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

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Penn State soars through double dual weekend

–Lions beat Drexel and Lehigh handily without Nagao, Barr. 

–Lions are now three wins shy of breaking Oklahoma State’s all-time consecutive dual meet victories record. Can come within one of tying it at Wyoming this weekend. It does not sound like Nagao will be back. Barr could be. Barr/Connor Mirasola vs. Jore Volk is the match of the weekend if it happens. Will the Lions continue to turn to Nasdeo at 141 if no Nagao?

Recruiting

From there, Carr and Pickel dive into the latest recruiting news. Penn State wrestling is on a role in the Class of 2027. It's most recent addition is Indiana junior Clinton Shepherd. He picked the Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon.

Watch the Penn State wrestling show from BWI in the video player above, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts!

"After a lot of prayer I am proud to announce I’m committing to continue my academic and wrestling career at Penn State University," Shepherd wrote on Instagram.

"Thankful for my family, coaches, and everyone who’s pushed me to get here also god for the guidance to put in my heart where I felt at home for the place I will pursue and chase my goals. Time to work!"

Shepherd is MatScout's No. 6 Class of 2027 recruit. He is the outlet's No. 3 wrestler in the country at 144 pounds. He projects to wrestle somewhere between 157-174 at the next level.

Head coach Cael Sanderson's team made a massive recent surge in this recruitment. The Crown Point High standout put out a top eight in August that included only Iowa State, Cornell, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State, and N.C. State.

Penn State now has verbal commitments in the Class of 2027 from Norwin, Pa., star Landon Sidun, who is No. 2 on MatScout’s 2027 big board, in addition to Ohio star Grey Burnett (No. 4), New York’s Gavin Mangano (No. 8), State College Area’s James Whitbred, and New York two-time state champ William Soto. Soto and Sidun are also wrestlers who look likely to compete in the 125- or 133-pound weight classes. However, projecting college weights at this juncture can sometimes be a bit of a fool’s errand. But, for what it’s worth, Mangano projects in the middle weights and Whitbred in the upper weights.”

SHOW WRAPUP

What they have to do to set a new consecutive dual meet wins record

Beat Wyoming, NDSU, Stanford

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After two months of dismal recruiting news, things are starting to pick up this week with the new coaching staff taking shape under Penn State head coach Matt Campbell. On today’s BWI Live Recruiting Show, we’ll discuss the new batch of players that fans should get to know who have ties to Campbell from Iowa State. We’ll also discuss the efforts to rebuild the 2027 class so that the team isn’t behind on next year’s class as well. Plus, we’ll discuss Campbell’s track record in the transfer portal and how successful the former Cyclones coach has been at evaluating talent in the open market. 

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Breaking News Shocks College Football

However, we’ll start today with the news that Michigan has fired head coach Sherrone Moore after finding evidence of improper behavior with an assistant. We’ll discuss the impact on the rival Big Ten program and what it could potentially mean for Penn State’s chances of flipping players from the recently signed class of 2026. We’ll discuss the dynamics of the Wolverines’ class and the new staff who don’t have as many obvious relationships with the regional players who chose Michigan over the Nittany Lions. 

Next, we’ll dive into the most recent Penn State recruiting news. Several recruits have backed out of commitments to Iowa State from both the 2026 and 2027 classes. Reporter Ryan Snyder discusses what fans need to know about the situation and which players they should focus on. Are there enough prospects to salvage the situation in 2026? We’ll look at the landscape and discuss the likelihood that Campbell can cobble together prospects. We’ll also discuss the uncommitted prospects that are showing interest in the program now that Campbell is in charge. 

However, Snyder also has his eye on 2027. Which Midwest prospects are showing interest in Campbell now that he’s at Penn State? We’ll give fans a handful of names to take away from today’s show. 

Penn State transfer portal potential under Campbell 

Finally, we’ll discuss the transfer portal. Without a doubt, Campbell will have to use the portal to supplement his team-building plans for year one in Happy Valley. So, what’s his success rate been like over the years at Iowa State? Snyder dug into the new Penn State head coach’s resume and will discuss what he found to end the show. 

Want to talk about something else we didn’t mention? Join the live chat at 10 a.m. on YouTube to be part of the discussion. We’ll be taking comments and questions from fans during the hour-long show. 

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Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is working this week to secure a better understanding of his current staff and players in Happy Valley. The next few weeks will be critical for his ability to understand the culture at Penn State and give him a shot at keeping key players on the roster who he will need to have a successful 2026 football season. At the same time, there are players from his previous roster at Iowa State who could follow him to Happy Valley and make an impact next season. Where do those positions overlap from a talent and depth standpoint? Today on the BWI Live Show, we’ll discuss the Iowa State and Penn State starters who could best mesh to give the team a chance to compete in the fall next year. We’ll also cover the latest coaching moves and bowl situations on the show. 

Join us at 10 a.m. on YouTube to discuss the team’s situation, along with whatever else is on your mind! We’ll be taking questions from the live chat throughout the show to discuss your thoughts and questions on today’s hour-long show. Be sure to tune in each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to get the latest intel and conversation on Penn State football from Blue White Illustrated! Subscribe now so never miss a show! 

Of course, don’t forget to sign up for the ultimate sources of Penn State football talk, Blue White Illustrated. It’s just one dollar to get access to the site to try us out and then be billed annually afterward. 

Coaching and staff updates

Each day brings a fresh batch of news about the state of the team as Campbell takes over, and James Franklin assembles his staff in Blacksburg. We’ll give you the latest news about which coaches are leaving Happy Valley today. Two assistants are headed down to Virginia this week, and we’ll discuss the potential impact of those moves on the program. 

We’ll also give you the latest confirmed information on the staff members that Campbell has brought from Iowa State and what their roles will be. 

Penn State and Iowa State offensive roster comparison 

For Penn State to have its best chance to compete next fall, Campbell needs to successfully blend together the talent accumulated on the Penn State roster while supplementing and filling holes on the depth chart with key players from his team at Iowa State. While the transfer portal is a third wildcard in the process, today, we’ll focus on the first two. 

We’ll break down the offensive roster positions and discuss which starters could join Campbell in Happy Valley from Ames and which Penn State players are critical for him to retain. We’ll cover the quarterback comparison between Ethan Grunkemeyer and Rocco Becht and highlight a situation brewing along the offensive line for Campbell when looking at the two starting units from last season. Can he find the best combination of talent and veteran experience? 

Bowl Preview

Finally, we’ll preview the Pinstripe Bowl between Penn State and Clemson to end the show. What do we know about each team so far in the process? We’ll discuss the opt outs, point spreads and storylines of the game to end the month. 

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The Penn State Nittany Lions football team has officially hired Matt Campbell as the next head coach. The Iowa State leader will replace James Franklin as the team's next head coach with a reported eight-year deal. Blue White Illustrated discusses not only Campbell's hiring but also the story behind Kalani Sitake's decision to back out of his agreement with the program at the last minute and return to BYU. 

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Breaking: It's OFFICIAL, Penn State Inks Deal with Matt Campbell to Become Next Head Coach

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Are Penn State fans getting the right first look at new head coach Matt Campbell? In today’s video, we react to and break down Campbell’s introductory press conference at Penn State, including his tone, philosophy, recruiting message, and early expectations for the Nittany Lions.

We’ll discuss:

🏈 Campbell’s first impression with Penn State players & fans

📢 His message about culture, development & NIL

🧠 How his coaching style fits PSU’s identity

🚨 What comes next in recruiting, staff, & transfer portal

Is Matt Campbell the right fit for Penn State Football? Let’s talk about it.

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First Impressions of Matt Campbell’s Introductory Press Conference at Penn State

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Penn State football introduced its 17th head coach in program history on Monday afternoon when Matt Campbell took the podium in the Beaver Stadium media room. Today on the BWI Live show, we’ll discuss his comments, athletic director Pat Kraft’s comments, and the journey it took over 54 days to name him as the next head coach of the program. Reporter Nate Bauer has followed the coaching search closely and will provide key context to the comments from yesterday’s press conference. We’ll also play select quotes from the nearly hour-long press conference for fans to hear in context. We’ll also discuss the next steps for the program and what Campbell will need to do between now and the transfer portal start date on Jan 2. 

Join the Show today at 10 a.m. to discuss that and more on the BWI Live Show. We’ll be taking questions and comments from the live chat to discuss on the show. If you can’t catch us live, be sure to subscribe to the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel so the show appears in your YouTube feed daily! As always, you can catch us on demand anywhere you get your podcasts. 

Penn State introduces Matt Campbell

We’ll start today’s show with our general impressions of Campbell in his first appearance as the Penn State head coach. What sort of personality and characteristics did he show? We’ll discuss. Next, we’ll dive into the most interesting answers to questions from the media on Monday. 

We’ll start with Kraft and the coaching search, discussing the long saga one last time. Kraft responded to a question about the leaked audio from Thursday night on Dec. 4. We’ll address the situation for the first time on the show and give our thoughts on what was said during the roughly 30 minutes of audio. We’ll also discuss Kraft’s response to the situation on Monday.

Campbell’s immediate decision to keep interim head coach Terry Smith on his staff as part of the announcement of his signing was also a topic on Monday. Why was Smith so important? We’ll play you Campbell’s comments and discuss what keeping Smith on staff means for Penn State’s chances of retaining the current roster. 

Campbell’s GM decision also came up on Monday. We’ll review Campbell’s outline for program building and use of NIL and the transfer portal. What does Bauer think of the plan as he outlined it? Where are there things not being said to the public? We’ll discuss this key ingredient in the next phase of Penn State’s future. 

What’s next?

Finally, we’ll spend a few minutes discussing the next steps for the program. What does Campbell need to do in the next three weeks to put Penn State in the best position to have a competitive team in 2026? We’ll discuss the tight window that he has to evaluate the roster, build a staff, and attack the portal for the upcoming year. 

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The Penn State Recruiting Class of 2026 was going to be collateral damage. We've been telling fans about that reality for weeks on the BWI Live Recruiting Show. Now, the damage is done, and Penn State officially has a two-man class after the opening of the early signing period in college football's recruiting calendar. On today's show, we'll assess the damage done, what's next for the team, and what it all means now that the team has no recruiting class and no coach. Recruiting reporters Sean Fitz and Ryan Snyder discuss that, plus we look into the team's coaching search two days after athletic director Pat Kraft whiffed on his selected candidate. 

Of course, the situation with Penn State's coaching search is in uncharted waters and could conclude at any moment. The best way to stay up-to-date with the latest news and information is to follow along on the Blue White Illustrated message board and with our premium content. You can join the site right now for just one dollar to try us out. 

Of course, when the news does break, we'll discuss it on the YouTube Channel as well. Subscribe here for free and enable notifications. That way, you'll know when we reveal who the next head coach at Penn State will be. 

Penn State lands a surprise commit in two-man class

As today is a recruiting show, we'll start by discussing the incredibly short list of players that Penn State has signed in its Class of 2026. The once 20-plus-player class has dwindled to one original commit and one familiar face who decided to rejoin the program. Malvern Prep defensive end Jackson Ford stayed committed to the Nittany Lions through the process. We'll discuss his comments as to why he chose to stay with the team through this transition to a new staff. 

Next, we'll discuss the fascinating story of quarterback Peyton Falzone. The ultra-talented athlete was committed to the program in the summer, but decommitted late in the summer in favor of Auburn. Of course, the Tigers also fired their coach this year. Falzone then decided to stay home and sign with the program. We'll take you through his journey and fit with the Nittany Lions. 

Coaching search latest 

Of course, the rest of today's show will be dedicated to the team's pursuit of its next head coach. Where are we now that the team has lost some of the next-best candidates, including Brian Hartline, Bob Chesney, Jeff Brohm, and others? Join the show to find out and to discuss how athletic director Pat Kraft's search has netted an incredible amount of money for other coaches who signed extensions with their schools this year. 

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The Penn State Football program is in a state of disarray today after athletic director Pat Kraft's long-standing coaching search hit a huge snag on Tuesday afternoon. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake did an about-face and re-upped with his alma mater after being revealed as the top target in Penn State's coaching search. Now, the program enters national signing day with no coach and seemingly no plan. We sit down to talk with fans about the situation on today's BWI Live Show. 

Join the show today at 10 a.m. on YouTube to join the conversation. We'll be discussing the situation as it stands, and what might come next for the program. We'll also discuss the team's national signing day situation with the Class of 2026 and what to expect from today's change in the recruiting calendar. Finally, we'll do a season-in-review conversation about what went wrong with Penn State's fateful season. 

With so much going on, now is a great time to subscribe to the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel. Enable notifications now and receive alerts about when we go live with breaking news, press conferences and more. 

Big Ten awards announced this week

We'll start the show discussing the Penn State news of the day from a team perspective. The Big Ten will announce individual awards today and tomorrow for the 2025 season. Which players have a chance to win something? Greg Pickel will give you his thoughts about the options. 

However, we'll spend most of today's show talking about the current situation with Penn State's head coaching search. Now that Kraft has whiffed on his biggest, most public offer, what happens now? What is a realistic timeline for the coaching hire and, critically, how did we get here? We'll discuss how the length of the coaching search and the current state of affairs change what becomes important for recruiting and roster retention. 

Things we learned about the Penn State football team in 2025

Now that the season is fully in the books, we'll take some time today to discuss what we learned about the Penn State football team this past season. The team was ranked second coming into the season, but fell quickly as the team struggled through September and early October. 

We'll discuss the things we knew about the team heading into the season and what actually happened on the field throughout the three months of competition. 

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Disaster for Penn State? Botched Hire Leaves Program Scrambling

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After nearly two months of searching, the Penn State Nittany Lions football team has found its candidate to replace former head coach James Franklin. On today's BWI Live Show, we'll discuss the news that BYU head coach Kalani Sitaki has emerged as the mystery candidate that athletic director Pat Kraft has targeted as the next leader of the Blue and White. What does this mean for the program? How good or bad of a fit is he? What are the qualities that lend themselves to his style? We'll discuss your burning questions and comments on the show today. 

Join the BWI Live Show at 10 a.m. on YouTube to join the live chat and be part of the show. We'll be talking with fans throughout the 60-minute airtime. We'll also finish the 2025 season by discussing Penn State's wild win over Rutgers in the season finale. 

If you haven't yet, subscribe to the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel and enable notifications. When Kraft finally pulls the trigger on a candidate, we'll be bringing you breaking news to discuss the impact and next steps of the process. You'll also want to be dialed in for the recruiting and portal implications of the team's transition to the next coach.

Penn State targets coach with few ties to program 

The news that Sitake is the top candidate for Penn State has been met with very mixed feelings from fans. However, the surface-level comparison between BYU and Penn State is not the only thing at play. We'll discuss the timeline of how Sitake became the top target, what he brings to the table, and what his coaching this week in the Big 12 Championship Game means for the Nittany Lions as a program. 

We'll also give you an initial scouting profile on Sitake as a leader and what our early impressions of his coaching are. 

Next, we'll dive into the timeline of events now that we know Penn State's top target in the search. What does this news do for the transfer decisions of current players in a positive and a negative light? Will this affect the early signing day? How does the timing of the Big 12 Championship game and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff determine the outcome of this search? 

We'll discuss those questions and more!

Rutgers Recap 

Finally, we'll discuss the current team's final game of the season against Rutgers. We'll recap the offensive performance from the line and run game, plus discuss the maturation of Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Of course, we'll dive into the defensive performance and what led to the team giving up over 500 yards in a wild shootout that ended on a defensive play. 

Join the show live at 10 a.m. to be part of the action! 

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The Penn State Nittany Lions football team started and ended the 2025 season on a three-game winning streak. The team defeated Rutgers this afternoon to complete a respectable comeback under interim head coach Terry Smith, ending the year at .500 and earning bowl eligibility at the final whistle. Join the Labatt Postgame Show to discuss the win, the season, and what's next for the Nittany Lions as the team moves into the offseason without a long-term head coach.

You can watch the Labatt postgame show and discuss it live immediately following the game. Drop your thoughts and comments into the live chat, and we'll answer as many as we can during the 60-minute postgame show. If you can't catch the show live, you can watch it on demand on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel, embedded at the top of this article, or listen anywhere you get your podcasts.

Penn State vs Rutgers

As expected, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton dominated the game plan against a weak Rutgers rush defense. Allen had 107 yards on ten attempts, just at halftime. Singleton chipped in 81 yards and a record-setting score of his own. 

However, the defense struggled to stop a feisty Rutgers offense that played its RPO game well to threaten Penn State on the edges of the tackle box and in one-on-one coverage. The Scarlet Knights scored 21 points in the first half to keep the game within three.

Yet young quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer operated an impressive scoring drive right before halftime. The Penn State offense ripped off two big passes to go 56 yards in just 26 seconds to kick a field goal and take a lead at halftime before receiving the ball after the break.

The Penn State defense struggled for most of the game but came up with two timely plays, a fumble return for a touchdown by Amare Campbell, and a stop on fourth down by Zion Tracy to give Penn State the ball back with under four minutes remaining. Allen then salted the game away with a 47-yard run.

Lions head into the postseason

Before the season is officially over, be sure to check out the rest of our Penn State Football postgame content. We'll have live reaction from Smith's press conference on the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel following the game, with his postgame press conference. We'll also give you the Instant Analysis from the field at Rutgers with our staff writers at the game. Of course, you can also read all of our great content on the site!

Not a member? Join right now for just one dollar and check us out for a week to get inside information on the Penn State coaching search as it reaches its conclusion in December. Now that the season is over, the team can finally make a move and hire a potential candidate. Who will it be? Join us as the team makes its final decision!

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#PennState  #NittanyLions  

JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annual

SUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmation

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Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3

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