Who stood out in Penn State’s 2022 season opener at Purdue, and who has some work to do?
In what turned into an eventual win, there is plenty for Penn State to work on before the home opener next week against Ohio. They ended up scoring a game-winning touchdown with under two minutes left in the game.
The Nittany Lions had their moments, they just couldn’t build the momentum for more than a quarter. Despite how negative this all sounds, and there is plenty to be down about, we also saw a ton to look forward to.
We saw flashes from a supremely talented freshman recruiting class that points to the future of the program being in good hands. For now, it seems that the veteran presence on the team is still going to be relied upon.
Apart from the actual winner and loser of the game, there are more individual performances to highlight. Some were on the field, some were off. The spotlight hits everyone in a game like this.
Penn State and Purdue kicked off the Big Ten’s week one slate with an absolute classic primetime game. Here are the big takeaways.
Who said Big Ten Football was boring?! Thursday night, primetime week one with the entire college football world tuning in, or at least flipping the channels between this and the insane Backyard Brawl. Penn State and Purdue delivered a classic game. I feel bad for anyone who turned this off after halftime, because everything went off the rails after the 30-minute feeling out process.
This was a high-scoring 35-31 affair that had everything. With a few star-making performances, a back-and-forth fourth quarter, and a comeback moment from an unlikely candidate, this week one classic is a great way to kick off the week for the Big Ten. Here are the big takeaways.
These Penn State football players are on the watch list for this season’s Senior Bowl.
The Senior Bowl will be occurring for the 73rd time this coming February, as per usual Penn State is going to have some players on the roster. Last year Jahan Dotson made the game and showcased in front of all 32 NFL teams and because of that he was able to impress one. All it takes is just one team to fall in love with you and you can become a first-round pick, for Dotson that was the Washington Commanders.
This year, it appears more Nittany Lions may have a shot at impressing NFL teams down in Mobile, Alabama.
The Senior Bowl watches players all year round. They have a scouting staff like your normal NFL team and is led by Super Bowl winning scout and executive Jim Nagy. Nagy and his staff comb over every football team at every level looking for talent to watch as the season progresses. This year there are four players who have caught the eye of the staff down in Mobile.
Two on offense are Sean Clifford with should be no surprise. The sixth-year Nittany Lion quarterback will be approaching legendary status with the Penn State community. He is close to owning most passing records but he is bound for the NFL after this year. Teams should enjoy the way he carries himself off the field but if he makes it down to the Senior Bowl then he may be able to impress them on the field as well.
A surprise name for Penn State fans may be the other offensive player, [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag]. [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] went to the transfer portal and found the perfect compliment to [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] for this upcoming season. Expectations will be high for the former Western Kentucky player this year.
On defense you have the other two players as both [autotag]P.J. Mustipher[/autotag] and [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] are on the list as well. Brown has gone from junior college to Penn State team captain. With new defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] he could see a big year, as could Mustipher. What will be critical for Mustipher is how his knee rebounds after injuring it last season.
More Penn State players may be able to play there way onto the Senior Bowl radar, for now though, these four names have the best chance at representing the team.
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Everything James Franklin talked about during his Penn State media day press conference
Penn State’s first week of fall camp was capped on Saturday with the annual football media day. Head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] highlighted the day’s schedule from Beaver Stadium as he once again had a chance to meet with the media and answer some questions that face the team going into the 2022 season.
As is typically the case, the Penn State media day event allowed Franklin to echo some thoughts and comments he shared recently at Big Ten media day, but Franklin also threw out some nuggets providing a little more in-depth insight into what to potentially expect out of the team in 2022 such as a pair of defensive players that may be more of a factor on the roster than some may have been anticipating.
Here is a roundup of everything Franklin talked about during his media day press conference on Saturday.
Get your first glimpses from Penn State’s first fall football practice
After months of recruiting and offseason workouts, Penn State finally began to officially prepare for the 2022 season with the opening of fall camp on Monday.
Penn State is looking to rebound from an 7-6 season a year ago, which dropped Penn State to an even .500 record over the past two seasons. After recording 11-win seasons in three of the previous four years prior to that, the Nittany Lions should be hungry to get back to being discussed on the national stage a bit more.
The Penn State media got an opportunity to take a look at practice for a brief period of time, which provided our Twitter timeline with some warm and fuzzy feelings as we got to see quarterbacks throwing the football, Nick Singleton taking a handoff and offensive coordinator [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] taking on the role of pass rusher.
Singleton was the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for 2022 and the in-state recruit was one of the biggest prizes for James Franklin and his staff in the recent recruiting cycle. Keyvone Lee was not on hand for the practice session with media attending, but he is on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award this season. Singleton will have to earn the national respect down the line.
Penn State’s coordinators both seem as though they are getting involved up close with the coaching and tutoring this season. Offensive coordinator Mike Yuricch, entering his second season on the job, was busy chasing down his quarterbacks, while new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was also seen doing some hands-on coaching with the defense.
PSU’s newest pass rusher, Mike Yurcich.
And that concludes our 15-minute viewing window. We’ll see a little bit again on Saturday pic.twitter.com/PXnXqtVkH5
Penn State will open the 2022 season on Thursday, September 1 at Purdue. The game will air nationally on FOX with a scheduled kickoff time of 8 p.m. ET.
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The Nittany Lions Wire staff shares expectations for Manny Diaz and the Penn State defense in 2022 and predicts how long Diaz sticks around on the staff.
As we begin to move closer to the start of a new college football season in Happy Valley, the staff at Nittnay Lions Wire is spending some time sounding off on some big questions facing the Nittany Lions this fall. Today’s focus is on the new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz.
Diaz, most recently the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, replaces Brent Pry, now the head coach at Virginia Tech. He brings with him a respected defensive coordinator profile. What are your expectations for the Penn State defense under Diaz in 2022, and how long do you think Diaz sticks around as a member of the Penn State coaching staff?
The Manny Diaz hire might be one of the biggest wins for Penn State this offseason. This hire came just 11 days after Brent Pry left to be the next head coach at Virginia Tech. Diaz was with Miami for six seasons, where he went 7-5 in 2021 with an abysmal 77th ranking in the country in total defense. However, let’s not forget the success Diaz has had as a defensive coordinator.
First, Diaz was a defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State for four years, where he led the conference in sacks and tackles for a loss twice.
Diaz also spent 13 seasons, including MTSU, as a defensive coordinator and 12 as a linebackers coach. Let me repeat that last part. Manny Diaz is coming to “Linebacker U” with 12 seasons of productiveness at other schools. His experience at Florida State, NC State, Middle Tennessee State, Temple Louisiana Tech, Texas, and Miami.
Diaz doesn’t have great experience as a head coach. However, I don’t think it will take long for Diaz to land another head coaching job, especially if he does well at Penn State, given the productive talent that they have.
Despite the struggles Diaz had as a head coach, I still think that his expectations as Penn State’s defensive coordinator will be somewhat high if he does want another head coaching job in the future. However, I do think Diaz is one of those coaches that isn’t a good head coach but an elite defensive coordinator. Diaz is in a perfect position to succeed at Penn State, given the amount of defensive talent that they have.
However, it is possible Diaz only lasts around 2-3 years before someone hires him as a head coach if he does well at Penn State.
Penn State has lost a good amount of talent the past two seasons on their defense. However, they do still have a talented class of 2022 recruits coming in for next season, and they do still have a few veterans returning, including Nick Tarburton, Jonathan Sutherland, and Curtis Jacobs.
Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz coaches during an NCAA college spring football game Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
My expectations are honestly through the roof. This Penn State defense is full of playmakers and it has the depth to provide a rotation to keep players fresh. Diaz thrives with his coaching of defensive backs so guys like Ja’Ayir Brown and Joey Porter Jr. should see big-time roles and success this year. On the note of success, I would be shocked if Diaz is around for longer than two years. He got a raw deal down in Miami with how the school handled everything, his track record speaks for itself, and success at Penn State will fast-track that for him.
While I believe the standard has been raised for what is expected from a Penn State defense, I do not think Diaz will have much trouble clearing the bar. It helps that Diaz is taking over a defense that is still in a solid position with depth at many of the key positions with players opting to return for another year or returning from injury, not to mention the injection of good talent through recruiting the past couple of recruiting cycles.
Penn State’s defense doesn’t have much it needs to improve under Diaz, but I am encouraged by hearing some of the younger players say it has been a pretty easy transition to Diaz’s system. Earlier in the spring, sophomore linebacker Kobe King suggested it was easier to pick up Diaz’s style than it was his predecessor’s, Brent Pry. Perhaps that is partly because another year of college experience helps a younger player, or maybe Diaz’s system just gels well with the roster.
I still fully expect Penn State to have one of the top defensive units in the Big Ten this season despite some notable losses to the NFL like Jaquan Brisker and Arnold Ebiketie. A defense allowing fewer than 20 points a game under Diaz with consistent pressure in the backfield is exactly what I expect to see out of this team under his leadership at defensive coordinator. Anything else would be ominous for the chances of success this season.
Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz coaches during an NCAA college spring football game Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
Simply put, I’m not counting on Diaz and the defense to be a major concern this season.
That said, I do not anticipate seeing Diaz sticking around Happy Valley for too long. I think this is a two-year working relationship at the most, and I suspect that is the expectation for James Franklin. Diaz may not have been the answer at Miami the program hoped he would be, but that’s a program that has been trying to figure out the answer at head coach ever since Butch Davis left for the NFL. Diaz still has a head coaching career in front of him, and he could be in a position where he can wait for the right opportunity to come along instead of rushing out of here to accept the first offer he receives. A one-year stay in Happy Valley would not be shocking to me if things go well this season, but I think Penn State can get two years out of Diaz to make some things happen.
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ESPN highlighted top Black coaches who could be Division 1 head coaches, including a former Penn State lineman.
It is no secret that Division 1 college football is lacking in minority head coaches, both historically and in today’s modern era. Notre Dame hiring Marcus Freeman following Brian Kelly’s departure to LSU was a true rarity in the sport for Black men in the profession, and hopefully it is a sign of more opportunities coming in the future.
[autotag]Josh Gattis[/autotag], a former Penn State assistant under Franklin, continues to be the hottest name among coordinators, and not just among Black coaches either. It will not be much longer before Gattis gets his first crack at running a college football program of his own, and it will be deserved. Gattis joined Franklin’s staff at Vanderbilt in 2012 as a wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator. He continues in those roles once Franklin moved to Penn State and brought Gattis and a number of other assistants with him to Happy Valley.
Gattis added the role of passing game coordinator to his duties at Penn State in 2014 and was a part of the Penn State staff for four seasons before accepting an opportunity to be the co-offensive coordinator for Alabama and Nick Saban in 2018. After one season with the Crimson Tide, Gattis returned to the Big Ten to be the offensive coordinator for Michigan. Gattis was with Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines for three seasons and was named the 2021 Broyles Award winner as the nation’s top assistant coach.
Gattis joined the Miami Hurricanes this year under new head coach Mario Cristobal, who left Oregon to return to Florida with the Hurricanes. Cristobal replaced [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], who is now Penn State’s defensive coordinator. Gattis should be in his final coordinator role before getting a good opportunity to be a head coach.
While Gattis is one of the biggest names on the coaching radar, another person with Penn Statie ties is flying a bit more under the radar and may need a little more experience before getting his opportunity. ESPN included [autotag]Elijah Robinson[/autotag] in its list of Black coaches under 45.
Robinson had his playing career at Penn State cut short due to a neck injury in 2006 under former head coach Joe Paterno. But it was [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag] and former defensive line coach Larry Johnson that helped get his coaching career started with the program. Robinson was a graduate assistant working with Johnson coaching the defensive line and he later added other responsibilities such as director of community relations and as an NFL liaison to coordinate scouting visits and more.
Robinson joined [autotag]Matt Rhule[/autotag] on the Temple football staff and followed Rhule to Baylor from 2014 through 2017. Robinson coached the defensive line for the Owls and Bears, and it was clear Robinson had learned a thing or two from his mentor, Larry Johnson. Success coaching Temple and Baylor’s defensive lines led to an opportunity to join the Texas A&M staff in 2018, and he has since been promoted to assistant head coach and run game coordinator for the Aggies by head coach Jimbo Fisher heading into the 2022 season.
A number of Penn State fans were hoping Franklin would bring Robinson back to Penn State when searching for a defensive coordinator, but Robinson appears to be in a good spot right now anyway.
Will we one day see a couple more coaches with Penn State ties going head-to-head on the sidelines? One can only hope.
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Joey Porter Jr. is easily one of the top players on Penn State’s roster in 2022.
Penn State’s roster for the 2022 season has a good mix of returning veterans and experience and fresh new faces expected to jump in and contribute this fall. Nittany Lions Wire will be taking a look at 25 of the most important players on the roster for the 2022 season all throughout the month of July by profiling one player each day.
[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has built a complete team at Penn State, not many programs can say that. What he and his staff do best is develop talent, yeah it is fun to get 5-star recruits but they get coached the same as walk-ons. Thanks to that approach we have seen a major influx of talent to the NFL and across the entire roster.
One major project that has proven to be more than just his father’s name is [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] What he has turned into is a complete corner who can help in many coverages and he has the big frame of his famous NFL father. All of that combined has Penn State with a special corner roving the field for the Nittany Lions.
See what opposing coaches are saying anonymously about Penn State football going into the 2022 season.
Penn State is a fascinating team to break down in the 2022 season. After two years of mediocre results in the win column, the general feeling is Penn State has the talent to put together a nice little rebound season in 2022. Or it could be another year with average at best results. Nobody really knows for sure!
One of the best ways to evaluate where Penn State stands in the Big Ten is by seeing what coaches around the conference think of the Nittany Lions. Athlon Sports gauges the opinions of schools for their preseason college football preview magazines by polling coaches around the conference for inside knowledge. It makes sense that coaches who are scouting against and have direct experience against Penn State would have valid opinions on where Penn State is situated going into the 2022 season.
As the anonymous quotes from Big Ten coaches reveal, there is a sense that Penn State has a few areas that need to improve. If they do, then this could be a nice season in Happy Valley. Don’t believe us? Take it from the Big Ten coaches!
Here is what opposing Big Ten coaches said in this year’s Athlon Sports college football preview magazine about Penn State in 2022.
Penn State snapshot profile: Where Smith Vilbert fits into the DE outlook in 2022 and 2023.
Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.
[autotag]Smith Vilbert[/autotag] is coming off a 2021 season that saw 12 appearances as a redshirt sophomore, including one start for the Nittany Lions. Vilbert continue to gain experience and develop as a resourceful defensive lineman and could very well be involved in the game plan this fall for new defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag].
