The NCAA recently levied sanctions on the Penn State football program in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky ordeal, which include a $60 million fine and a four year postseason ban. Bill O'Brien and his staff will also have their available number of scholarships cut from 85 to 65 over that time, which, as Cory Giger of the Altoona Mirror points out, is a huge chunk of a roster:
The big change, the one that could be a major blow to the Nittany Lions' ability to compete on the field, will come in 2014 when the scholarship limit drops from 85 to 65.
It will remain at that heavily reduced number for four years because of NCAA sanctions, and so every time PSU takes the field against a Division I opponent, it will do so with 23.5 percent fewer scholarship players.
With fewer scholarships to offer, Penn State will need to not only convince walk-ons to attend Penn State, but once those players arrive coach them up into on-field performers or at least viable practice players for the program to tread water over this next half decade.
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