Penn State NIL collective not among nation's top 20 most ambitious; RBY draws in grappling debut: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for June 30 include a look at NIL collectives, the outcome of Roman Bravo-Young’s pro submission grappling debut, and more.
It’s time to dive into Friday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with a look at the collective space in college athletics. On3 published its list of the nation’s top 20 most ambitious collectives on Thursday. Penn State’s Happy Valley United did not make the cut. In fact, it did not even make the honorable mention list. Lions head football coach James Franklin has spent the offseason pointing out that, while the university has made up ground in the name, image, and likeness space, it needs to make up more. And, this is the latest example of that as a new school year is set to begin with Happy Valley United leading the charge after the football-specific Lions Legacy Club and Success with Honor joined forces.
“In the beginning, we didn’t embrace it as an athletic department. And then externally, trying to get people bought into it,” Franklin told BWI this spring. “To me, that’s the challenge. If it’s just the coaches out pounding the drum, it’s gonna be difficult to get done. That’s where, when the AD is pounding the same drum as the coaches, whether it’s for facilities or whether it’s NIL, I think more people are open to listening. Because they’re hearing it from multiple sources. So, that’s just the reality.
“If you say, ‘What do we need to do to stay at this level or higher year in and year out?’ we’re still behind in that area.”
Collectives at Tennessee, Texas A&M, Oregon, Texas, and Miami made up the top five of On3’s list. Michigan and Nebraska were the only Big Ten schools on it, checking in at Nos. 14 and 19, respectively.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
DJ Lagway
Florida QB to return vs. LSU
- 2
Dylan Raiola injury
Nebraska QB will play vs. USC
- 3
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 4New
SEC changes course
Alcohol sales at SEC Championship Game
- 5
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
In other news, former Penn State wrestler Roman Bravo-Young finished his first professional submission grappling match in a tie.
“Roman Bravo-Young looked good going to a draw against 7th-ranked UFC flyweight contender Alex Perez, passing, mounting, and outscrambling Perez for the majority of the contest,” Joe Gilpin writes for FloGrappling.
“Per the rules of the contest, no overtime or decision was offered, and no leg locks were permitted.”
Headlines of the day
Defensive end Joseph Mupoyi combines hulking frame with power game: Hockensmith, PennLive
Bold Predictions: Penn State offense: Carr, BWI
Who Else to Watch in Penn State’s 2023 Freshman Class: Wogenrich, SI
Penn State continues to move up in 2024 Team Rankings following recent updates: Snyder, BWI
Pat Kraft on What’s Next for Beaver Stadium Project, and Whether State Funding Is Possible: Jones, Statecollege.com
Ask Around: Which Penn State commit are we not talking about enough?: Snyder, BWI
Quote of the day
“Outside of the Lasch Building, I try not to answer those questions. People are asking and I really just try to downplay it as much as possible. But inside the building, we don’t really talk about those things. It’s like, ‘Are we working the way we need to work? Are we preparing the way we need to prepare to do the things that we want to do, starting with West Virginia?’
“Nothing else matters. If we’re doing those things, the games take care of themselves.”
