Battle lines drawn around ongoing NIL debate at Penn State

It seems that Penn State has a problem. Not the football program, which is the eye of the storm around which all of this circles, but the larger collective consciousness of the brand. On the one hand, is the fans, donors, and members of the athletic department side with head coach James Franklin. The program must forge ahead quickly and bravely into the new, semi-professional world of college football. Embrace NIL, pour resources into your biggest money-making sports, and compete at the highest level with the best teams. On the other hand, a section of Penn State's collective soul wants to turn its nose to the recent developments in college football. Success With Honor (the mantra, not the NIL collective) is the guiding star of the program, which should focus on the traditional college football model. Instead, it seems as if they intend to be a bulwark against the new football model and think that Penn State can still be a competitive bastion of "doing things the right way."