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

Penn State football is counting on several familiar faces returning from injury to power its defensive line for the 2022 season. But, with the addition of some exciting new faces, will this group hit the heights of their potential? Or will there be too many 'ifs' for this group to succeed? The BWI Daily edition tackles the Penn State defensive line in today's season preview. 

Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Baur start at the top with Penn State's need to replace second-round pick Arnold Ebiketie's production from last season. Additionally, senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher is returning from injury. His timeline back to full strength is a key part of the equation. They discuss how likely it is that Mustipher and defensive end Adisa Isaac will play well this fall. Next, T-Frank introduces viewers to the starting defensive line, with even more questions outside of Isaac and Mustipher. Nick Tarburton returns to his role from last season, while Hakeem Beamon returns from a non-injury absence in 2021. 

Next, T-Frank introduces the rest of the depth players and the new faces to the defensive line this fall. He asks Bauer how long it will take for Penn State's starting defensive line to change from what it is now. Through that conversation, Bauer and T-Frank bring attention to Penn State's depth players, such as Coziah Izzard and Dvon Ellies. Those to players struggled to fill in for Mustipher last season. Finally, the duo considers if things can lead to a more positive outcome this fall. 

Finally, they dive into the new players for Penn State. Five-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, transfer Chop Robinson, and freshman defensive tackle Zane Durant have impressed this offseason in one form or fashion. T-Frank and Bauer discuss the possibility of all of them playing meaningful roles in the fall. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Penn State football recruiting finished July on a down note heading into the final month before the start of the 2022 football season. The BWI Daily recruiting show is back to look back at the news about Evan Link and Stanton Ramil and to look ahead at what's next for the class of 2023. 

Host Greg Pickel starts with the news from Monday, which hits hard for Penn State fans. First, four-star tackle Evan Link chose Michigan in a surprise upset during his recruitment. The Gonzaga left tackle took an official visit to Penn State during June and then went silent for the rest of the month. Experts expected him to choose between Stanford and the Nittany Lions, but he ultimately ended up a Wolverine. 

So how did all of that go down? Recruiting insider Ryan Snyder does his best to unpack the situation from the very quiet Link. More importantly, where does Penn State go from here? Fellow offensive tackle Stanton Ramil also chose a different school, selecting Michigan State over the Nittany Lions. So with the top players off the board, Penn State once again misses on an elite-level tackle prospect. Pickel and Snyder discuss that impact and what it will take for the Nittany Lions to recover. 

Next, they review the Lasch Bash, Penn State's last big recruiting event of the year before game visits in the fall. They give a rundown of the names in attendance but also which high-level players didn't show up for the weekend. Snyder and Pickel discuss what caused four-star defensive end, Jalen Thompson, not to attend the event this past weekend. 

Which players are left that could choose Penn State in August? Snyder points to Kaveion Keys, Carmelo Taylor, and Thompson as three players who will make a decision this month. 

Finally, Snyder and Pickel discuss Penn State's quarterback situation in 2023. The team hosted three-star passer Jaxon Smolik on Friday for their final camp of the summer. How did he do? Snyder gives his intel on how Penn State felt about his performance and whether or not he's the lead candidate to replace Marcus Stokes, who flipped to Florida at the beginning of the month. 

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

Bookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/

Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters: https://bluewhiteonline.com

Download our podcasts: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/LRL3155877513?selected=DSVV2664982394

Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/

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

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Nick Singleton takes center stage during first practice of Penn State training camp

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Penn State's tight end room received high praise before the 2021 season. Head coach James Franklin called them the deepest and most talented group he's coached at that position in his career. Now, the same faces return in the same roles for the fall.

Penn State head coach James Franklin and his offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich haven't backed off from their optimism this year, so what will change? Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer will try to answer as they preview the tight end position for the 2022 football season. 

They start with a review of last season and introduce the trio of Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson, and Tyler Warren. Next, they discuss the facts behind the tight end group's lack of production last season. Then, T-Frank cites some important receiving metrics they fell short in, and Nate gives context to them. They also discuss factors outside the position's control. For example, they dive into how the quarterback's willingness to throw the ball over the middle of the field and which receivers took important targets away from the group. 

They discuss which X-factor will change the course of the season for Strange, Johnson, and Warren before looking at the young players. Finally, they offer a stock up or down prediction to close the show. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Penn State's running back production wasn't good enough last season. No matter how you slice it, qualify it or try to explain it, that's the bottom line. Heading into the 2022 season, the open question of improvement rests on the shoulders of two true freshmen. It's also the question that host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer will try to answer on the BWI Daily Edition. Today, they preview the running backs. 

Bauer and T-Frank start with a review of the situation to set the scene for the upcoming season. With Keyvone Lee as the presumed starter, how much room is there for improvement? The conversation about the running back rotation can't go very far without bringing up freshman running back Nick Singleton. The five-star Governor Mifflin running back in the Class of 2022 has impressed coaches and teammates since enrolling early in January. The proposition for Singleton is to provide explosive runs and provide the spark that Penn State lacked last season. However, the expectations at this point might be that he takes over the job eventually. 

Can Lee, Devyn Ford, Caziah Holmes, or fellow freshman Kaytron Allen carve a role for themselves? Bauer and T-Frank have different thoughts about the realistic expectations for the first-year back heading into the fall. 

Finally, they declare if the running back room's stock is up or down heading into fall camp. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Each week the BWI Daily Edition takes your questions and answers them on air. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior Editor Nate Bauer team up to discuss the thoughts and opinions of Blue White Illustrated subscribers and Penn State fans. Today they’ll tackle Big Ten Media Day, the return of PJ Mustipher, and more. 

T-Frank and Bauer start with a discussion about the Penn State defensive line. A BWI Message board member wants to know the projected two-deep at the defensive line for the fall. Does the news that Mustipher is cleared for camp change their opinion? The duo discusses the pros and cons of returning from an ACL injury, how players perform when they do and what fans should expect from the senior defensive tackle early in the year. 

Next, they take a question regarding the 2022 Big Ten Media Days and Penn State’s performance. Was Penn State successful in weathering the storm of controversy brought earlier in the week? Did head coach James Franklin and his players achieve their goals? T-Frank found himself disappointed in the responses, but Bauer has some different context to bring to the show. 

They answer questions regarding the defensive end position, and the competition at guard between Sal Wormley and Hunter Nourzad, among others. Finally, the show ends by picking the freshmen in the Class of 2022 that will become fan favorites. Bauer chooses five-star players, Nick Singleton and Drew Allar, while T-Frank picks five-star defensive end Dani Dennis Sutton and receiver Kaden Saunders. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Penn State's 2022 season is right around the corner, and to get you ready, Blue White Illustrated is breaking down each position on the way to training camp. Today The BWI Daily Edition focuses on the wide receivers. Can this group actually improve while losing first-round draft pick Jahan Dotson? Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer discuss which receivers are tasked with that job. 

Bauer and T-Frank start by setting the scene for the 2022 receiving room. Who will replace Dotson and his 137 targets? Parker Washington returns for his third season in Happy Valley, flanked by fellow 2020 receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Added to the mix is Western Kentucky transfer, Mitchell Tinsley. Is that trio enough to replace one of the best pure receivers in program history? The question might be something different, which Bauer and T-Frank discuss. 

Next, they introduce the rest of the room and the main players that the pair expect to compete with the top trio for playing time. Can Malick Meiga or Harrison Wallace push Lambert-Smith for playing time? Or will someone else lose snaps to an up-and-coming player? After that, T-Frank and Bauer discuss how the perception of the room could be different than the results because of the shadow Dotson left. Additionally, T-Frank brings up the other offensive pieces and their role in receiver production. Quarterback Sean Clifford and the running game will also influence how efficient and effective the group can be. 

Finally, they discuss the group's freshmen, X-factors, and which way the stock for the receiver position heading into the season. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Penn State’s appearance at the Big Ten media days got off to a rocky start this week after Jason Stahl, the founder of the College Football Player’s Association reported his involvement with Penn State. At the center of the story is sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford. According to Stahl, Clifford was the focal point of his efforts to unionize Penn State’s football team and spearhead negotiations with the Big Ten. With Penn State players, coaches and administrators speaking on Wednesday, reporter Greg Pickel joins the BWI Daily to discuss the situation.

Pickel, who is reporting from Indianapolis, discusses the situation with host of the BWI Daily, Thomas Frank Carr. They reviews the news today reported by Ross Dellinger that Clifford was pressured by multiple sources to back away from Stahl’s efforts, which led to a public airing of the situation. T-Frank and Pickel walk through the different aspects of this situation. Firstly, how Clifford looks coming into his media appearance and the questions he’s going to have to answer tomorrow in Indianapolis. What will he have to say about his side of the story? Pickel and T-Frank discuss.

Secondly, what sort of effect will this have on the football team? T-Frank asks Pickel if he thinks these actions by Clifford and the team have damaged relationships with the coaching staff. From there they discuss how James Franklin and the athletic administration will handle the situation on Wednesday.

Finally, they discuss the news from yesterday that three-star receiver Yazeed Haynes essentially decommitted from the program. While hasn’t made any public announcements at the time of recording, he has removed Penn State from his social media and multiple recruiting analysts have put in a pick for Georgia to flip the 6-1 receiver. How does Penn State resolve this situation? T-Frank and Pickel discuss the options left for the Nittany Lions heading into August.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While the number of football prospects coming out of the western part of Pennsylvania continues to dwindle due to population shifting, the quality of those prospects has not. Two of Penn State football's core players in the class of 2023, Ta'Mere Robinson and Lamont Payne, are from Pittsburgh. One common thread through Pittsburgh-area players for the last decade has been DeWayne Brown, athletic trainer and founder of 2Tenths Speed & Agility. 

Brown has trained former Penn State and current NFL players such as Miles Sanders and Jaquan Brisker but is most famous for training NFL superstar Aaron Donald. Brown sat down with the host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, to discuss what he does and his thoughts on Penn State's recent commits. He'll also tell T-Frank which players to watch out for in the future. 

T-Frank starts by getting to know Brown better. How did he get to the point where he's training Donald and every other NFL player from the Pittsburgh area? Next, he learns more about Brown's training background and style. He also wants to know what makes Donald one of the best players in this generation of NFL players. From there, he checks in on former Penn safety Jaquan Brisker's preparation for the NFL. 

Next, he dives deeper to learn more about Penn State cornerback Lamont Payne and linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson. Brown has worked with each athlete since an early age and gives his insights into their abilities and talents. 

Finally, he wants to learn more about future prospects, particularly four-star running back Quinton Martin. How good is Martin? T-Frank gets Brown's thoughts on what the high-level athlete can become. Finally, Brown gives T-Frank a list of names to keep in mind for the future.  

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The BWI Daily Edition is preparing you for the 2022 Penn State football season by previewing the Penn State football team position by position. Today, they continue their look at the Nittany Lion's offense by examining the most polarizing group on the Penn State roster; the offensive line. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer discuss the starters, key reserves, and freshmen on the team that will shape the fate of this group in the fall. 

They start by discussing Penn State center Juice Scruggs. Does Penn State need a great center to have the best version of its offensive line? That's the theory Bauer presents to T-Frank about senior Juice Scruggs. T-Frank doesn't have a direct rebuttal for that thought but doesn't agree. The two discuss what makes a good offensive line or player before diving into the group. 

From there, T-Frank introduces the presumed starting lineup of left tackle Olu Fashanu, left guard Landon Tengwall, center Juice Scruggs, right guard Hunter Nourzad, and right tackle Caedan Wallace. Three of the five starters from this year differ from the previous year. 

So, does that mean the stock is up because the problems from last year are no longer starting, or is the stock down becuase once again, Penn State has massive turnover and youth on the line? Bauer and T-Frank debate the merits of each point. 

They also discuss the depth issues at tackle, which players can contribute beyond the starting five, before wrapping up by looking at the first-year players. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Every Thursday, the host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, and senior editor at Blue White Illustrated, Nate Bauer, discuss your questions on the BWI Mailbag show. They take questions from members of the Lions Den Message board and select questions from social media to find out what Penn State fans want to know each week. For example, this week, they discuss Mike Yurcich's play selection, the hype surrounding Nick Singleton, and more. 

They start with a question from YouTube about Mike Yurcich's offense. Will the offensive coordinator dial up more passes that target the middle of the field? T-Frank and Bauer discuss that question in depth. First, is the question fair and accurate? Did Yurcich shy away from that part of the field because of some part of the offense? They also discuss how receiver Parker Washington and tight ends Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange play into that conversation. Finally, can Yurcich force the ball over the middle of the field if quarterback Sean Clifford doesn't want to throw there? 

From there, they move on to a broader question. Who are the offensive and defensive players that will surprise fans this season? T-Frank and Baur discuss how few players fall through the cracks for attentive fans, but to the broader audience, some do. They bring up Zakee Wheatley and Tyler Elsdon on the defensive side of the ball, and T-Frank offers several candidates on the offensive side. Bauer thinks that Kaytron Allen, despite his standout work so far, is going under the radar thanks to the presence of five-star teammate Nick Singleton. 

Speaking of Singleton, is the hype getting too oversized for the freshman tailback? T-Frank and Bauer discuss what it would take for Singelton to have a successful season outside of becoming a superstar that takes every snap for the Nittany Lions. T-Frank and Nate explain what is hype and what are facts about his performance so far. 

They also discuss what they saw out of Penn State hoops at Tuesday's open practice, which players Penn State can't afford to lose, how to attack non-athletic quarterbacks, and more.  

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.