BWI Live: A Penn State football podcast from Blue White Illustrated

This week, Penn State football has a new round of winter workout winners, and they take center stage during the BWI Daily Edition Mailbag show. Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Dave Eckert answer your questions and discuss the day's breaking news for Penn State recruiting.

Before they get to the weekly mailbag, they start with the news of the day. On Thursday, Penn State commit for the Class of 2023, Jven Williams, was given a fifth and final star by On3. It's a part of the updated rankings for the Class of 2023, which will be released next week.

T-Frank and Dave discuss how the news impacts Penn State's current recruiting class, and why Williams is impressive. T-Frank goes into what he saw on film from Williams that made him think he could play tackle down the road for the Nittany Lions if he continues to develop.

After that, they get to your questions during this week's mailbag episode. They start with a question about the transfer portal. Unlike most questions, one Lions Den Message Board member is interested in who might be leaving the program and what the numbers are like for potential transfers. Eckert keeps track of the scholarship numbers this offseason and tells T-Frank where Penn State is now.

They also discuss a much broader topic about player progression due to the COVID-19 disrupted Class of 2020. How badly did that year disturb the progress of players coming to Penn State as freshmen? T-Frank and Eckert admit there's no way to tangibly know the answer but discuss different players and situations that arose from the pandemic.

Other topics they dive into include which players had stood out in winter conditioning previously and at the time of recording on Thursday when a fresh batch of social media announcements from the staff went out. What does it mean that freshman defensive tackle Zane Durant keeps showing up as one of the weekly winners of the workout sessions? T-Frank and Eckert discuss the situation at defensive tackle.

After several other questions, they land on a pair of questions about the 2022 season. One viewer asks if Penn State will target the tight ends less next season, while another asks if they will be targeted more. T-Frank and Eckert dissect the opposing viewpoints and provide context they've gathered from the Penn State coaching staff. Finally, they wrap up with Eckert's quick Penn State Basketball update.

Lamont Payne Interview: https://youtu.be/KZbspHXWFbc

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Penn State recruiting isn’t just coaches convincing players to join a program. Some of the team’s best recruiters are the players already committed to a class. For the Class of 2023, one of those recruiters is cornerback Lamont Payne. The three-star defensive back from Chartiers Valley in Bridgeville, PA, sat down with film analyst and host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr. They discussed Lamont’s offseason progress, playing hurt in 2023, and who he is pushing to get a commitment from among Penn State’s 2023 targets.

Payne Focused on Football

T-Frank begins with getting up-to-speed with where Payne is right now in his offseason progress. The Pittsburgh native doesn’t play basketball, so he’s focused on improving his game, getting bigger, and prepping for track season. First, he updates T-Frank on how much muscle he’s put on this winter and on what parts of his game he’s focused on improving.

They also discuss Payne’s play from the 2021 season. T-Frank comments that one of the rising senior’s best traits is his physicality at the line of scrimmage. Is that why Payne is adding the weight? What led to him playing that way. Payne gives excellent insight into what he knows about his strengths and why he plays the way he does. Then, he talks about the college and NFL corners he watches to improve his play.

Penn State recruiting in 2023, not just for coaches

After that, T-Frank asks Payne what he thinks about his classmates and the group of players that the Penn State coaches have assembled so far. Where does he see the strength of the class? Who is he recruiting on the defensive side of the ball? Payne gives his thoughts on the subject and names several key defensive targets, including four-star linebackers Ta’Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas, along with several other players in the Pittsburgh and Virginia areas.

Finally, they go deeper into Payne’s game. After suffering an injury early in the year, it wasn't an easy season for Payne. So how did he overcome the situation? First, he talks about the injury and then what toughness means to him as a football player.

T-Frank gives more observations about Payne’s playing style and usage at Chartier’s Valley. What does he learn from playing slot receiver that can help him as a defensive back? Payne opens up about that and what he thinks the key is to his ability to make plays on the ball.

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This week, Penn State recruiting is making headway with a top target in the Class of 2023. Host Greg Pickel and recruiting insider Ryan Snyder cover that, and more on the BWI Daily, Recruiting Show. It's the first show in a new format for the offseason, where the recruiting podcast and Daily Edition merge into one show moving forward. 

Pickel and Snyder start by discussing Penn State spring break. It's an unusual start to the March contact period, with spring break falling on the university's first full week of the month. Does that cause some problems? Snyder explains that it's not necessarily the case, and there are other more important variables. 

Next, they move on to discuss four-star Florida running back Tryaun Webb. Webb announced that he'd be taking an official visit to Penn State coming up this spring. Snyder fills Pickel in on the details, including the date of the visit and the feel for Penn State's standing at the moment.  

After discussing Webb, they open up the conversation to look at the Penn State recruiting picture for 2023. Snyder explains that it's a very muddy picture at the moment and gives some insight into what to expect in terms of numbers and regions that Penn State is targeting. 

Next, they take a look at Penn State's recent offer in the transfer portal, Jordan Domineck. So what sort of player is the edge defender from Georiga Tech? Snyder and Pickel discuss what they know about the portal prospect. They also examine the Lion's push to get an edge defender in the portal so far this offseason and review the list of offers that have become public. 

From there, they discuss Florida safety Daemon Fagan's top eight schools. Penn State made the cut in Fagan's recruiting, which includes some of the top schools in the country. So does Penn State have a shot with the American Heritage safety? Snyder gives his thoughts. 

Finally, the pair examine Penn State recruiting in the Class of 2024. A recent offer went out to a local prospect picking up steam nationally. What does Penn State see in Harrisburg native Rico Scott? Snyder and Pickel discuss. 

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Penn State wrestling concluded their dominance for the 2021-22 season by blanking Ryder 45-0 to cap an undefeated regular season. Reporter Greg Pickel joins the BWI Daily Edition to recap the win and give perspective to the team heading into the postseason. 

They start with the fact that Penn State had a key lineup change on Sunday. As many had speculated, senior Brady Berge moved down to the 157-pound weight class to wrestle for the season’s final dual. But, according to Pickel, not only won, he gave Penn State something else. So is Berge set at 157? Pickel says there’s more to it than that and explains what he means. 

To get a perspective on what the change means for head coach Cael Sanderson, Pickel discusses Creighton Edsell’s season at the 165-pound weight class and gives his thoughts on who helps Penn State score as many points as possible during a match. 

T-Frank also asks Pickel to give his perspective on the latest undefeated season for the Nittany Lions. At times, it was an uneven year with lineup changes and injuries for Sanderson’s squad. S, 2hat characteristics made up this run? Senior Roman Bravo-Young is one player that T-Frank and Pickel have not discussed as much. Brave-Young burst onto the scene as a freshman with viral video-making moves during matches. How has the senior matured over the last four years? Also, what are his indications about a return for a COVID extension? 

Finally, they turn their attention to the postseason. Is Penn State set up for a run at another Big Ten and NCAA Championship? 

From there, they move on to discuss Penn State football, which is one month from the start of spring practice. So who are the players or positions that Pickel is interested in learning more about next month? He gives his thoughts about that, and then T-Frank follows up with a discussion about the defensive end position. Penn State has targeted several edge defenders in the transfer portal. Does that mean they’re unhappy with the progress of some of their younger players? Or is it simply a numbers game? 

Finally, the duo wraps up by discussing the news that the College Football playoff will not be expanding until the current contract runs out in four years. T-Frank and Greg give their thoughts on the topic about if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. 

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The Penn State football team is one month away from spring practice, and there is light at the end of the tunnel for the winter. At the same time, Penn State basketball is coming down the home stretch for their 2021-22 season. The BWI Live crew of Thomas Frank Carr, Nate Bauer, and Dave Eckert cover all of that and take your questions live at noon on YouTube.

As always, they'll start with football. Penn State is coming into the final weeks of winter conditioning. Who has made the most progress? Who is standing out? That information should be coming your way shortly with max testing day. It also means that new head strength coach Chuck Losey will have his media introduction. Hear what the BWI Live team expects.

The show will also touch on THON, Penn State athletics involvement this weekend, and the record-setting efforts by the organization this year. 

After that, they'll take your questions and comments about Penn State football or basketball. Have an opinion? Please share it with the show live in the chat function, and the panelists will answer the best ones live on the show. 

After that, the audience is encouraged to participate in this week's 2022 prediction game. This week's topic will focus on 2022 post-season honors. Which player is most likely to earn All-Big 10 honors? Who will make the highest team? Each panelist will choose a Penn State player and then give their reasons for selecting that player. The winner will be selected based on the most votes in the comments section at the show's end. 

Finally, BWI live will look at the Penn State basketball coming up Monday night against Maryland. The Nittany Lions are one road and trying to string together a three-game winning streak. Can they do it? What are the key matchups to watch? Bauer and Eckert will break down the game and give their thoughts. 

Tune in at noon on YouTube to BWI 

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This week, Penn State basketball took a step forward with two key wins in the Big Ten. First, they secured an upset victory over Michigan State on Tuesday night. Next, trounced Minnesota in a COVID-19 rescheduled game 67-46 yesterday afternoon to start a potential winning streak. Basketball reporter Dave Eckert joins the BWI Daily Edition to discuss that and a look ahead to a critical part of the Nittany Lions' schedule.

First, he and host Thomas Frank Carr have a fun discussion about the 2022 NFL Draft. Penn State's lone player that seems to be a projected first-round draft pick is wide receiver, Jahan Dotson. However, most mock draft sites see him as a late Day One pick. So T-Frank and Eckert go through the final seven teams in the draft to find the best fit for the former Nittany Lion.

The list includes:

25) Buffalo Bills

26) Tennessee Titans

27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

28) Green Bay Packers

29) Miami Dolphins (via SF)

30) Kansas City Chiefs

31) Cincinnati Bengals

32) Detriot Lions (via LAR)

Which team has the right blend of talent, scheme fit, and need? T-Frank and Eckert discuss.

After that, they dive into Penn State Basketball's demolition of Minnesota on Thursday afternoon. What led to such a dominant performance? How did Penn State finally put a complete game together? T-Frank asks Eckert those questions and more about Penn State's back-to-back wins. Eckert also points out a pivotal bonus to the Lion's lopsided win over Minnesota that can serve them well late in the season. Additionally, he asks for updates on several key players and their performance in the most recent victories.

What is the status of Greg Lee? They wrap up the show discussing when Penn State needs to enter the conversation for postseason play under first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

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Penn State football is in the middle of winter conditioning, hard at work to shape the futuer of the football team for next fall. Who is emerging out of the crowd? Who isn't mentioned by assistant coaches each week? Senior Editor for Nate Bauer and host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr discuss that topic, and more. It's a mailbag episode of the Daily where they take your questions and answer them on the show. If you ever want to get a question on the show, follow @thomasfrankcarr on Twitter, or become a member of Blue White Illustrated, and ask a question on the Lions Den message forum. 

They start the show with a quick recap of Penn State basketball's big win over Michigan State on Tuesday night. It resulted from several weeks of frustratingly close losses for the Nittany Lions under head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Bauer details how the game went down and what it means for the team going forward. 

Next, they get into the questions asked by fans. 

They start with a question regarding one of T-Frank's articles this week where he spoke to former Penn State lineman Eric Wilson. Was the offensive line overthinking their assignements due to critical evaluation by offensive line coach Phil Trautwein? First, T-Frank explains what he heard from Wilson during his conversation with the NFL hopeful on the Paydirt Podcast with Tom Hannifan. Then, Nate gives his thoughts on the situation and looks at the problem differently. 

From there, they spend a good deal of time discussing which Penn State players are making noise in the assistant coaches' weekly tweets from winter workouts. Each Tuesday and Thursday, position coaches will single out the most competitive or outstanding player from their group to highlight on social media. How much should you read into this? Which players are getting mentioned? T-Frank and Bauer have a fun discussion about this topic from multiple angles. 

They follow that up with questions about spring football, Sean Clifford, and even Penn State basketball recruiting. To hear the entire conversation, check out the episode.  

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When four-star offensive lineman J'ven Williams announced that he was committing to Penn State this winter, he thanked several people. One of those people was former NFL offensive lineman and host of the Ross Tucker football podcast, Ross Tucker. The former Princeton offensive lineman joins the BWI Daily Edition to discuss his role in J'ven's recruitment and fill host Thomas Frank Carr in on what type of person the Nittany Lions are getting. 

Before getting to Williams, Tucker and T-Frank discuss Penn State's recent recruiting of former Ivy League offensive linemen from the transfer portal. Does Tucker think it's a good plan? And what is it like, jumping from the Ivy League to the NFL or Power Five football? As someone who did just that, Tucker gives his insight into the transition and what Penn State is getting by selecting mature players with playing experience at the offensive line position. 

Also, as a former player who wanted to play for the university, would Tucker have made the same move? He reminisces about his recruitment and interaction with former Penn State football players in the NFL. 

After that, Tucker opens up about his role in Williams' recruitment. He explains how they met and what he initially saw from the 6-4 sophomore. He also gives glowing reviews of Williams as a person. 

From there, they discuss the improvements Williams made this past season that led to a Penn State offer. Tucker then explains how the Wyomissing lineman has been proactive in his approach to school. Where does he need to improve? Williams lines up in various positions for his high school offense, but they run a unique scheme. They discuss how that translates to the next level and what roles he could fit best for the Nittany Lions. 

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Penn State football has another option on the transfer market for their offensive line, wrestling is set for their final dual and more this week. Reporter Greg Pickel joins the BWI Daily Edition to discuss that with host Thomas Frank Carr.

T-Frank and Pickel start with Penn State wrestling head coach Cael Sanderson’s comments from his Monday press conference. Did Sanderson give an update about where Brady Berge will wrestle for the postseason? Pickel gets into Sanderson’s comments about where the one-time retiree will fit going forward now that he’s back on the team. Penn State pulled him from the lineup over the last two weeks and Pickel gives his thoughts on the situation.

Next, they discuss the rest of the lineup and assess just how set Penn State is at their weaknesses from earlier in the year. Will Sanderson wrestle is best this weekend as a tune-up for the Big Ten Tournament? What did the team do in the bye week? Pickel gives his thoughts on what Sanderson indicated this week.

From there, they shift gears to discuss Penn State football’s season opening game against Purdue. The news came out late last week that the game will now be on Thursday night instead of the traditional Saturday slot. Is this a good thing for Penn State and head coach James Franklin? Pickel shares the sentiments of fans he’s spoken to and then gives his thoughts. T-Frank follows with his comments on the ability for the Nittany Lions to play more showcase games.

After wrapping up their discussion about the fall opener, T-Frank and Pickel move on to the transfer portal. Western Kentucky offensive lineman Cole Spencer put his name into the portal this week and has immediately drawn interest from multiple schools looking for an offensive tackle. Pickel gives the details about the situation.

After that, T-Frank gives a quick overview of Spencer’s performance last season before engaging Greg in a larger discussion about the portal. Is Penn State’s patient approach this year paying off? They’ve extended offers to several quality prospects in recent weeks and waited to land offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad this month. They discuss the merits of this approach while Pickel points out a critical difference between this offseason and last offseason.

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With recruiting news slowing down in the middle of the February dead period, Greg Pickel and Ryan Snyder open up our Feb. 15 podcast looking back on a variety of Penn State-related NFL topics.

In addition to Haley and Scott winning it all, there are a handful players in their original Penn State class, the Class of 2014, who are having great careers in the NFL. That list includes Mike Gesicki, Chris Godwin, Amani Oruwariye, Jason Cabinda, among others. Of course, Micah Parsons' emergence, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, was also a positive for the Nittany Lions. The guys discuss how his success should only help Penn State on the recruiting trail in the months ahead.

After that, they get into another Pennsylvania linebacker in Class of 2023 prospect Phil Picciotti. A four-star player from Pennridge, Picciotti recently finalized his spring visit schedule, which Ryan published Tuesday morning. They look at what's key for Penn State moving forward and a notable school who longer appears to be a serious contender with Perkasie native.

The transfer portal was also discussed. Penn State recently started following Western Kentucky offensive lineman Cole Spencer on Twitter this week. An All-Conference USA selection in 2021, Spencer has a host of schools who also appear to be interested following his entry into the transfer portal. Ryan discusses who those programs are, as well as two other transfer portal targets in Raiqwon O'Neal and Tyler Steen.

They finish out today's podcast discussing Penn State's rise in scholarship offers extended in recent years. During the first half of James Franklin's tenure, the Nittany Lions never surpassed 200 scholarship offers extended in a class. In 2022, they offered more than 360, and are on pace for even more in 2023.

Why the change? Ryan gives his thoughts.

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