The Blue-White Podcast: A Penn State Athletics Podcast

Friday is an important day on the Penn State recruiting calendar. Four-star linebacker from Pittsburgh, Ta'Mere Robinson, makes his college decision between Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Miami shortly after 6:15. How will that decision play out? Recruiting reporter Greg Pickel and host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, preview the evening's event. First, however, they start with a recap of Tony Rojas' decision to join Penn State one day prior. A fellow four-star linebacker, Rojas chose Penn State over similar schools. So how significant was his recruitment? Pickel and T-Frank discuss. Next, they get into Robinson's preview and explain how confident Penn State fans should be in the outcome later in the evening. From there, T-Frank asks Greg to give him the short-list of players he'd choose to pursue for Penn State if he were in charge of recruiting. He mentions the most elusive prospect this month, offensive lineman Evan Link, who has gone silent in communication with media and coaches, according to Pickel. He also birngs up Virginia linebacker Kevion Keys and receiver Carmelo Taylor. T-Frank follows up that list by asking if Pickel thinks it's wise to hold off on taking a wide receiver in case the Nittany Lions can flip a commitment from a higher-ranked recruit. Both Pittsburgh-area receiver Rodney Gallagher and top-150 athlete Cameron Seldon are players that T-Frank would target first. Lastly, T-Frank brings up a question from Thursday's BWI Daily Mailbag show for Pickel to answer. A Lions Den member wants to know if four-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier will get a fifth-star from On3 and if any players in the class will jump from three to four-star profiles. Pickel chooses receiver Yazeed Haynes and explains why. Next, they shift their focus to Penn State wrestling. Head coach Cael Sanderson received a new contract this offseason. How does that impact the program's stability? How dominant can they become in the future? And how doe NIL add to that already sizable lead? Pickel and T-Frank discuss that at length before turning the conversation to NIL at Penn State and the lack of enthusiasm to contribute to football. From there, they take a quick look at the 2022 Nittany Lions for a preview of the season. Which underclassmen will take a step forward and jump up the depth chart? T-Frank and Greg give their thoughts. Finally, they close out the show discussing Bo Nickal's MMA career and a big moment coming up in the near future.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State football is just over two weeks from the start of training camp, and Blue White Illustrated starts the season preview on the BWI Daily Mailbag show. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer discuss questions submitted to the show from the Lions Den message board and social media. Bauer and T-Frank start the show with a rapid-fire question period about various Penn State football topics. For example, will a freshman crack the two-deep to start the season against Purdue? Also, will Penn State have more than two backs in the rotation throughout the year? Nick Singleton's impact on the running back room, how the roles on the team will break out, and how Penn State labels their running backs come up in the discussion. Another question that comes from a Penn State subscriber deals with Manny Diaz's defense. Will the Nittany Lions go after the quarterback more aggressively than they did last season under Brent Pry? T-Frank and Bauer discuss the role that pressure plays in Diaz's defense and how the defensive ends play determines how aggressive he needs to be. T-Frank also describes the differences between the two defensive minds and how sacks come in different ways from each coach. How do you build a national championship roster? That's the question a listener asks of the duo. Bauer broke down the class rankings for both Alabama and Georiga over the last four seasons to find the answer. With training camp a few weeks away, a viewer asks which training camp battles T-Frank and Bauer have their eyes on. Bauer discusses the third receiver in detail. Will Harrison Wallace, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, or Malick Meiga step up to take that job? T-Frank points to the secondary and wants to know who will grab the lion's share of snaps at field safety. Veteran Keaton Ellis must fend off ascending redshirt freshman Zakee Wheatley to maintain that starting role. Bauer and T-Frank take opposite sides of that debate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State football has 17 commits in the Class of 2023 and two high-profile players are making their decisions tomorrow. Will Tony Rojas or Ta'Mere Robinson join the ranks of Penn State's commits this cycle? Before those big decisions, host of the BWI Daily and film analyst for On3, Thomas Frank Carr, put together a list of the five most fun players to scout in this class. He's watched each player in detail over the last eight months and picked the players he enjoyed watching more than the rest. So what makes a player fun to scout? T-Frank explains what he looks for in a player, what traits or skills stand out to him on film, and why. His list includes offensive linemen Jven Williams and Alex Birchmeier, as well as defensive backs King Mack, Elliot Washington, and Dakaari Nelson. Finally, he gives you a sneak peek at what he's seen from Tony Rojas on film. Check out the show to see which one takes the top spot!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a jam-packed week of recruiting for Penn State football, poised to add even more high-level talent to their Class of 2023. The BWI Daily Edition Recruiting Show reviews the past weekend in recruiting and previews the decision of both four-star linebackers Tony Rojas and Ta'Mere Robinson coming up later in the week.Host Greg Pickel starts with a quick review of London Montgomery's commitment on Monday evening. The standout runner from Scranton Prep chose Penn State after a deliberate recruiting process that came down to Boston College and the Nittany Lions. How did Montgomery feel about the decision? Recruiting insider Ryan Snyder spoke with the four-star running back this week and relates what he said. Finally, Snyder drops an interesting nugget about 2024 athlete Quinton Martin, a national talent from Pittsburgh.After that, Pickel transitions into a preview of Thursday and Friday. One of the nation's top linebackers, Tony Rojas, will make his college selection on Thursday evening. The list is down to Penn State, Clemson, and Georgia, with the Nittany Lions being the heavy favorite. But will Penn State land player 105 in the On3 consensus? Snyder has a pick and explains his confidence in his choice.The next player is a fellow four-star linebacker from Pittsburgh, Ta'Mere Robinson. Again, can Penn State land both of its top prospects? If so, they'll lock up the 8th, and the 9th ranked player at linebacker in consecutive days.Next, Pickel and Snyder discuss the camp that Snyder attended in Pittsburgh this past Sunday. First, he spoke to some of Penn State's top prospects, including Martin and Robinson. Then, he shares what news he gathered from the event.Finally, the duo discusses Penn State's situation at quarterback in the Class of 2023. Where do the Nittany Lions go after three-star passer Marcus Stokes decommitted from the program? Snyder brings up several names, including four-star quarterback Brady Drogosh, three-star passer Jaxon Smolik and Pierce Clarkson. He breaks down the situation with each player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, Penn State football got bad news when the three-star quarterback Marcus Stokes flipped his commitment to Florida. So the question now is, do they need to replace him? That's what the host of the BWI Daily Edition, Thomas Frank Carr, tackles on today's show. There's a school of thought that Penn State doesn't need to grab a quarterback this year because they got two quality prospects in the Class of 2022. T-Frank thinks that it's a mistake to go down that path. He investigates the current quarterback situation at Penn State, the turbulent effect of the transfer portal, and the idea of getting a backup QB in the portal next offseason. T-Frank starts by explaining the theory with which he disagrees. Penn State recruited five-star quarterback Drew Allar and exciting local prospect Beau Pribula last season. So why would Penn State need a quarterback with the combination of high-profile talent and a 'gamer' last year? T-Frank pushes back on preconceived notions about talent evaluation and misconceptions about player development. Next, T-Frank points to real-world examples of how the transfer portal sapped the Nittany Lions of their quarterback depth in the last four offseasons. Finally, why settle? He debates the merits of lowering the floor of the quarterback room and creating a lack of competition, which led to last season's debacle in Iowa.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Penn State fans can ask film analyst Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor, Nate Bauer, their weekly questions on the BWI Mailbag Show. Today they answer questions about Penn State's offense under Mike Yurcich heading into its second year, fixing the running game, how analysts play into the game-planning picture, and more. To submit your questions, look for the BWI Mailbag submission thread on the Lions Den message board. Not a member? Join right now for just one dollar and get 12 months of access! They start the show with a question about analysts and off-field assistants. Does Penn State now have enough analysts to be on a field comparable with the top teams in the country? If so, does that change anything on game day or in-game planning? Bauer and T-Frank discuss the merits of the thought and what that means for head coach James Franklin and his top assistants, Mike Yurcich and Manny Diaz. That conversation spins into a question about the Penn State offense in 2022. Can they get the rushing attack figured out? The viewer also wants to know how many yards Nick Singleton will rush for next fall. Bauer feels bullish on Singleton, and T-Frank feels the same about Yurcich. First, Bauer gives his reasons why and then T-Frank discusses why we haven't seen the best of Yurcich yet. They also field questions about the defensive line and how new additions will fare up front, the timeline for several first-year players who T-Frank predicts to redshirt, the future of non-revenue sports at Penn State, and much more. Subscribe to the BWI Daily Edition on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annualSUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmationBookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters: http://bluewhiteonline.comDownload our podcasts: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/LRL3155877513?selected=DSVV2664982394Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.comCan Penn State land a top-ten class in 2023? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft sat down last week for an exclusive interview with Blue White Illustrated. Senior Editor Nate Bauer joins the show to discuss what they talked about and how he sees the first week under Kraft's leadership after that conversation. They'll also discuss the nuances of Penn State's athletic model, the future of NIL, a timeline for events at Penn State, and more. Host Thomas Frank Carr starts with Bauer's overall impressions of Kraft during their conversation. Did Kraft match his demeanor in his opening press conference? What fascinating insight did he pick up from a follow-up conversation? From there, Bauer brings up his article at Blue White Illustrated about Kraft's commitment to keeping Penn State's full complement of sports and what needs to happen for that future to come true. They'll also discuss how football fits into that picture and how Kraft can assist with the largest money-maker at Penn State while still having a broad athletic department. They'll also broach NIL with a similar frame of reference. Considering where Penn State is from a facilities standpoint, how can they also compete at NIL? Will focusing on all sports take away from football's ability to compete? Also, can Penn State gain momentum if head coach James Franklin doesn't have to be the leader in this conversation? They'll wrap up by discussing the future of athletics and if NIL has a long-term place in the conversation. JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annualSUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmationBookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters: http://bluewhiteonline.comDownload our podcasts: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/LRL3155877513?selected=DSVV2664982394Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State football sits eighth in the country in the On3 Class rankings for 2023, heading into a critical stretch of commitments in July. The BWI Daily Recruiting show discusses the important news of the weekend and previews the month ahead. Host Greg Pickel and recruiting insider Ryan Snyder starts with the surprise that it was a quiet Fourth of July for Penn State recruiting. No players committed to the Nittany Lions over the holiday weekend, and the players that did plan on committing this week have moved their commitment dates to later in the month. Does that change this week? Snyder gives his thoughts and shares what details he knows about players' commitment plans. From there, they will discuss Carmelo Taylor, a speedy receiver from Virginia who is a part of the Nittany Lion's recruiting picture? Snyder and Pickel will break down where he fits in the Penn State pecking order and how Cameron Seldon plays into that picture. They'll also touch on Northeast (Philadelphia) offensive lineman Naquil Betrand, who released a top six earlier this week. After visiting the school last month, the former Colorado commit has Penn State in that group. What has Snyder heard about the offensive line class plans after Evan Link? He'll share what he knows. Next, they discuss the recruit names and commitment dates that are known. Ta'Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas have dates for later next week, while potential Oklahoma commit Derrick LeBlanc plans on making his announcement on the 28th. What about Treyaun Webb, London Montgomery, Evan Link, Jason Moore, and the rest of Penn State's top prospects? Snyder shares what he knows at this time. Finally, they'll discuss how Pennridge linebacker Phil Picciotti landed at Oklahoma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News shattered the college sports world last night when the Big Ten announced that they accepted USC and UCLA from the Pac 12 starting in 2024. As a result, Penn State now finds itself in the middle of a budding super conference poised to take over college athletics. On Friday's BWI Daily Edition, host Thomas Frank Carr and recruiting insider Ryan Snyder discuss that and Penn State's Class of 2023. Could they find themselves in the top ten? They start with the news last night that UCS and UCLA will join Penn State in the Big Ten. How does this move change the landscape of college football? Snyder and T-Frank discuss that at length. They also look forward to what and who is next. Will the ACC survive this distillation of athletic conferences? What other programs from the Pac 12 could join the southern California schools? Previously, Snyder said that Penn State's Class of 2023 didn't have a great chance of landing in the top ten once the cycle was completed. Does he feel that way now? There are still plenty of hills to climb, but Snyder sees a path to that reality. He cites that the team already amassed a quality number of four-star players and can realistically add more. Can they land defensive tackles Derrick LeBlanc and Jason Moore? What about offensive tackle Evan Link? Do they have a chance with four-star corner Elliot Washington? The list includes other familiar names like Tony Rojas, Ta'Mere Robinson and Cam Seldon. Finally, Snyder gives his thoughts on the reality of that vision coming together. Lastly, T-Frank and Snyder discuss the running back situation for 2023. With all that talent left on the board, can Penn State add Treyaun Webb and London Montgomery? They break down how that could play out. JOIN Blue White Illustrated: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/join/?plan=annualSUBSCRIBE to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable alerts - new highlights and videos uploaded regularly: https://www.youtube.com/c/bluewhiteillustratedvideo?sub_confirmationBookmark our homepage: https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/Subscribe to BWI Magazine and Newsletters: http://bluewhiteonline.comDownload our podcasts: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/LRL3155877513?selected=DSVV2664982394Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BlueWhiteIllustrated/Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/PennStateOn3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices