SB Nation Pittsburgh: All Posts by Jeff Junstrom

Class of 2013: Welcome, Andrew Nelson

2013-02-26T14:32:17Z

Hershey, PA offensive lineman Andrew Nelson was one of Coach Bill O'Brien's first commitments, way back in April of 2012, and has stuck with the Nittany Lions through a lot already.

The 6'5", 260+-pound, four-star lineman chose Penn State over offers from Maryland, Missouri, Northwestern, Pitt, and Temple. He is destined to be an offensive tackle at the next level, but like most lineman, will need to spend a year or two putting on the necessary weight and learning the ropes at Penn State. Larry Johnson was Nelson's lead recruiter out of Hershey, and Mac McWhorter will be his coach once he steps on campus this summer. That's a pretty decent one-two punch for Nelson, who Coach O'Brien specifically mentioned as having the potential to be a "heckuva player" after Signing Day.

However, what sets this young man apart from many of his peers, is not his ability on the football field but the heart and soul that he already possesses. ESPN asked Andrew to write a special article for them, outlining his recruitment and why he chose Penn State. Read it (trust me, if you've established a self-imposed ESPN-ban, you'll want to temporarily break it for this), and you'll understand that the "Penn State Man" is still alive and well.

That he mentions academics first, the coaching staff second, his relationships third, and football never in his list of priorities is part and parcel of what the "Penn State way" is all about, and Andrew should have no trouble living up to that way of life.

Welcome to Penn State, Andrew!

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Class of 2013: Welcome, Brandon Bell

2013-02-15T19:00:05Z

We're Linebacker U.

Brandon Bell committed to the Nittany Lions way back in June, and reaffirmed his commitment after the sanctions came down. The consensus three-star linebacker from Mays Landing, NJ recently signed and faxed in his letter of intent, and is anxious to get to State College and follow in the long lineage of star linebackers.

Bell most likely projects as a middle linebacker at the next level, and given the lack of depth ahead of him, he could end up as the second MLB on opening day, a spot that could earn him some early playing time in Ron Vanderlinden's group.

He has great vision on the football field, a trait that is aided by the fact that he was also one of Oakcrest's top rushers of 2012. He is also very quick, able to track down plays from any spot on the field. A prototypical Penn State defensive field general needs to posess both of these traits, sight and speed, and Brandon already has them in spades.

Welcome to Penn State, Brandon. May the MAUTISMASH live on inside you...

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National Signing Day: Penn State's Expected Class

2013-02-06T12:00:12Z

Your (expected) Penn State Class of 2013, Scholarship Edition

Richy Anderson (RB) - Frederick, MD (ALREADY ENROLLED)
Adam Breneman (TE) - Camp Hill, PA (ALREADY ENROLLED)
Tyler Ferguson (QB) - Visalia, CA (ALREADY ENROLLED)
Anthony Smith (DB) - Wayne, PA (ALREADY ENROLLED)
Jordan Smith (DB) - Washington, DC (ALREADY ENROLLED)
Brandon Bell (LB) - Mays Landing, NJ
Curtis Cothran (DE) - Newtown, PA
Parker Cothren (DL/OL) - Hazel Green, AL
Kasey Gaines (DB) - Loganville, GA
Christian Hackenberg (QB) - Fork Union, VA
DaeSean Hamilton (WR) - Stafford, VA
Tanner Hartman (DE) - Lynchburg, VA
Zayd Issah (LB) - Harrisburg, PA
Brendan Mahon (OL) - Randolph, NJ
Andrew Nelson (OL) - Hershey, PA
Neiko Robinson (DB) - Century, FL
Garrett Sickels (DE) - Little Silver, NJ

Will there be any surprises? Unlikely. Stay tuned as we find out when all of these guys send in their official letters of intent, and make it official.

Success with Hyperlinking Is Hunting Deer

2013-01-31T17:00:06Z

Well Let's Just Get This Out Of The Way. Ray Lewis, famed turf stomper, and some members of the 2012 Alabama national championship team have been linked to using a deer antler spray, which is a comical thing to write, but is also allegedly against the rules. The spray is supposed to help muscle recovery and build muscle mass.

So, if you're following this story, Hollywood, so far we have the following: an aging PGA Tour champion, a male stripper, and Alabama football. Let's make that movie.

Signing Day Is Coming! EEEEEE! In case you didn't know, National Letter of Intent Day is next Wednesday, February 6. As is generally the case with Penn State football, little fanfare will surround the day for Nittany Lion fans. Adam Breneman is already on campus, Christian Hackenberg is as close to a lock as can be ("Please don't be Chad Henne 2.0, please don't be Chad Henne 2.0..."), and the rest of the non-early enrollees should be sending in their antiquated methods of information transmission as expected. Will the staff send out a couple more offers to fill the remaining spot(s)? Unlikely, but I doubt ESPN will throw up much of a fuss if a two-star linebacker makes a last minute switch to Penn State.

The bigger story of late is the growing list of "run-on" commitments, as Bill O'Brien tries to keep pace with the rest of the conference despite the scholarship sanctions.

Spring Practice? QB DEBATE TIME! Penn State finalized their spring practice schedule, which will culminate with the annual Blue-White Game on April 20. No word yet on who will be this year's "Paul Jones to Shawney Kersey Connection" award winners.

In Scores of Other Games. Daniel Day-Lewis doing Daniel Day-Lewis things...Most Big Ten restaurant? It should be Eat 'n Park...Grantland did a great job putting this together, but completely botched the result (Bill D'F will be around later to tell you the greatest comedic line ever said on television)...Super Bowl prop bets (GAMBLING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN).

Penn State Football Class of 2013: Welcome, Adam Breneman

2013-01-30T11:00:05Z

Penn State Football Class of 2013: the early enrollees, the Signing Day commits, and the names that Steve and Jack will be calling for years to come.

Our first look at the Class of 2013 begins with Pennsylvania tight end Adam Breneman, who committed to Bill O'Brien and the Nittany Lions back in March, and immediately became a household name, both for his on-field talent and off-field "Penn State way" character.

Breneman is a top notch talent on the field, earning accolades across the state for his Cedar Cliff team his junior year. An unfortunate knee injury caused him to miss his senior season, and with a likely redshirt in 2013 in the works, Breneman should be back to form easily by the start of football in 2014.

At 6'5", and with the speed and athleticism of a wide receiver, Breneman will fit nicely into the "F" tight end role at Penn State, a pass-catching monster that the O'Brien offense is built around. He is a four-/five-star recruit from within the state, and a lifelong Penn State fan. While his commitment may have been just a matter of time, it was still a welcome breath of fresh air to a team still reeling from other issues.

Immediately after his commitment (and for some time before), Breneman took to the recruiting trail, helping to bring in other top talent and emerging as an instant leader for a class that will ultimately be remembered for its resolve and dedication to the school they selected.

On the field, he's a known commodity. But it's Breneman's off the field activities that earned him immediate respect and admiration of Penn State fans. He is the man behind Catch The Cure, a charity that raises awareness for ALS research; he finished high school early to get to University Park as soon as possible; and he is an active supporter of all things Penn State, regularly making the short trip from Camp Hill to State College to support not just the football program, but the university in general.

Breneman's commitment was the biggest splash for Bill O'Brien's new (at the time) program, and he continues to be a household name among those that follow the program closely. Give it two years, and everyone around the country will know this young man's name.

Welcome to Happy Valley, Adam. Welcome to Adam, Happy Valley. Now let's go to work.

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Big Ten Potentially Expanding, Moving to Nine or Ten Game Conference Schedule

2013-01-28T18:08:52Z

Expansiongate, 2013 Edition. Our friends at BHGP have a good roundup of the rumors swirling about possible Big Ten expansion, including which teams are possible, which make no sense, and what the future of college football conferences in general could look like in the very near future.

The names that appear to have the most traction include Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Duke. Each of these schools are attractive candidates for a number of reasons, though with Jim Delaney making decisions on potential expansion, you can be certain that the driver for any expansion will be C.R.E.A.M.

All four schools are AAU members, and all have a strong academic reputation (U.S. News: Duke - 8, UVA - 24, Michigan - 29, UNC - 30, GT - 36, PSU - 46, OSU - 56), so the non-sports, non-economic requirements seem to be met. And while education should be the driving force behind these decisions, everyone knows that sports and money are going to be the true factors.

None of the four teams listed have a rather strong football history, and while UNC and Duke bring a boatload of basketball tradition, that alone may not be enough to merit expansion. Further, only Georgia Tech brings the requisite big city market that Delaney and conference executives are looking for. Where the addition of Rutgers and Maryland to the Big Ten brought potential inroads to the New York City and Baltimore/D.C. markets, the addition of UVA, Duke, and/or North Carolina doesn't bring a lot to the powerful and expanding Big Ten Network.

Other names thrown around include Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa State, to keep in line with the Big Ten's Midwestern roots, but that seems to be less and less of a factor, as three of the last four schools added to the conference are each less than four hours from the Atlantic Ocean.

Nine Games, Ten Games, and AD Budgets. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports is reporting today that the Big Ten is discussing the possibility of moving to a nine- or ten-game conference schedule in the future.

The Big Ten announced it would be going to a nine-game conference schedule back in 2011 after Nebraska joined the conference and it went to a two-division setup. The change was to begin in the 2017 season but then the Big Ten came to a schedule agreement with the Pac-12, and the nine-game schedule was scrapped.

The deal with the Pac-12 would fall through as well, and now the Big Ten is once again considering the idea of not only a nine-game conference schedule, but possibly a 10-game conference schedule.

The problem, as you might expect, is money. The large universities of the Big Ten, Penn State included, fund an entire athletic department budget with profits made from the cash cow that is college football. Moving to a nine- or ten-game schedule means fewer opportunities for marquee out-of-conference scheduling as schools need to meet their home-game allotment. With a ten-game conference schedule, for example, each school would play five home, and five away games in conference. This leaves only two OOC openings, each of which would most likely have to be filled with non-marquee opponents to keep the school at seven home games per year. Even that might not be enough, as some schools are used to at least seven home games per year.

"Most of us need seven home games in order to make our local budgets," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. "Is there a way to overcome that? I don't know. We'll have to look at that. The conference is aware that it's an issue."

Of course, while discussion points may be about a bigger conference schedule allowing the schools to play each other more often and making schedules "better" to help Big Ten schools get selected to the playoff, there's another reason for it, too. The more Big Ten games that are played give the Big Ten more Big Ten games to show on its network and sell as part of the conference's new television deal. All of which leads to more money.

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Looking Ahead: Special Teams

2013-01-18T11:00:06Z

A way-too-early position preview series; included are scholarship and verbally committed Class of 2013 players, while run-on players have been left out of the previews.

Warm Bodies: Sam Ficken (Jun.), Alex Butterworth (Sen.)

Outlook: Well, it can't get much worse, right? After starting the season on a terrible run, Ficken was serviceable throughout the remainder of the year. The much ballyhooed kicker ended 2012 with 14 field goals on 21 attempts (six of those misses coming across two games against Virginia and Illinois), and added 39 extra points on 41 attempts, good for the team lead with 81 points scored.

Though he ended the year relatively strong, Ficken is going to have to find a level of consistency required of collegiate kickers. It's tough to say whether Bill O'Brien chose to start going for fourth downs before or after Ficken's struggles, but not being able to rely on your kicker, even from the 20- or 25-yard line, is a difficult pill to swallow. Run-ons Kevin DiSanto and newcomer Chris Gulla add depth to the position.

Butterworth is entering his senior season, taking over for the departed Anthony Fera in 2012. And like Ficken, Butterworth struggled to find any consistency. Penn State punted 51 times (compared to 63 forced punts), and averaged 37.4 yards per punt, and number that is reduced to 34.5 yards net punting average, good for 105th in the country. The difference between Penn State and conference leading Illinois? Less than five yards. A little stronger leg and a little better punt coverage...

Projected 2013 Depth Chart: K - Ficken; P - Butterworth

Names to Watch: With a very limited number of scholarships to go around over the next few years, it would be very surprising if a scholarship was offered to a kicker. The team will simply have to make due with what they have, and hope for the best.

QB - RB/FB - WR - TE - OL - DT - DE - LB - DB - ST

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Looking Ahead: Defensive Secondary

2013-01-17T11:00:08Z

A way-too-early position preview series; included are scholarship and verbally committed Class of 2013 players, while run-on players have been left out of the previews.

Warm Bodies: Stephen Obeng-Agyapong (RS Sen.), Malcolm Willis (RS Sen.), Adrian Amos (Jun.), Jordan Lucas (Soph.), DaQuan Davis (Soph.), Jake Kiley (RS Fresh.), Kasey Gaines (Fresh.), Anthony Smith (Fresh.), Jordan Smith (Fresh.), Neiko Robinson (Fresh.)

Outlook: A surprisingly positive group in 2012 (well, after some early season jitters, that is), the secondary will once again face youth and depth issues in 2013. Gone are Stephon Morris and Jacob Fagnano, while four true freshmen join the squad, some of whom will likely see some early playing time.

SOA and Willis return to anchor the safety positions, and with their 22 combined starts in 2012, the spots should be theirs to lose. Pushing them will be Kiley, who spent time at both secondary positions in practice last season, Ryan Keiser, a run-on who played in all 12 games last year, and at least one of the true freshmen, most likely Gaines. If Willis can avoid injuries, including the knee problems that kept him out of the last two games, and if SOA can continue his solid-yet-unspectacular play, John Butler might just be able to get by again in 2013.

Despite the loss of Morris, the cornerback situation shouldn't regress much, if at all. Adrian Amos will return as one of the starting corners in 2013, and the likely heir to Morris' spot is Davis, a true freshman in 2012 who saw plenty of action. Run-on Jesse Della Valle is also in the mix, as is Lucas, who saw limited action in 2012.

Projecting secondary positions for true freshmen is a difficult endeavor, but each of the remaining three players will likely start their careers at the corner spot. With an increasing emphasis on nickel packages, it's not inconceivable that these guys could see the field earlier than expected, given the thin depth chart. Keep an eye on Jordan Smith, whose close relationship with a number of former Penn Staters could help him get a leg up on the other freshmen.

Projected 2013 Depth Chart:

CB	Safety	Safety	CB
Amos	Obeng-Agyapong	Willis	Davis
J. Smith	Gaines	Kiley	Lucas
Robinson			A. Smith

Names to Watch: Penn State will have to replace two starters after the 2013 season, so look for the secondary to once again be a position of need with recruiting. It's tough to say how many spots will be held for defensive backs, given the limited overall scholarships available, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see two or three safeties/corners taken. Watch for these names in the Class of 2014: DeAndre Thompkins (Swansboro HS (Swansboro, NC)), Wesley Green (Martin Luther King Jr. HS (Lithonia, GA)), Montae Nicholson (Gateway HS (Monroeville, PA)), D'Andre Payne (Woodson HS (Washington, DC)), Troy Vincent (Gilman School (Baltimore, MD)).

QB - RB/FB - WR - TE - OL - DT - DE - LB - DB - ST

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