Monday Musings: Penn State's roster situation, transfers, hoops and more

Penn State athletics gave us plenty of news to chew on over the past week.

Between transfer portal happenings, NFL Draft rumblings, and an interesting season on the hardwood, there’s plenty to talk about in this week’s edition of Monday Musings.

Let’s dive in.

1. Noah Cain makes his move

Penn State running back Noah Cain announced his intention to transfer to LSU last week.

It was hardly a surprise. Despite a bevy of options, Penn State’s running back room disappointed last season — to say the least. With the Nittany Lions bringing in two blue-chip running backs in Kaytron Allen and Gatorade National Player of the Year Nick Singleton, there was going to be additional competition in Happy Valley for Cain had he elected to stick around.

But what went wrong for Cain in 2021?

His true freshman season in 2019 left everyone excited about his future. He suffered a season-ending injury on his first drive in 2020 and never looked the same when he returned to start the 2021 campaign.

Penn State’s offensive line had a very poor season — especially from a run blocking perspective. But head coach James Franklin frequently suggested that the Nittany Lions weren’t getting what they needed from their running backs, either.

In 2019, Cain averaged 3.25 yards after contact per carry, according to Pro Football Focus. He also forced 20 missed tackles. In 2021, he managed only 1.75 yards after contact per carry, nd forced only six missed tackles.

2. Penn State’s NFL Draft outlook

I’ve been taking a look through various mock drafts over the last week or so, trying to get a feel for where some Penn State players might be slotted.

Jahan Dotson is present in the first round in most mocks. Jaquan Brisker finds his way into the first round in many mock drafts, too.

Occasionally, you’ll see Brandon Smith or Arnold Ebiketie‘s name pop up there as well.

It’s super early to be making projections, but based on recent history, I would assume that Penn State’s Pro Day and the NFL Combine will only help these guys drive up their stock. We know that Penn State players tend to test very well.

It’s very unlikely that all of them go in the first round, but it does seem probable that Penn State ends up with at least two first-round draft choices in 2022, after Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh each went in the first round last year.

The Nittany Lions haven’t had two first-round picks in back-to-back years since 1995-96. Ki-Jana Carter, Kerry Collins and Kyle Brady went in the first round in ’95, and Jeff Hartings and Andre Johnson heard their names called in the first round in ’96.

3. PSU’s offseason roster news is far from complete

BWI put together a scholarship chart last week, illustrating where the Nittany Lions stand from a roster construction perspective.

If we assume that all the players who have eligibility remaining and haven’t announced they’re moving on will return — which is a bad assumption, but bear with me — Penn State has 90 players on scholarship. The NCAA limit is 85.

Fred Hansard, Mike Miranda, Anthony Whigan, Cam Sullivan-Brown and Jake Pinegar were all seniors last season and have yet to say what they intend to do next season. Additionally, the status of junior college commit Tyrece Mills is unclear after he didn’t sign during the early signing period.

So, certainly, there is more news to come.

4. For Penn State hoops, slow and steady (sometimes) wins the race

There are few slower teams in college basketball than Micah Shrewsberry’s Penn State Nittany Lions.

Out of college basketball’s 358 Division I teams, only 11 have an adjusted tempo rating lower than Penn State’s.

It’s almost a complete 180 from how the Nittany Lions played last year, but it seems to be working. In 15 games this season, Penn State has held its opponent under its season average for points 12 times.

The games haven’t been pretty, but the strategy has worked. Without their leading scorer Seth Lundy on Sunday, the Nittany Lion stayed within touching distance of an Ohio State team with much better talent on the road, falling 61-56.

Before that, they smothered a Rutgers team that came in red hot offensively. They stayed close against a very good Purdue team, too.

Penn State has yet to get over the hump against a ranked opponent. But if it continues to defend this way, that breakthrough will come.

5. Jevonnie Scott gives Nittany Lions good minutes

We’re getting our first looks at junior college transfer Jevonnie Scott after he sat out Penn State’s first 13 games of the season.

Scott looked off the pace against Rutgers last Tuesday, but he was a real asset for the Nittany Lions against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State was going inside to big man Zed Key on just about every possession during one stretch in the second half. Penn State couldn’t stop him — that is, until Scott came in.

Scott played excellent defense on Key, and contributed in other ways as well in his eight-minute cameo on Sunday. He grabbed two boards and made his only two field-goal attempts on the day.

Any additional options Shrewsberry has off the bench are valuable as the Nittany Lions continue their Big Ten grind. Scott’s performance shows he can contribute, even in a limited role.