Penn State roster churn, Sutherland at linebacker, hoops: BWI Daily
Penn State football is still finding ways to add players during the winter season, but things have finally settled on the roster churn from the end of 2021. Senior Editor Nate Bauer took a look at what transpired and the multiple layers of complexity to it.
Penn State navigating COVID eligibility
Bauer joins the BWI Daily Edition to talk about what he wrote and how Penn State chose to navigate the COVID exemptions for seniors and super seniors this past year. With four different groups of seniors making decisions about their status with the team, The need for practicality and organization was critical. So how did head coach James Franklin navigate this? Bauer and host Thomas Frank Carr look at the players that stayed and left to find the clues.
Next, they discuss a minor addition to the program, walk-on receiver Jake Spencer. The former Colgate wideout spent two seasons with his former program and now joins Penn State for the 2022 season. T-Frank took a quick look at his bio and his high school tape to get a sense of where he’ll help Penn State as a depth player and what skills made him a target as a walk-on.
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Sutherland moving to linebacker
After that, they take a look at Penn State’s linebacker situation for next season. Franklin made news at the bowl game when he said that safety Jonathan Sutherland would be playing linebacker in the game and going forward. After initially rejecting the idea, T-Frank has come around on the notion of the sixth-year defender moving closer to the line of scrimmage. He does have some caveats, though. T-Frank talks Bauer through how defenses can use personnel and how Sutherland fits into that picture.
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Penn State Hoops
Finally, they wrap up discussing Penn State basketball’s frustrating slog through January. They’ve lost two after starting the month 2-2, with a canceled game in between. How much did losing that game hurt? Bauer highlights that, explains what happened in the Nittany Lions’ loss to Iowa and how the team needs to play to win games.
