Tag: Penn State

Penn State’s signing day haul down to 2 players after decommitments

Posted on | by Field Level Media

And then there were two.

A flurry of decommitments this week, including two Wednesday morning, left Penn State with just a single member of its Class of 2026 until a second one entered the fold Wednesday afternoon.

The two members of the Nittany Lions’ 2026 class are Jackson Ford, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge rusher from Malvern (Pa.) Prep, and Peyton Falzone, a four-star quarterback from Nazareth (Pa.) High School.

The 247Sports composite lists Ford as a four-star prospect, ranked No. 25 overall at his position. Falzone is listed at No. 20 at quarterback.

Penn State still does not have a head coach after the firing of longtime head coach James Franklin in October.

Ford said he had no concerns about joining a depleted Penn State class. Several past commits made other plans after Franklin’s departure, with some of them joining their coach at his new school, Virginia Tech.

In all, 25 players decommitted from Penn State.

Ford said he “100% believes they’re going to be building it up again” at Penn State. And he wants to put in the work at his state’s flagship school.

“I’m just going to be a high-motor guy and have great energy in the locker room, just trying to lift as many people as I can with my attitude, how I talk, and how I play,” Ford said live on CBS Sports College Football’s YouTube channel Wednesday afternoon.

Falzone previously had been committed to the Nittany Lions but decommitted in June. He returned to join Ford later in the day.

The early signing period runs through the end of the week, and players will have other signing opportunities, once the new coaching staff is known.

–Field Level Media

Kalani Sitake rebuffs Penn State, gets extension at BYU

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After reportedly engaging in talks with Penn State about its head coaching vacancy, Kalani Sitake will remain in his position at BYU by agreeing to a long-term contract extension on Tuesday, the school announced.

“He is a proven leader, and we are grateful he is once again choosing BYU,” Cougars athletic director Brian Santiago said in a news release. “His legacy of building a championship program the BYU way will continue on. He is one of the best people in the business. We are excited to continue to ride the wave of positive momentum with him.”

Sitake, 50, and the No. 11 Cougars (11-1) are focused on Saturday’s Big 12 title game against No. 4 Texas Tech (11-1), with the winner earning an automatic berth to the College Football Playoff.

In his 10th season at his alma mater, Sitake is 83-44 (.654 winning percentage). He has guided the program to four 10-win seasons in the past six years and is 5-2 in bowl games.

“I am humbled and full of gratitude for the outpouring of love from BYU fans and the trust and support provided to our football program by our university leadership,” Sitake said.

“This is good for the stability and future of BYU football. I’m excited about our future.”

In the wake of James Franklin’s firing, Penn State shifted its focus to Sitake, engaging in talks about a coaching staff and other topics, ESPN reported on Monday. However, the sides did not reach an agreement.

Sitake, the first Tongan to become a college head coach, played for the Cougars in 1994 and from 1997-2000, then signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2001. A back injury ended his NFL career, which led him to the coaching ranks. Along with a stop at BYU as a graduate assistant, Sitake was a member of the coaching staffs at Eastern Arizona, Oregon State, Utah and Southern Utah.

–Field Level Media

Four-star QB Troy Huhn following James Franklin to Virginia Tech

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Four-star quarterback Troy Huhn became the latest player to follow former Penn State head coach James Franklin to Virginia Tech, announcing his commitment to the Hokies’ Class of 2026 Monday.

Huhn, who is ranked as the No. 21 quarterback in the 2026 class by the 247Sports composite, initially committed to Penn State in June 2024. He decommitted four days after Franklin was fired in mid-October when the Nittany Lions — No. 2 in the AP preseason poll — lost 22-21 to visiting Northwestern and fell to 3-3 on the season and 0-3 in the Big Ten.

A 6-foot-4, 215-pounder, Huhn completed 75% of his passes for 2,438 yards and 29 touchdowns with eight rushing scores in his senior season at Mission Hills High School in San Marcos, Calif., per ESPN.

Huhn’s announcement came hours after three-star quarterback recruit Cole Bergeron, ranked No. 34 by the 247Sports composite, decommitted from Virginia Tech.

The move by Huhn marks the fifth player to switch from committing to Penn State to Virginia Tech since Franklin’s move. Others changing uniforms are running back Messiah Mickens, tight end Pierce Petersohn and offensive tackles Marlen Bright and Roseby Lubintus.

–Field Level Media

Amare Campbell’s scoop-and-score lifts Penn State past Rutgers

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Amare Campbell returned a fumble 61 yards for a touchdown to lift Penn State to a 40-36 Big Ten win over Rutgers Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.

The win makes the Nittany Lions (6-6) bowl eligible. Penn State has beaten the Scarlet Knights 18 straight times.

Rutgers (5-7) still had a chance to go ahead when Athan Kaliakmanis hit KJ Duff on a 42-yard pass to the Penn State 36 with 5:46 left in the game.

The drive stalled at the Penn State 28, however, and Campbell and Zion Tracy brought Kaliakmanis down on fourth-and-1 to turn the ball over on downs.

Kaytron Allen then all but put the game away with a 50-yard run to the Rutgers 28 with 2:24 left.

The Scarlet Knights were ahead 36-33 and had driven to the Penn State 32 with 7:27 left when the ball slipped out of Kaliakmanis’ hand and Campbell took it in for the winner.

The two teams combined for 1,042 yards.

Allen had 226 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. His running mate Nicholas Singleton had 86 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.

Antwan Raymond led Rutgers with 189 yards rushing and a touchdown. He added 62 yards and another touchdown receiving.

Kaliakmanis completed 16 of 22 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns.

Ethan Grunkemeyer completed 17 of 21 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown for the Nittany Lions.

Allen and Singleton traded historic runs on the same drive in the first half.

Allen went first, as Penn State’s all-time leading rusher sprinted 55 yards in the first quarter to surpass the 4,000-yard rushing mark for his career.

Three plays later, Singleton rushed up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown to put Penn State up 14-7. It was the 54th total touchdown of the senior’s career, passing Saquon Barkley for the most in Penn State history.

After a 2-yard touchdown run by Kaliakmanis tied the score, Allen took his turn in the end zone.

The senior capped an 89-yard, 4-play drive by rushing off right tackle through a huge hole for a 15-yard touchdown and a 21-14 Penn State lead one play into the second quarter.

At that point, Singleton and Allen had combined for nine carries and 167 yards.

–Field Level Media

Penn State and Rutgers both battling for bowl eligibility

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Penn State and Rutgers will look to become bowl eligible at the other’s expense on Saturday afternoon when the teams meet in Piscataway, N.J.

Interim head coach Terry Smith was quite direct on Monday when addressing that very topic for the Nittany Lions (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten).

“My focus right now is, obviously we have to beat Rutgers,” Smith said. “We approach these last couple weeks as do or die, playoff-type games, and this is another playoff game for us in our own reality of our world.”

The Scarlet Knights (5-6, 2-6) find themselves in the same position, and head coach Greg Schiano wasn’t shy about addressing his “goals” on Tuesday.

“Goals are a little overrated. My main appreciation of goals is that it forces people to create a plan, but other than that, the team on the other side will have the same goal that we do when the game kicks off,” he said. “They’d like to win and go to a bowl, we’d like to win and go to a bowl.

“It’s all going to be about execution, it’s all gonna be about the preparation that we’ve put in this week, and what kind of execution it leads to this Saturday.”

Rutgers will need to keep a keen eye on Kaytron Allen, who followed up a 181-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance in Penn State’s 28-10 victory over Michigan State on Nov. 15 with 160 yards and two scores in a 37-10 romp over Nebraska last Saturday.

Allen repeated as Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, two days after etching his name in the school record books for the most career rushing yards (3,954) by passing both Saquon Barkley (3,843, 2015-17) and Evan Royster (3,932, 2007-10)

Allen rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State’s last meeting with Rutgers, a 27-6 victory in 2023. The Nittany Lions are vying for the 18th consecutive victory over the Scarlet Knights and 33rd in 35 meetings.

Rutgers is picking itself up off the mat after losing for the sixth time in eight games with a 42-9 setback to top-ranked Ohio State last weekend.

Athan Kaliakmanis completed 10 of 20 passes for 81 yards for the Scarlet Knights, who will look to become bowl eligible for the third straight season.

–Field Level Media

Kaytron Allen, Penn State run all over Nebraska in blowout win

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Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton each ran for two touchdowns as Penn State smashed visiting Nebraska 37-10 on Saturday in University Park, Pa.

Allen rushed 25 times for 160 yards, while Singleton (44 yards) made the most of his seven carries. Ethan Grunkemeyer wasn’t asked to do much, but he was efficient (11-of-12 for 181 yards with a TD) as the Nittany Lions (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) won their second straight following a six-game skid.

Nebraska’s TJ Lateef went 21-of-37 for 187 yards in addition to a rushing score. Emmett Johnson led the Cornhuskers (7-4, 4-4) with 103 yards on the ground and 48 more as a receiver.

Penn State’s defense set the tone early by stopping Johnson on fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line on the game’s opening drive.

On the ensuing possession, Allen’s 50-yard run set up Grunkemeyer’s 4-yard TD pass to Andrew Rappleyea to make it 7-0.

Penn State had another 50-yard play on its next possession, this time a pass to Singleton that eventually led to a 26-yard field goal.

Nebraska responded with a field goal of its own, but Penn State created some separation with two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the half.

First, Singleton rushed for 14 yards to the 4-yard line and then hammered it home on the next play to make it 17-3.

Then, following a quick three-and-out by Nebraska, the Nittany Lions started at the Cornhuskers’ 14-yard line, thanks to Trebor Pena’s 21-yard punt return, combined with a personal foul on Nebraska.

Three plays later, Singleton ran for a 10-yard score to send Penn State into the locker room with a 23-3 advantage.

Early on the Nittany Lions’ first drive of the second half, Grunkemeyer found Pena for 29 yards to move the ball into Cornhuskers territory. Shortly thereafter, Allen rushed for a 3-yard TD to make it 30-3.

Nebraska responded with a productive drive before Zane Durant sacked Lateef on fourth down.

Lateef’s 11-yard TD run late in the third quarter and Allen’s 13-yard rushing TD early in the fourth completed the scoring.

–Field Level Media

Matt Rhule brings Nebraska ‘home’ to face pupil, Penn State

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TJ Lateef and Ethan Grunkemeyer have been thrust into important roles and found some good fortune last week.

The quarterbacks at the center of the Big Ten matchup between Nebraska and Penn State on Saturday in University Park, Pa., look for more of the same with the regular season winding down.

Lateef made his first career start on Nov. 8 — prior to the bye week for Nebraska (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) — with starting QB Dylan Raiola out for the season with a broken leg. A true freshman, Lateef went 13-of-15 for 205 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-21 win over UCLA.

“I want him to go there and let it rip,” said Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule, a former linebacker at Penn State. “Sometimes the second game you start to — no, don’t overthink too much. Just go out there and play.”

Grunkemeyer prepares for his fifth start for Penn State (4-6, 1-6) under similar circumstances. Starter Drew Allar was lost for the season with a knee injury before Penn State fired head coach James Franklin.

The redshirt freshman threw two touchdown passes in last week’s 28-10 win over Michigan State that snapped a six-game losing streak.

There is less drama simmering around Rhule’s return to Happy Valley. The Nebraska coach was immediately connected to the vacancy at Penn State because of his connection with current Nittany Lions AD Patrick Kraft, who hired him as head coach at Temple.

Rhule knows Penn State interim coach Terry Smith pretty well, too.

“I hired him out of Gateway High School, and he was on my first staff at Temple. I have a lot of respect for him,” Rhule said.

But Rhule isn’t leaving Nebraska for Penn State, not after signing a contract extension to stay in Lincoln. He said he “doesn’t have very many” emotions about his trip “home” on Saturday.

“It’s just different for me because I’ve been back so many times,” Rhule said. “The only things I feel is my grandfather had season tickets at Penn State and he’s no longer living. My grandmother’s no longer living. Just the people who poured into me and meant a lot to me in my life, they won’t be there for this.”

Grunkemeyer was only asked to throw the ball 13 times against the Spartans, as the Nittany Lions leaned on their rushing game. Kaytron Allen ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns, while Nicholas Singleton chipped in with 56 yards on the ground.

“We do know in our keys to victory every week is for Kaytron and Nick to touch the ball,” Smith said, “and if they’re touching the ball, that means we’re going to get closer to that goal.”

Nebraska has a dynamic backfield threat of its own in Emmett Johnson, who posted 129 yards rushing and 103 receiving against UCLA. Johnson, who accounted for three touchdowns in that win, is aiming for his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game and his seventh overall this season.

The Cornhuskers are 4-1 against the Nittany Lions since joining the Big Ten, including a 30-23 triumph in the last meeting in 2020.

–Field Level Media

Penn State snaps six-game skid, rolls past Michigan State

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Ethan Grunkemeyer and Devonte Ross connected for two touchdown passes, Kaytron Allen ran for two scores, and visiting Penn State posted a much-needed 28-10 victory over Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

In a matchup of teams that entered on six-game losing streaks, Penn State (4-6, 1-6) emerged to notch its first Big Ten win of the season. The Nittany Lions suffered an agonizing, last-second loss to No. 2 Indiana last weekend but were able to bounce back in this one.

Grunkemeyer (8-of-13 for 127 yards) wasn’t asked to do much, as the Nittany Lions ran the ball 50 times and relied on their defense. Allen had 25 rushes for 181 yards, while Nicholas Singleton chipped in 56 yards on 15 carries.

Alessio Milivojevic went 17-of-27 for 128 yards for Michigan State (3-7, 0-7). Elijah Tau-Tolliver was the leading rusher and receiver for the Spartans with six carries for 79 yards and eight catches for 73 yards.

Michigan State threw the first punch, as Tau-Tolliver rushed through the right side of the defense for a 57-yard touchdown on the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage.

Penn State bounced right back, as Grunkemeyer’s 25-yard pass to Trebor Pena set up Allen’s 8-yard rushing touchdown two plays later.

Late in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions stopped the Spartans on fourth down. However, Michigan State returned the favor on the ensuing Penn State possession.

Midway through the second quarter, Martin Connington’s 24-yard field goal gave the hosts a 10-7 lead. But on the next play from scrimmage, Grunkemeyer launched a bomb to a wide-open Ross for a 75-yard score.

Neither team dented the scoreboard during a third quarter in which the longest play for either team was 14 yards.

Penn State also didn’t have any big plays during its first of two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions only reached third down once on the 13-play march — and that was on the final play, a 4-yard TD pass from Grunkemeyer to Ross with 4:32 left.

On the ensuing possession, Zion Tracy sacked Milivojevic and Daryus Dixson recovered a fumble on the play. Shortly thereafter, Allen unleashed runs of 42 and 26 yards to get Penn State back into the end zone with 2:07 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Penn State, Michigan State chase end to 6-game losing streaks

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Penn State and Michigan State both started the season 3-0, but that must feel like a distant memory.

The Nittany Lions and Spartans each hope to halt a six-game losing streak Saturday afternoon when they square off in a Big Ten matchup in University Park, Pa.

Penn State (3-6, 0-6 Big Ten) has endured a nightmare of a season. Not only is the team winless in its last six games, but that stretch has included the firing of coach James Franklin, the loss of quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending ankle injury, and, most recently, a heartbreaking 27-24 defeat against then-No. 2 Indiana on Saturday.

The Nittany Lions were poised to beat the Hoosiers before allowing a touchdown — on a contested pass and a sensational toe-tapping catch by Omar Cooper Jr. — with 36 seconds left. Still, Penn State interim coach Terry Smith said he was pleased with the way his squad hung in against one of the nation’s best teams.

“Our guys are playing a little bit faster and a little bit looser,” Smith said. “You saw that on Saturday. They got after it. They were having fun.”

Nicholas Singleton, who had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving score against Indiana, certainly will be a focal point of the Michigan State defense.

The Spartans (3-6, 0-6) outgained Minnesota 467-301 on Nov. 1 in their most recent game but lost 23-20 in overtime.

Following a bye week, Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith was not ready to reveal his plans at quarterback for the Penn State game.

Alessio Milivojevic made his first career start against the Golden Gophers and went 20 of 28 for 311 yards and a touchdown. Benched incumbent Aidan Chiles has thrown for 1,392 yards and 10 touchdowns against three interceptions this year, although the bulk of that success came in the first four games.

“Both those guys’ skill sets present some positive things, so we’re gonna let that play out again this week,” Smith said.

The Spartans and Nittany Lions both need to win their final three games to become bowl-eligible. Penn State has won four of the last five matchups between the schools.

–Field Level Media

No. 2 Indiana looks to validate CFP rank at reeling Penn State

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One team in Saturday’s matchup between Indiana and Penn State is ranked No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, but it isn’t the team most experts would have predicted two months ago.

The undefeated Hoosiers find themselves behind only Ohio State in the initial CFP rankings and will look to back that positioning up when they visit the reeling Nittany Lions in University Park, Pa.

Indiana (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) has cruised through its schedule to this point, highlighted by double-digit wins against Illinois (63-10) and Oregon (30-20), both of which were ranked in the top 10 at the time.

Most recently, the Hoosiers crushed Maryland 55-10 largely due to 367 rushing yards. Kaelon Black rushed for 110 yards and scored a touchdown, while Fernando Mendoza added a rushing touchdown and threw for 201 yards and another TD.

At this point, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is largely trying to guard against overconfidence.

“Obviously, we’ve turned that page,” Cignetti said in reference to his team focusing on Penn State. “Everything in this game is earned, not given, and you’ve got to earn it every single day. The game gives you nothing. You get out what you put in. We’ve got to really be sharp this week and have a great mindset.”

Penn State (3-5, 0-5) is looking to reset as well, although overconfidence is not a problem for interim coach Terry Smith. His team has dropped five straight games — with the program firing coach James Franklin in the midst of that stretch — as the Nittany Lions’ No. 2 preseason ranking continues to feel like a distant memory.

Still, Cignetti was complimentary of Smith and his program this week.

“Terry has done a really good job of sort of rejuvenating these guys, and it’ll be his first opportunity to play a game at home,” Cignetti said. “Tough place to play — 100,000-plus people. They’re a really good football team.”

Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt have combined for 91 catches for 1,278 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Hoosiers, who average a national-best 46.4 points per game. That could spell bad news for a Nittany Lions defense that gave up 316 passing yards — and 480 total yards — against Ohio State.

“Yeah, we’ve definitely got to get it fixed this week,” Smith said of his passing defense. “Those two receivers they have in Indiana have more touchdowns than the Ohio State guys, so it doesn’t get any easier.”

Penn State’s other issues at the moment include a passing offense that only produced 145 yards last week with Ethan Grunkemeyer under center. The redshirt freshman has three interceptions and no touchdowns since taking over for Drew Allar (ankle), who is out for the season.

“Ethan continues to grow,” Smith said. “I think he’s getting better. I thought he was better in game two than game one.”

Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen is aiming to bounce back after averaging just 3.6 yards per carry against the Buckeyes, a season low. He did score a touchdown in that game and has found the end zone in all eight games this season.

–Field Level Media