end Abdul Carter will forgo his final year of college eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday morning. The edge rusher widely has been...
Notre Dame’s late interception dooms Penn State in Orange Bowl
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said he was trying to throw the ball into the ground. Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray dove for it anyway and — luck of the Irish — the ball ended up right in his hands. A few seconds later, Gray...
Trip to CFP title game on the line when Notre Dame, Penn State meet in Orange Bowl
DANIA BEACH, Fla. — It’s been a long time since Notre Dame or Penn State reached college football’s mountaintop as national champion. It was 1988 for the Fighting Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions. There’s been good seasons and bad seasons in the three-plus decades that have followed, coaching changes...
Penn State coach James Franklin calls for college football to have uniformity
DANIA BEACH, Fla. — The Big Ten plays nine conference games in football. So does the Big 12. The SEC and the ACC are among those playing eight-game league schedules. The Mountain West played a seven-game league slate. Notre Dame doesn’t have a league. Enough, Penn State coach James Franklin...
A plot twist from what college football has become: A player who stayed
DANIA BEACH, Fla. — When Penn State moved a different linebacker into what had been Tyler Elsdon’s starting spot, Elsdon made a choice that doesn’t really fit into the storyline college football has been selling these days. He stayed right where he was. In an era in which NIL money,...
James Franklin, Marcus Freeman look to become 1st Black coaches to win national title
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In college basketball, the scene of a Black coach cutting down the nets on their way to a national title is not new, even if it is still a relative rarity. John Thompson led Georgetown to the championship in 1984, the first of four Black coaches...
Penn State players staying vigilant about managing bodies as long season continues
Penn State has enough experience on its extended coaching staff and roster to feel confident regarding preparation. Yet there’s no denying that, as they prepare to face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Nittany Lions are swimming in uncharted waters. Players are staying vigilant as an already-long...
