Proposal

My persona is still the same. The Nittany Lion Report is still a blog for die hard Penn State Football fans, focusing on recruiting and the team. I am going to continue using the NLR pseudonym the rest of the semester. It has been challenging so far because it is the off season for college football. Besides recruiting, the summer depth chart, and NCAA issues I haven't had a lot of topics to blog about. Moving forward I would like to concentrate more on the team. I want to preview each regular season game on Penn State's schedule this year. This will allow me to give readers a sense of how Penn State Football will do this coming season and who their opponents are. So far I don't think my readers know a lot about the team and whether they will be successful this coming season. I also need to be more active on Twitter and Facebook. I need to share my blog posts with the Penn State Football community either with Penn State Football hashtags or on various Penn State Football Facebook pages. By the end of the semester I will have a in depth preview for each match up and several posts on recent recruiting news. I also want to rewrite my Fighting For The Other Side post. I want to fight for the side I believe in. I truly believe the NCAA shouldn't of sanctioned Penn State. Last, I want to rewrite portions of my resume. I want to make each bullet point more interesting. I have learned a lot this past six weeks through the readings, lectures, and writing. I am looking forward to the next six weeks!   

4-star Cornerback Troy Vincent Jr. Commits To Penn State

Baltimore native, Troy Vincent Jr., committed to the Nittany Lions on June 26th. He is the 12th commitment of the 2014 class and the fifth four-star recruit. Penn State is currently ranked 18th in the country in ESPN's recruiting rankings. Vincent Jr. selected Penn State over 20 programs including Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. Head Coach Bill O'Brien continues to recruit bright student athletes. Vincent Jr. wants to study at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law. His intelligence also helps him on the football field according to his trainer and family friend, Roman Morris. Morris told ESPN's Nittany Nation "He's one of the most highly intelligent football players that I've ever been around. He can do anything that's asked of him on the football field, from any scheme. ... He's a coach's dream." Vincent Jr. comes from good genes too. His father played cornerback in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. Between Vincent Jr.'s genes and intelligence it seems like Bill O'Brien landed a fantastic student and football player.  

Wikipedia - Penn State Football’s Super Six: “Supa Six”

Penn State Football’s Super Six:

“Supa Six”

The “Supa Six” is a self-proclaimed group of six junior Penn State Football players; Kyle Carter, Allen Robinson, Adrian Amos, Donovan Smith, Bill Belton, and Deion Barnes. They are part of Penn State Football’s 2011 recruiting class.  

                                                          

Contents How it started Kyle Carter Allen Robinson Adrian Amos Donovan Smith Bill Belton Deion Barnes

How It Started:

In the summer of 2011 Kyle Carter, Allen Robinson, Adrian Amos, Donovan Smith, Bill Belton, and Deion Barnes watched ESPN’s 30 for 30 series on the Michigan Basketball Fab Five. They instantly became inspired by the deep connection the Fab Five had with each other. They were so inspired that they wanted to create a nickname for their group. After deep discussion, they came up with the “Supa Six”. They did not reveal their group nick name until the 2012 summer pre season. They didn’t want the upperclassmen to think they were selfish. Going into the 2012 season the “Supa Six” had high expectations. They understood they were the future of the program and it was their time. All members of the “Supa Six” contributed to the team in the 2012 season.

Kyle Carter, Tight End:

Carter redshirted in 2011. Penn State Football Head Coach Bill O’Brien had high expectations for Carter going into the 2012 Season. Before the season started O’Brien claimed Carter was a ‘big time talent” several times. In 2012, Carter had 36 receptions, 436 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Allen Robinson, Wide Receiver:

Robinson caught just 4 passes for 87 yards in the 2011 season, mostly because of the experienced group of wide receivers ahead of him. After several wide receivers transferred going into the 2012 season, Robinson was the number 1 wide receiver on the depth chart. Robinson exceeded expectations in 2012. He had 77 receptions, 1018 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He set the Penn State Football record for the most completions in a season.

Adrian Amos, Defensive Back:

Amos contributed to the 2011 team, playing in every game. In 2012, he lined up at safety and corner throughout the season. Amos had 31 solo tackles and 2 interceptions.

Donovan Smith, Offensive Lineman:

Smith redshirted his freshman year in 2011. In 2012, Smith started at left tackle and never looked back. He flourished in that position, mostly because of his size. He is 6’5 and 327 pounds.

Bill Belton, Running Back:

Belton saw some playing time in 2011. He was originally a wide receiver but before the 2012 season O’Brien switched him to tailback. Belton struggled from the start and his playing time diminished as the season went on. He managed 60 rushes, 253 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

Deion Barnes, Defensive End:

Barnes redshirted his freshman year in 2011. In 2012, Barnes showcased his size and speed with 6 sacks. Barnes also had 10 tackles for loss.

Sources:

http://blog.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2012/08/penn_states_supa_six_primed_fo.html

http://www.centredaily.com/2012/08/26/3310886/the-supa-six-underclassmen-hoping.html

http://www.espn.com

Bill O'Brien Gets Pay Raise

Head Coach Bill O'Brien restructured his deal with Penn State this past week. O'Brien's restructured deal includes a 1 million dollar raise and it will be more costly for him to leave for a college job than an NFL job. The total value of O'Brien's contract (2013-2016) is 12,789,413 dollars, 3.2 million a year. After the 2015 season O'Brien and Penn State can negotiate an extension. This is great news for Penn State Football fans. O'Brien saved the football program last season. There are not many college football coaches that would of been able to replicate what he accomplished in 2012. He won 8 games with Matt McGloin, a former walk on quarterback and Zack Zwinak, a third string running back. He made both Matt and Zach look like stars. O'Brien also continues to recruit well even with the sanctions. Penn State is currently ranked 22 in Rival's Class of 2014 ranking. With the success O'Brien is having on the field and in recruiting, he is worth every penny.

Should Division 1 College Athletes Be Paid?

As the NCAA continues to profit each year, the on going debate on whether Division I college athletes should be paid continues. Last year the NCAA's revenue was 871.6 million dollars. Many see that number and are curious why college athletes do not profit from it. The answer is simple. They are already getting paid in a sense by going to college for free. The scholarship includes tuition, housing, text books, medical coverage, and several meals. Most importantly, they will have no college loans after graduation. According to the American Student Assistance statistics, close to 12 million Americans are currently paying back college loans. Obviously, it is very common to have college loans. The fact that student athletes do not have to worry about paying any loans because they are above average at a sport outweighs all the reasons for them to get paid. College athletes are fortunate enough to get an education for free, anything more than that would be a crime.   

Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium

Before the Sandusky scandal rocked Penn State University, it was inevitable that the university would eventually name the field at Beaver Stadium after Joe Paterno. After Paterno was fired and his statue was taken down, many lost hope. I believe it will eventually happen much to the dismay of the general public and media. Paterno and his family deserve this honor considering all he did for the university. He was so much more than a head football coach. He was a philanthropist, a educator, and a father figure to the Penn State community. He donated millions of dollars to numerous charities in State College, the Mount Nittany Hospital expansion, the spiritual center on campus, and to the university for a new library(Paterno Library). Also, he cared more about his players grades than wins/losses. Penn State Football's graduation rate under Paterno was 78 percent. The national average was 67. In Paterno's last season as the head coach the team had a 87 percent graduation rate, tied with Stanford for 10th in nation. Paterno once said "They ask me what I'd like written about me when I'm gone. I hope they write that I made Penn State a better place, not that I was just a good football coach." Paterno did make Penn State a better place and the university should celebrate it by naming the field at Beaver Stadium, Paterno Field.  

How To Buy A Public Ticket For A Penn State Football Home Game

Step 1: Open your internet browser.

 Step 2: In the address bar, type http://www.gopsusports.com. (this will bring you to the Penn State Athletics home webpage)

 Step 3: Once the home webpage loads, look for the navigation bar at the top of the page. There is a Tickets button in the bar on the right side of the page. It is between the Nittany Lion Club and Multimedia buttons. Click the Tickets button.

 Step 4: After you click the Tickets button a drop down menu will appear. Under sport specific tickets, click Football.

Step 5: Once the Football ticket page loads, scroll down until you see a link for 2013 Football Tickets Buyers Guide. Below this link you will see information regarding Public Single Ticket Sales.


All Penn State Football Public Tickets will go on sale at the end of July!

O'Brien Releases Summer Depth Chart

Today, Head Coach Bill O'Brien released the summer depth chart. The most surprising news was incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg and junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson were listed as co starting quarterbacks. Ferguson has been with the team since January and played in the spring game while Hackenberg will be joining the team in August. I give Ferguson the early edge in the race because of experience. Ferguson has a stronger grasp of the playbook and the speed of play. Though, I would not be surprised if O'Brien goes with Hackenberg. O'Brien speaks very highly of Hackenberg and would not name him a co starting quarterback if he didn't have the confidence that he could win the job. The battle will begin when the team reports on August 5. Below is the first team chart.

Offensive line: Tackles Donovan Smith/Adam Gress, guards Miles Dieffenbach/John Urschel, center Ty Howle.

Quarterback: Tyler Ferguson/Christian Hackenberg

Running backs: Zach Zwinak

Tight ends: Kyle Carter, Jesse James

Wide receivers: Allen Robinson, Brandon Moseby-Felder

Defensive line: C.J. Olaniyan, DaQuan Jones, Kyle Baublitz, Deion Barnes

Linebackers: Mike Hull, Glenn Carson, Nyeem Wartman

Defensive backs: Corners Trevor Williams/Jordan Lucas, safeties Adrian Amos/Malcolm Willis/Ryan Keiser.

New Resume

Google:
Nittany Lion Report
http://nittanyreport.blogspot.com/
The Nittany Lion Report is a blog for die hard Penn State Football fans, focusing on the team and recruiting.

Twitter:
@nittanyreport
24/7 team and recruiting news from @nittanyreport Bleeding blue and white just for you.

Wikipedia:
Nittany Lion Report
The Nittany Lion Report is a Penn State Football blogger who graduated from PSU in 2011 and has followed the team since 2003 as a fan, student, and employee. The NLR focuses on team and recruiting news.

Facebook:
Nittany Lion Report
The official Facebook fan page for the Nittany Lion Report. A Penn State Football blog focusing on team and recruiting news.

Class of 2014 Quarterback Recruit Michael O'Connor chooses Penn State

Penn State Head Football Coach Bill O'Brien continues to do what so many thought was impossible, recruit some of the best high school football players in the nation. On June 8, ESPN 150 and four star quarterback Michael O'Connor chose the Nittany Lions over Tennessee, Michigan State, and others. O'Connor told ESPN's Nittany Nation why he chose PSU, "First off, they have a great business program, regardless of what happens with football, I know I'll be able to get a great education." Bill O'Brien kept his promise on recruiting student athletes and continuing Joe Paterno's "success with honor." It is always refreshing to hear a recruit talk about receiving an education before playing football. O'Connor will enroll early at Penn State in January 2014. This will allow him to get a jump on some general education courses as well as the playbook.  Fortunately for O'Connor he already has a great understanding of the pro style offense. He runs a very similar offense at his high school, IMG Academy, in Bradenton, Florida. O'Connor also told Nittany Nation that "Coach O'Brien isn't promising me anything, but he will let me compete for the starting job and that's all I could hope for. Just overall I felt it was a great fit for me." The future is bright at the quarterback position for Penn State Football between O'Connor and Christian Hackenberg. 

Fighting For The Other Side

The NCAA has seen it’s fair share of scandals in college football, but none of those scandals compare to what happened at Penn State University 2 years ago. On November 6, 2011 retired Penn State Football Assistant Coach, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested and charged on multiple accounts of child molestation.  Several of these accounts dated back to Sandusky’s days as an assistant coach under the late Joe Paterno. One account even occurred in the Penn State Football facility in 2001. Following the arrest, media coverage was “out of control.” Penn State University chose to manage the media risk by firing Paterno. To this day, many believe Joe Paterno could have done more to stop Sandusky. Instead of conducting an internal investigation, the NCAA used Penn State’s Freeh Report. Penn State hired former F.B.I. Director Louis Freeh to investigate.  Freeh concluded “"In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at Penn State University repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the Board of Trustees, Penn State community, and the public at large. Although concern to treat the child abuser humanely was expressly stated, no such sentiments were ever expressed by them for Sandusky's victims." The NCAA took Freeh’s report and handed Penn State Football the worst sanctions college football has seen since Southern Methodist University received the death penalty many years ago.  The NCAA sanctions included a 60 million dollar fine, a four-year football postseason ban, vacation of all wins dating to 1998, and a reduction of 10 initial and 20 total scholarships each year for a four-year period. The NCAA made an example out of Penn State in order to make sure this never happens again. Although some may think these sanctions are too harsh, I believe it was the right thing to do. After the 2001 incident, (a graduate assistant witnessed Sandusky molesting a child in the Lasche Building locker-room) Sandusky should have been arrested and banned from Penn State for life.  Instead, the incident passed and Sandusky continued to prey on young children for 10 more years. The graduate assistant told Joe Paterno what he saw that night, Paterno than relayed the information to his superiors. Paterno should have taken care of this incident himself.  Paterno could of saved several victims, his legacy, and the future of Penn State Football. Although these sanctions are tough, they may have not been tough enough. Current Head Coach Bill O'Brien is still recruiting very well. He recruited the number 1 quarterback in the class of 2014, Christian Hackenberg. He also won 8 games last season after losing several star players. Maybe the NCAA should have given PSU the death penalty. What do you think?