Daily briefing: On Gus Malzahn, Quinn Ewers' NIL riches and Penn State explosiveness
Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:
The ‘Gus Bus’ takes on Boise State
Cincinnati and Louisiana are the flavors du jour in the Group of 5, but there’s a reason ESPN will be on hand tonight when Boise State plays 2,548 miles away from home at UCF. These schools have big brand names and new coaching staffs. The Broncos, known for offense, hired Andy Avalos, a former Broncos player and assistant on the defensive side. The Knights jumped on Gus Malzahn, whose personality seems 25 pounds lighter since he left Auburn. So is his quarterback. Malzahn’s struggles developing a quarterback doomed him at Auburn. He’s got a comer in Dillon Gabriel. We see tonight how well Malzahn adapts to Gabriel, and vice-versa.
Under pressure
The way to look at the seven-figure NIL deal that Ohio State freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers just received is that he isn’t the first seven-figure 17-year-old in American sports; he’s just among the first in college football. Serena Williams and Simone Biles got there before Ewers. Ewers is going to have to be as mentally tough as those two women to take on the spotlight that comes with the money and the attention of being a trailblazer. That kind of pressure chews up a lot of people older and more used to public attention than a Texas high school quarterback going to college a long way from home. There will be cautionary tales; I hope his isn’t one of them.
Getting explosive at Penn State
Penn State found success late last season when quarterback Sean Clifford and wide receiver Jahan Dotson began to make big plays, as in those season-ending victories over Michigan State and Illinois. Nittany Lions coach James Franklin believes Dotson just may make that leap. “Sometimes you don’t think he’s running very fast because he’s just so fluid in the way he does it,” Franklin said, “but no one catches him. He’s subtle with his moves. But now that he’s more explosive and stronger and bigger, I think that’s got a chance for him to translate into more explosive plays for us.”