Wednesday, January 1, 2014

School in the News: Penn State

Well, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien is off to the Houston Texans, putting the status of the Nittany Lions' program and recruiting class in question yet again. The two most logical choices to replace O'Brien are former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, who is a former PSU assistant coach and just got fired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and current Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden, a former Nittany Lion player and assistant coach.

Roster players recruited by Michigan: DE Deion Barnes, RB Bill Belton, TE Adam Breneman, LB Ben Kline, OG Brendan Mahon, DE C.J. Olaniyan, DE Anthony Zettel, RB Zach Zwinak
2014 commits offered by Michigan: S Marcus Allen, CB Troy Vincent, Jr.

I would not expect any players to transfer to Michigan, and Michigan didn't pursue Allen or Vincent very hard in the first place, so I doubt O'Brien's departure will have any effect on Michigan in the immediate future. Olaniyan and Zettel are both from the state of Michigan, but both would likely be starting next season in Happy Valley. Obviously, the bigger question would be Penn State's recruiting going forward.

I saw O'Brien speak at a clinic in Pennsylvania a couple years ago, and while he gave a rousing speech geared toward PA coaches and taking pride in the Nittany Lions, the entire time I was thinking to myself, "This is great and all, but you're going to be out the door as soon as a bigger job opens up for you." Obviously, nobody should blame the guy for taking an NFL if that's what he wants to do, but it just shows that players should commit to programs instead of coaches. Freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who had a solid season as the starter and was rated by many as the #1 quarterback in the 2013 class, is reportedly considering a transfer.

16 comments:

  1. And there are some who think the Michigan program is in turmoil. Compared to PSU, Michigan is in pretty good shape.

    Over at MGoBlog you joked -- and I missed the joke -- about him transferring to Baylor. (I'm not very good at picking up nuance from the written word.)

    Assuming a transfer, it seems there are three factors here: (1) what program might he like to go to, and (2) what programs do his particular skills fit well, and (3) what programs need someone like Hackenberg.

    Any thoughts?

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    1. And they still managed to beat us... Argh. Sorry, Michigan State's victory just threw a bag of salt in my wounds this season. And Michigan's HC and staff are still paid more than MSU's...

      Just a stab at the question: I think any program in the country would want Hackenberg. The guy has all the physical and mental tools to succeed. All depends what the depth chart look like.

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    2. 1. He's a guy who's lived in Pennsylvania/Virginia his whole life, as far as I know, so I would think Virginia Tech, Pitt, Virginia, etc. might be options.

      2. I see him as a shotgun spread guy. I could see him at a place like Notre Dame, where Brian Kelly (if he sticks around) could put him to good use.

      3. Just about any program could use someone like him. That's tough to say, because he wouldn't be eligible until 2015. I don't really have a grasp on what every team in the country's QB situation will be in 2015.

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    3. Why would the kid xfer before he knows who the replacement is? My guess is that he is angling to become an influecer in the process. Holding onto Hackenberg is a big priority for PSU.

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    4. Yeah. Holding on to Hackenberg should be #1 priority. Without him it is almost certain that they have a losing season next year.

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  2. TE Adam Breneman is considering Mich. per my sources.

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    1. That wouldn't surprise me a ton, because Michigan was in heavy consideration before he picked PSU. But I don't know who you or your sources might be, so you could just be making it up.

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    2. Yeah. Why would you waste people's time with this "my sources" crap.

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    3. Breneman would be one kid worth pursuing. Like Butt, he looked pretty darn good for a freshman. He has the makings of a good receiver and blocker.

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    4. I mean all this depends on who PSU hires, but Breneman would be worth it for M. The thing is that his hometown is near State College and any good coach should make a role for him on PSU's team. It might not be worth it to transfer and sit out a year for him.

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    5. I personally think he would be short-sighted to transfer. I was surprised to hear that he is looking into UM. If true, that would be great for UM. But I would not advise the kid to do it. It's possible he is just miffed about his coach bailing, but that will fade.

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  3. I have hear Munchak also a leading candidate. I always thought BOB was going to bolt at the earliest opportunity. Not sure how I would feel if I were a PSU fan. Part of me can't blame him, but leaving after only two years after all that was said would leave a bitter taste in my mouth. I also wonder how much of this is the NFL and how much of this is PSU. On other words, did he leave b/c he doesn't like PSU or did he leave b/c he wants the opportunity. I read article that he was disgusted with PSU so it made leaving easier.

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    1. BOB is a very solid coach, without question. He's just more of Jim Harbaugh type wanting to compete at the highest level without having to deal with immaturity issues that come with coaching college.

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    2. O'Brien struck me as a guy who has the NFL in his heart. He may wind up back in college someday after an NFL firing or two.

      Munchak seems like he'd be a good hire for them. I think he could keep O'Brien's offensive recruits happy by continuing with an NFL-style offense. He would also be popular among the PSU backers who care about history, especially after getting scorned by an outsider.

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  4. By the way, I heard that Zettel wanted to get into UM after the hammer fell on PSU. Hoke and GMatt were not interested, and it apparently ticked Zettel off. No way both parties would be interested a second time around.

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    1. Well, Zettel was playing hard-to-get all along Rich Rod's final year, and then committed to Penn State when it seemed that Rich Rod was going to be canned. Not really missing this guy. Hope he enjoys not being able to go to bowls.

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