Tag: 2024 Big Ten media days

Best photos of the Penn State Nittany Lions at 2024 Big Ten media days

Check out the photos of Penn State at 2024 Big Ten media days.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and select player representatives spoke to gathered media members on Wednesday afternoon at the 2024 Big Ten media days.

Franklin was the last coach to speak at the podium on Wednesday. He went in-depth on the three new coordinators that he brought in this year and what they’ll bring to the table to help Penn State reach its goal of making the college football playoff.

Related: Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

He also completed a segment with the Big Ten Network and a non-televised smaller presser before it was the players’ turn to take the stage. Penn State defensive end [autotag]Dvon J-Thomas[/autotag], safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag].

The three-day event, which ends Thursday, marks the true beginning of the 2024 season, as programs will begin to start fall camp in a couple of weeks.

Before the Nittany Lions open training camp, here is a look at Franklin and three of Penn State’s leaders representing the team at the expanded Big Ten media days:

James Franklin sets the bar high for his squad at 2024 Big Ten media

James Franklin sets high expectations for his squad at 2024 Big Ten Media days

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] spoke to the media on Wednesday at Big Ten media day. He discussed the new Big Ten and how his team is shaping up for 2024.

With the expanded College Football Playoff coming into play this season, Penn State is one of the teams that should benefit the most. In his ten seasons in Happy Valley, Franklin’s Penn State squads have five 10-win seasons, making many view this season as a playoff spot or bust.

“We are one of the few programs in the country where you can win 10 or 11 games, and people are unhappy,” Franklin said at Big Ten media day. “We embrace that, and we are excited about those opportunities.”

Franklin and the Nittany Lions haven’t beaten Ohio State or Michigan since 2020 but will be able to face the Buckeyes on November 2 at Beaver Stadium. His record against the AP Top 10 is only 3-17 since he became Penn State’s coach, and that record will likely have to improve if the Nittany Lions want a playoff spot in December.

Related: Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

Franklin also discussed his three new coordinators at length and what they mean for the team. [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] (offense), [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag] (defense), and [autotag]Justin Lustig[/autotag] (special teams) are all in place to get Penn State to the next level.

“They chose Penn State just like I chose Penn State, to compete for championships,” said Franklin.

Penn State will likely look different in 2024, but Franklin repeatedly stressed on Wednesday that finding coaches who can adapt to what Penn State has already built was a significant factor. Week one at West Virginia will be the first look at how the Nittany Lions are set up to compete for a playoff spot in 2024.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Abdul Carter set to play multiple positions in 2024 according to James Franklin

Abdul Carter looks set to play multiple positions in 2024, not exclusively at defensive end.

It is Big Ten media week, and James Franklin spoke to assembled media in Indianapolis to kick off the 2024 season.

One of the main topics Franklin discussed was junior [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] switching positions from linebacker to defensive end. When Carter’s switch was announced, many speculated that he would not be playing linebacker in 2024, paving the way for younger players like Tony Rojas and Dominic DeLuca to see more playing time.

At Big Ten media day, Franklin clarified the change, stating that Carter will not be a full-time defensive end but will play both positions in 2024.

[lawrence-related id=46330]

“He’ll play both,” Franklin said about Carter’s positions. “We have the flexibility to play him in both positions. Week to week, we’ll decide where he will have the most impact for us.”

It sounds like Carter’s position change was not as big of a deal as people made it out to be earlier this spring, but it brings up some questions about how the linebacker core will look with Carter slotted in there.

Carter is an All-American type of player no matter the position, but it will be interesting to watch what position he plays most this year.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Abdul Carter named one of Big Ten’s preseason players to watch

The Big Ten’s list of preseason honors at media day included just one Penn State player.

The Big Ten released its annual list of players to watch in the conference for the upcoming 2024 college football season, and just one Penn State player appears on the list. Defensive end [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was one of the Big Ten’s 12 players receiving a preseason honor from the conference at Big Ten media days this week.

Carter is moving from linebacker to defensive end this season in a move expected to help solidify the outside edges of Penn State’s defensive line after losing Chop Robinson to the NFL draft. Carter will work the end of the line opposite Dani Dennis-Sutton, who is receiving some good preseason hype for what he could do this fall.

Carter is one of two defensive ends honored by the Big Ten, joining Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau. Ohio State led the conference with four players honored by the Big Ten; Michigan had three players, Oregon had two, and Iowa and Rutgers each had a player honored. You can see the full list of preseason Big Ten honors below.

2024 Big Ten Preseason Honors

  • LB Jay Higgins, Iowa
  • DT Mason Graham, Michigan
  • DB Will Johnson, Michigan
  • TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
  • QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
  • WR Tez Johnson, Oregon
  • SAF Caleb Downs, Ohio State
  • WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
  • RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
  • DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
  • DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
  • RB Kyle Monangai, Rutgers

We previously highlighted Carter as one of Penn State’s top 25 players for the 2024 season. You can see his full player profile for this season too.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Pat Narduzzi really wants to lose more games to Penn State

Conference media days means Pat Narduzzi is talking about wanting to play Penn State again.

It is conference media time once again in the Big Ten and the ACC, which can only mean one thing around these parts. The media day quips about when Penn State and Pittsburgh might get back together for some non-conference football again. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has once again tried kicking up some dust on the subject by suggesting his Panthers are ready for more games against the Nittany Lions.

The only problem is Penn State has little interest in reviving the in-state rivalry, so it seems. Narduzzi made a quick comment about Penn State not wanting to play Pitt when commenting on the revival of Pitt’s backyard rivalry with West Virginia (Pitt and West Virginia resumed their rivalry last season with the Mountaineers winning 17-6; Penn State also revived its series with West Virginia with a 38-15 victory in State College).

“They won’t play us,” Narduzzi said about Penn State. Narduzzi and Pitt have continued to claim the door is open for a continued series with Penn State, but Penn State has failed to show much interest in doing so.

Penn State and Pitt played a four-game series that ran from 2016 through 2019. After losing the first game in the four-game scheduling agreement, Penn State won the next three.

James Franklin is among the scheduled speakers on Wednesday at Big Ten football media day. You can bet Franklin will be asked about Penn State’s scheduling philosophy moving forward in a changing landscape for the sport, with a slight focus on a possible matchup with the Panthers. But if that question is also posed, do not expect Franklin to take the bait.

As long as Pitt and Penn State fail to play non-conference games against each other, this conversation is going to be recycled time and time again. This is not something that will go away as much as some would prefer it to do so.

Penn State will face West Virginia to open the 2024 season and will play non-conference games against Bowling Green and Kent State this season. The Nittany Lions have a fully booked non-conference schedule in 2025 (Nevada, FIU, and Villanova), 2026 (Marshall, at Temple, and Buffalo), and 2027 (Syracuse, Delaware, and Temple). Penn State currently has one schedule vacancy to fill in 2028 (Ball State, at Syracuse).

Pitt has a schedule vacancy to fill in 2025 and 2026 and at least two vacancies to fill in 2027, 2028, 2030, and beyond.

[lawrence-related id=46240]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Where Penn State lands in USA TODAY Sports’ 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll

USA TODAY’s preseason Big Ten media poll has been released. Here is what 13 beat writers see the conference shaking out in 2024.

The USA TODAY Sports Network released its 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll on Monday ahead of the conference media days this week in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The pool takes votes from 13 beat writers who cover the conference for USA TODAY. This is the first edition of the poll featuring the 18-team Big Ten as it enters its first season of expanded play. Newcomers Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC are likely to make a major impact on the season, with the Ducks being a heavy title favorite.

Related: Penn State’s 2024 schedule with game-by-game score predictions, 2024 Big Ten media days full schedule

The two teams that met in the national championship game do not even crack the top two, as 2024 represents a year of rebuilding for the Huskies and Wolverines.

It is always challenging to predict the end-of-season standings, especially with the conference entering an entirely new dynamic this year. However, both preseason polls we have looked at so far put Penn State at No. 3 in the conference.

As we near that point, here is a complete 2024 Big Ten football preseason poll courtesy of our colleagues at USA TODAY:

1. Ohio State (8 first-place votes)

2. Oregon (5 first-place votes)

3. (tie) Michigan

3. (tie) Penn State

5. USC

6. Iowa

7. Wisconsin

8. Nebraska

9. Washington

10. Rutgers

11. Maryland

12. Michigan State

13. Minnesota

14. UCLA

15. Illinois

16. Indiana

17. Northwestern

18. Purdue

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State picked third in unofficial Big Ten football media poll

This year’s unofficial Big Ten media poll has been released. Here is what the Big Ten media voters think.

Most conferences organize their own official preseason media polls during the various conference media days. The Big Ten is one of the conferences that does not conduct its own preseason media poll, which is why Cleveland.com’s sports staff took up the task of organizing an annual preseason media poll. And as the Big Ten football media day event is about to get underway in Indianapolis this week, this year’s unofficial Big Ten preseason media poll is out. Penn State is expected to be among the top contenders in the conference this season according to those who voted.

Penn State received the third-most points in the media poll organized by Cleveland.com. The Nittany Lions finished with seven more points than defending Big Ten and national champion Michigan, who is fourth in the preseason poll. Ohio State was the runaway favorite among the voters with 21 first-place votes out of a possible 27. Ohio State received a total of 480 points in the voting. New Big Ten member Oregon received the remaining six first-place votes and 448 total points in the voting.

Here is a look at the 2024 Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Media Poll:

  1. Ohio State (*21 first-place votes) – 480 total points
  2. Oregon (6) – 448
  3. Penn State – 418
  4. Michigan – 411
  5. Iowa – 363
  6. USC – 346
  7. Wisconsin – 313
  8. Nebraska – 293
  9. Rutgers – 249
  10. Washington – 236
  11. Maryland – 185
  12. Minnesota – 183
  13. Illinois – 145
  14. Northwestern – 138
  15. UCLA – 124
  16. Michigan State – 119
  17. Indiana – 76
  18. Purdue – 65

So, how accurate has this preseason poll been over the years? Since 2011, this poll has correctly predicted the Big Ten champion just four times. The poll correctly predicted Ohio State to win the Big Ten in 2017, 2018, and 2020, and Michigan in 2023.

Voters were also asked to predict how many Big Ten teams will make the College Football Playoff, which expands to 12 teams this season from the former four-team format. Every ballot predicted Ohio State will reach the playoff, and all but one predicted Oregon will reach the playoff. A total of 18 voters believe Penn State will reach the College Football Playoff, and 15 pick Michigan to make a return to defend its national title. Three voters predicted Iowa will make the playoff.

You can view more information in the Big Ten preseason media poll via Cleveland.com.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Big Ten adding third day to football media day schedule

The Big Ten is expanding one more time this summer.

The Big Ten is officially expanding once again. No, there are not any more teams being added to the conference following this year’s upcoming additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Instead, to accommodate the expanded membership, the Big Ten is adding a third day to the schedule for the annual Big Ten football media days this summer.

What was previously a two-day event will now be a three-day event this July. The Big Ten announced the football media days will be held from July 23 through July 25 with six different schools being featured each day for coach and player interviews. The Big Ten’s newest members will be split over the final two days of the event.

Penn State will be featured on the second day of the Big Ten media event this year. They will be joined by newcomers UCLA and USC along with Iowa, Michigan State, and Nebraska.

Defending Big Ten and national champion Michigan will be part of the final day of the media day event, along with Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Maryland, and Minnesota.

This year’s Big Ten media day will be held in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will address the media on the first day of the event and coverage will air on Big Ten Network.

Here is the schedule of schools to appear at Big Ten media days this summer:

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.