Is Penn State still among college football's blue bloods?: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for July 10 include a look at college football blue bloods, headlines of the day, and more. It’s time to dive into Wednesday’s top tweets and stories about the Nittany Lions and college athletics as the countdown to preseason camp continues.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with On3 host and national college football writer Andy Staples’ take on who are and could become, the bluebloods in college football. The definition is simple: To be a blue blood, a team must have three-plus generations of elite history, one of which has to be in the last two generations. And, they have to had won a national title. In Staples’ mind, the Nittany Lions meet that criteria for now. Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, and USC all also made the cut.
“Joe Paterno’s best years spanned multiple generations, and Penn State has been good enough in recent years to stay on this list,” Staples writes. “Like Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions need to make the expanded CFP and win some games to stay on the list.”
It’s a valid point. Penn State has had plenty of success under James Franklin throughout his first decade in State College. But, the Nittany Lions have not yet made the College Football Playoff, which expands from four teams to 12 entrants this year, of course. And, it never played for a BCS national title, either. So, it’s not out of the blue blood mix yet, and everyone’s definition of success from one generation to the next might differ, of course. But, as many already know, and certainly those within the Lasch Building no, the program’s future trajectory in many ways depends on how well it does this season.
Headlines of the day
Micah Parsons to host free football camp, carnival for Harrisburg: Linder, PennLive
Q&A: Mill Valley head coach Joel Applebee opens up about Penn State commit Jayden Woods: Snyder, BWI
At Penn State, the Wide Receivers Culture Is ‘Different’ This Year: Wogenrich, SI
Which Penn State players are being talked about too much, or not enough, before preseason camp?: Pickel, BWI
Penn State Football Positional Previews: Quarterbacks: Jones, Statecollege.com
Chat Deep Dive: What’s the early feedback on Penn State receiver Tyseer Denmark?: Fitz, BWI
Recruiting Scoop: Intel on top prospects in the On300: Wiltfong, On3
Commit Impact: What do Penn State fans need to know about DL Randy Adirika?: Snyder, BWI
Quote of the day
“I thought they were very professional and very genuine. One of the big things that was a plus was when they hired Coach [Andy] Kotelnicki because he was our recruiter for our area when he was at Kansas. So every chance they got out, he’d always come through the school because it’s so close. I’ll also always preach that Coach Kotelnicki is one of the better recruiters that I’ve met.
“He’s just a very genuine guy. You can tell that right away. He brings a lot of energy and is so positive. I know Jayden loved that about him. So, initially, that was a big jump start to Penn State’s recruitment of him. Then, of course, Coach [Deion] Barnes came through. I thought Barnes did an outstanding job, too. Sometimes you have recruiters come through and it’s a very difficult conversation because it’s just awkward, but I know Jay always felt very comfortable around all the Penn State coaches.”
—Mill Valley High coach Joel Appleby on what PSU did right to land four-star defensive end Jayden Woods.
