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

Before Penn State football completes the 2021 season on January 1st in the 2022 Outback Bowl, relive the season with the BWI Superlatives Show. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer look back on the year and give out their best moments and performers in several categories.

The categories include:

-Best play: offense and defense

-Best individual stat line

-Best Run-blocker

-Best Catch

-Best individual performance: Offense and defense

-Most improved player: Offense and defense

-Best Sack

Bauer and T-Frank give their nominees for each category and discuss the plays or games that stood out this season. Finally, they look back and reflect on a very unusual and frustrating year for Penn State football.

#PennState #NittanyLions

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Penn State football got a shot in the arm this week the safety Ji'Ayir Brown announcing that he is returning for his final season. But what does that mean for the Penn State defense? Besides getting back a veteran player, host Thomas Frank Carr breaks down what Penn State can do with Brown in their defensive system next season. 

First, T-Frank looks at what Brown wants out of his final season at Penn State. He asked the safety what he would come back for if the Lackawanna transfer stayed and where he wanted to improve his game. Brown had a precise answer and has one particular stat the senior would like to accumulate next season. That answer gives T-Frank a clue as to Brown's expectations and where he will need to play within the scheme to accomplish that. 

The next element to consider with Brown's return to Happy Valley is the players surrounding him in the defense. So, who is the likely candidate to start opposite of Brown? The obvious answer is his backup, Keaton Ellis. How has the transition from corner gone for Ellis? Both Brown and the former State College Little Lion weigh in. The other player to consider is freshman standout Jaylen Reed, who worked his way onto the field late in the season. T-Frank looks at each player's strengths and explains how he sees all of the pieces fitting together. 

Finally, T-Frank explains how new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz could change the picture with his defensive style. With that in mind, T-Frank explains what he saw from the Miami defense under Diaz and the type of players and body types that Diaz used at each position. With the similarities in the scheme, it's easy to make. Despite that, T-Frank isn't sure that the new defensive coordinator will bring a carbon copy of his old principles to Penn State. 

He wraps up the show, evaluating where Penn State's safety room stands heading into the offseason. 

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Fans have been clamoring for answers about what went wrong with the Penn State offensive line all season. So now that the dust has settled, host Thomas Frank Carr takes a historical look at Penn State recruiting along the offensive line to find answers. He's joined by recruiting insider Ryan Snyder to help give context to some of the information that T-Frank found. 

T-Frank starts with the class of 2016, the first and only class assembled by James Franklin's first offensive line coach, Herb Hand. He does this to show how things developed through different line coaches to try and find common themes. While former Penn State offensive line coach Matt Limegrover was instrumental in keeping that class together, Hand selected and recruited those players to Penn State. 

That class is also important because several of the players in that class made up the bulk of the starts at critical positions for four years under Franklin and Limegrover at Penn State. 

After that, T-Frank and Ryan go through each class to examine the players that Penn State was able to land and give context to the players that Limegrover missed. Again, a common theme emerged from studying those classes. Penn State could not recruit a significant position along the offensive line. 

Along with some bad luck in the class of 2018, that set the scene for offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and his current tenure at Penn State. Development along the offensive line is a slow process so understanding what caused the coaching change in the first place is essential. 

Has Trautwein been able to change things on the recruiting trail? Is Penn State pointed in the right direction? It hasn't all been smooth. Some critical misses in the class of 2021 and a late flip in 2022 have given Penn State a rocky road, especially at the start of Trautwein's tenure. Development may be going slow, but T-Frank and Ryan discuss the signs pointing in the right direction of Penn State under the third-year line coach. 

Finally, they take a look at Penn State's evolving use of the transfer portal and how that can affect the Nittany Lion's ability to field a complete line each season. 

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News broke on Monday that Penn State football will play the Outback Bowl without both of their starting box linebackers. That's because fifth-year player Ellis Brooks announced his decision to forego his extra year of eligibility and skip the bowl game to focus on the NFL. 

Did he make the right decision? With mixed opinions as to what Brooks should have done, film analyst and host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, went to the film to find out. 

He starts with the caveat that he's a fan of how Brooks plays football and has a soft spot for players with underrated skills. He also sets the expectations of what you'll hear throughout the episode regarding the projection of Brooks' draft stock. At the end of the episode, he promises to provide a range of rounds for the Penn State linebacker.

With that in mind, he shares his scouting notes on Brooks that he took while looking at his game. He notes that Brooks isn't the athlete the consensus is painting him out to be. Additionally, T-Frank points to non-obvious skills that Brooks exhibits that can help him win in the NFL. T-Frank also explains why the former Penn State linebacker is so good at playing the run despite not having dominant physical traits. 

Those same underrated traits make Brooks a good coverage linebacker. While he doesn't exhibit elite speed or burst, there are things that the Virginia native does that make up for those deficiencies. T-Frank provides specific examples from games in 2021 to illustrate his point about Brook's run defense and coverage ability. 

After that, he dives into PFF data to check his work. Some numbers surprised T-Frank, and he shares them with you. He also explains the disconnect between his evaluation and what the production says of Brooks as a coverage defender. The former Penn State Nittany Lion was excellent against the run, and T-Frank backs that up with solid numbers. 

Finally, he tells you whether or not Brooks made the right decision opting out of the bowl game. He provides context to the decision based on his evaluation and the reality of the situation. In the end, injury risk is undoubtedly a part of the equation, but it's not the main reason to opt out.

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The penultimate Penn State recruiting podcast of 2021 from Blue-White Illustrated is now live.

Hosts Ryan Snyder and Greg Pickel start this episode by discussing Joshua Miller's decision to pick Penn State on Dec. 20. The Lions are now up to five commits in the next cycle. From there, the duo discusses which other 2023 dominos could fall in Phil Trautwein's favor. Then, they talk about junior tight end Andrew Rappleyea and where his recruitment stands at this juncture before closing the show with an early signing day recap.

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Penn State football takes on Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on January 1st, and Blue White Illustrated was at Penn Sate's open practice on Friday. Senior Editor Nate Bauer joins the show today to discuss what he saw. He joins host Thomas Frank Carr to share the players they're hoping to learn more about during the game based on playing time and availability. 

Before that, they follow up on a discussion from last week. Previously, Bauer and T-Frank discussed an article stating that the Villanova defense had a tell from a Penn State offensive player. As a result, they could diagnose if the Nittany Lions were about to run or pass on almost every play. Bauer asked Franklin about the situations and got an interesting answer that he and T-Frank delve into on the show. T-Frank went back and watched the film to confirm which lineman it was and what he was doing to tip the play. 

After that, they have a conversation about how something like that could happen into the season's fourth game and how Penn State fans should feel about that. 

Next, they discuss what Bauer saw at practice on Friday and which players were absent from the media's portion of the event. Then, with that information in mind, they give you the young players they're most interested in watching during the bowl game if those players indeed are the starters. 

The first player that T-Frank brings up is offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, who was taking reps with the first team. How significant is it that he saw snaps with the first team? T-Frank wants to see Penn State's plan going forward, and where Fashanu plays is a crucial piece of that puzzle. 

The next player they discuss is wide receiver Malick Meiga. Was his play at the end of the 2021 regular season a mirage? Or is he going to be a major factor going into 2022? His play will also inform Bauer and T-Frank of what Penn State might plan to do in another area this offseason. 

After Meiga, they discuss the defensive line position and which players are essential going forward. Which players see time? Who steps up in the likely absence of defensive end Arnold Ebiketie? After that, they transition to linebacker where Bauer saw a significant re-shuffling of players on Friday.

They round out the show to discuss the safety position and which players will see time if All-American Jaquan Brisker opts out of the game. Penn State has several players that have seen time at the position, but who sees more reps, and where? Those answers could be early clues as to what will happen in 2022. 

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With the team beginning practice today, Penn State football held their bowl media day on Friday in preparation for the Outback Bowl on January 1st against Arkansas. Senior Editor for Blue White Illustrated Nate Bauer and host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, were on hand to take in the sights and sounds. They bring you their observations on today’s show. 

First, they start with the biggest news of the day, introducing new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Bauer and T-Frank discuss their initial impressions of Diaz, his comments and responses to tough questions about his previous job, and his fit at Penn State. The two discuss how Diaz echoed similar but unrelated sentiments to what Head Coach James Franklin said earlier in the day. 

Next, the pair gave their thoughts on what Offensive Coordinator Mike Yurcich had to say about his side of the ball in 2021. First, Yurcich took ownership of the situation and answered questions about the running game, his system, and more. Next, T-Frank and Bauer talked about the moments that stood out to them, including an illuminating answers at the end of the press conference. 

Bauer and T-Frank dove into the quarterback conversation and what sixth-year senior Sean Clifford can provide for the young players that just joined his room in five-star quarterback Drew Allar and three-star Beau Pribula. How can Clifford help bridge the gap beyond his play? Can the embattled signal-caller raise his game with one final year at Penn State? Bauer and T-Frank discuss that and more. 

Finally, they share the interesting conversations they had with individual players throughout the day with the audience. Those players include running back Noah Cain, right tackle Caedan Wallace, and safeties Keaton Ellis and Ji’Ayir Brown. 

Cain discussed his health in 2021 and the issues in the running game that held the Penn State offense back. Were there issues that went deeper than just missed blocks or wrong reads? Bauer reads between the lines with Cain’s answer to try and find the truth. Meanwhile, Wallace discussed his development at right tackle and some of the offensive line’s struggles in 2021. He also gave an unexpected answer to a question that raised T-Frank’s attention. 

They wrap up with a discussion about the fixes in the future for the offense. 

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Recap Penn State recruiting's biggest day with the BWI Live, Signing Day Special.

Host Tom Hannifan takes you through the Penn State recruiting class with film analyst for Blue White Illustrated, Thomas Frank Carr.

First, you'll also hear from On3 recruiting insider Ryan Snyder as he gives his thoughts on the class, the stories that defined it, and his thoughts on the prospects. Also, director for Scouting and Ranking for On3 Charles Power makes an appearance as well. 

Penn State recruiting signed one of the best classes under head coach James Franklin on Wednesday with two consensus five-star players in quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nick Singleton. They are joined by a slew of high-four star prospects including defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, Kaden Saunders, Drew Shelton and others. What are the strengths of each prospect? Thomas Frank Carr breaks down their individual games, strengths and even areas where they can develop over time to become complete football players.

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Penn State football signed a 23-person class during the first day of the early signing period on Wednesday. There are still plenty of areas to dissect and discuss, and today, host Thomas Frank Carr takes a look at the receivers.  

There's one commonality among the four receivers that Penn State added to its roster in four-stars Kaden Saunders and Anthony Ivey, along with three-star prospects Omari Evans and Tyler Johnson; size. None of the players in this quartet stand above six feet tall, and none project as dominant, boundary receivers. T-Frank looks at the previous two receiving classes for Penn State to show just how stark of contrast this class is with the others. Was that by choice? Or was it a product of circumstance? 

T-Frank asked receivers coach Tayler Stubblefield about that very topic yesterday and shares Stubblefield's response. Stubblefield provides T-Frank with an interesting lead to examine how the receiver's position has changed over time both at the college football and NFL level. T-Frank looks at the past several first rounds in the NFL Draft to show what Stubblefield is saying. 

After that, he wraps up by looking ahead to what Ivey and Saunders bring to the table as the most college-ready prospects in the group this year. They have a similar, desirable skillset but lack one key element that they will have to make up for somehow. Without a player possessing dominant size, this group will have to be everything they seem to be for Penn State's offense to succeed. 

Finally, T-Frank interviews the Director of Scouting and Ranking for On3, Charles Power. Power and T-Frank discuss the Penn State recruiting class in whole and part during the 15-minute taped interview from earlier this week. 

They start with a broad view of the class, of which Power has a very favorable opinion. He also highly praises several individual players, including Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, and Dani Dennis-Sutton. 

After discussing the class stars, T-Frank asks for some less-known players that Power thinks have a chance to overplay their rankings. They wrap up by discussing the future of On3 recruiting, RPM. 

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The Penn State football team is one more day closer to the early signing period, which will take place tomorrow for football programs around the country. On the eve of signing day, host Thomas Frank Carr brings reporter Greg Pickel on the BWI Daily Edition to get everyone up-to-date on some important news events this week. 

First, Pickel and T-Frank discuss that former Lackawanna CC transfer Norval Black is no longer listed on the Penn State roster. Next, Greg fills T-Frank in on the formalities of that process and what is next for Black and Penn State. T-Frank then asks him what the process is like for football teams that have to deal with the constant shifting of the roster and how they handle the timing of such news. 

From there, T-Frank asks Pickel to assess which positions Penn State will need to fill via the portal. Pickel gives his list with the caveat that some positional needs aren’t locked in. That’s because players currently on Penn State’s roster still need to make decisions regarding the NFL Draft. 

Finally, Pickel updates T-Frank on a significant award that consensus five-star running back Nick Singleton won today. Singleton was recently named the Gatorade PA Player of the year with 1,311 yards and 24 total touchdowns. What other awards did he garner? 

Next, T-Frank takes a deep dive into the film of Penn State’s top tackle prospect in Downingtown Wests’ Drew Shelton. After committing over a year ago, the 275-pound tackle prospect is a critical piece in the Class of 2022. What makes him so special? T-Frank shows his unique skills during T-Frank’s Film room. 

The first area that T-Frank addresses is Shelton’s pad level. Where does he rank in terms of skills and ability to win leverage at the line of scrimmage? What does that do for his blocking ability? 

Next, T-Frank shows just how dominant a run-blocker Shelton is and why it’s not just about his level of competition. From there, he addresses Shelton’s athleticism and wraps up by looking at the Penn State commit’s abilities as a pass protector. 

After his evaluation, T-Frank discusses the Penn State offensive line class in 2022 and how Shelton fits into it. With three prospects listed as tackles, where will each end up? 

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