Penn State called College Football Playoff sleeper; Lions alums land in NBA mock drafts: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for June 21 include an early College Football Playoff look, plus NBA Draft mocks and more.
It’s time to dive into Wednesday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with the latest look from the national media at this season’s College Football Playoff. This time, longtime Sporting News writer Bill Bender is picking a sleeper team from each Power Five conference to make the sport’s postseason final four. Penn State was his choice to represent the Big Ten.
“Who else are we going to pick?” Bender writes. “The Nittany Lions have been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Preseason Poll eight times since joining the Big Ten in 1993. That included No. 1 in 1997 and No. 3 in 1999. This team is generating that kind of hype with sophomore quarterback Drew Allar and the running back tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen – who combined for 1,928 yards and 31 TDs last season. Tackle Olumiywa Fashanu returned. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz also has a group built around Chop Robinson and Kalen King.
“This is arguably James Franklin’s most-talented team – one that has to get at least a split against Michigan and Ohio State to get back in that CFP conversation. Those ’97 and ’99 teams beat the Buckeyes, but they could not get past the Wolverines.”
Top 10
- 1
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 2Trending
Dan Lanning
Oregon coach getting NFL buzz
- 3
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
- 4Hot
5-star flip
Ole Miss flips Alabama WR commit Caleb Cunningham
- 5
Second CFP Top 25
Newest CFP rankings are out
In other news, the NBA Draft is this week, and a pair of Nittany Lion alums are popping up in media mock drafts. ESPN thinks Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy could go back-to-back in the second round. The Ringer, then, has only Lundy in Round 2 and headed to Orlando.
“Gradey Dick would’ve been a nice addition for the Magic to use one of their two lottery picks on, but they could find a shooter here instead,” Kevin O’Connor writes. “Lundy makes perfect sense as a target.”
Headlines of the day
Pick Six Previews’ Brett Ciancia responds to my four sticky points about 2023 Penn State football season: Jones, PennLive
Mike Yurcich notes: Drew Allar, Penn State’s receivers, the ‘heart and soul’ of the offense, more: Bauer, BWI
Penn State’s Lift For Life Celebrates 20th Anniversary: Wogenrich, SI
Ask Around: What’s on our mind following Penn State’s most recent visit weekend?: Snyder, BWI
Which Big Ten head coaches are under the most pressure to win this fall?: Simonton, On3
New Penn State pick is in on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Fitz, BWI
Quote of the day
“He wants to be the best. He wants to be the best. He’s out to prove that he is every time he touches the field. And he’s got a tremendous amount of pride. He wants to be a perfectionist; he is a perfectionist. He wants to be great.”
–PSU OC Mike Yurcich to BWI about expected starting quarterback Drew Allar.
