Is PSU seeking WRs in the portal?
- Thread starter demlion
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I agree that we need a top WR from the portal, but I can’t help but think someone on the roster could step up.
They need to convince Zachariah Branch to join his teammate
Or let's hope someone on a playoff team wants out--no UGa receivers lol
Or let's hope someone on a playoff team wants out--no UGa receivers lol
There are no home runs out there currently. Every one on the list has some deficiency that you can say "but this" about them.
In fact, none that entered this year were guaranteed home runs. The former Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson was probably the best one in my opinion, but he missed most of '24 injured.
I’m hoping Hudson and Ross can have more than just a depth impact. I could see AK getting Ross in space, and if Hudson’s hands are as good as they seem, he’ll be massive on third downs. I might be exaggerating their potential, but I guess until we see them on the field in our offense, we won’t know.
How many of the early enrollees are wide receivers?
I think Lyric is one of them... WR is not the most complicated position in the game to master. Most of the skills needed, you are either born having or not granted at birth. Ya, coaches can help you refine the skills you possess but only marginally.
A true freshman that can handle the step up in game and ball speed can contribute right out the gate. Do we have any of those in this incoming class and any from last year's class? We should know very soon.
I think Lyric is one of them... WR is not the most complicated position in the game to master. Most of the skills needed, you are either born having or not granted at birth. Ya, coaches can help you refine the skills you possess but only marginally.
A true freshman that can handle the step up in game and ball speed can contribute right out the gate. Do we have any of those in this incoming class and any from last year's class? We should know very soon.
Can Haggans do that?
We don't have any on paper capable of being that guy
Remember, we need a #1 WR--not just a guy that can contribute. I think Reynolds and Wallace will be good, Wallace has to stop dropping TDs, but we need a star opposite Wallace--that guy isn't on the roster right now.
Exactly. While of WR transfers (Ross and Hudson) are nice additions, Penn State’s offense still needs a #1 WR. I would not be surprised to see at least one more WR addition from the portal. There is still time for more WRs to enter the portal.
The problem is less the willingness of PSU to add such a player, but instead the availability of such players and the fierce competition to sign them. At this point, most/all of the impact portal players have committed to other schools. WRs seems to be a position that gets large NIL offers in the portal so a school really needs to be aggressive to have that happen.
We can always hope that someone like Wallace takes a step forward next year - I actually think that's a better chance than actually getting a game changer in the portal.
Clearly need a stud but we don't have the second starter yet. The portal guys and Evans will all compete for playing time.
The other issue, if you believe like I do, we don't engage in the rampant tampering that other schools do. The reality is that you don't get commitments from these guys once they hit "free-agency" you get it before they come on the market. Find a WR you like, throw $2M at his feet while he is still on his team, incentivize him to leave. I don't believe we are engaged in that behavior, but the early bird gets the worm and many other programs are. Just ask Jim Mora.
I mean, schools can contact agents not the kid which is why Mora needs to stop complaining. We should be targeting guys...Boise has a a couple receivers I'd be finding the agent for.
How much do NIL roster budgets really matter for College Football Playoff teams?
Is a team's roster number the price of admission for Playoff access or to have a shot at winning the whole thing? There are no guarantees.
www.nytimes.com
We are not in the same league as the osu’s or texas’s of the cfb NIL landscape (link 1.). The second link quotes our own NIL collective that 80-90% of our NIL is for retention. Knowing that philosophy and where we sit vs osu, texas, and others, we cannot afford an elite portal wr. It is simply not happening. While that is unfortunate, we are still alive in the playoffs under this philosophy of team building from within.
Good points about high impact portal WRs. No disagreement there.
I don’t think it is a good idea to rely on hope as a strategy. Wallace has completed 4 regular seasons at Penn State. Wallace has never proven to be anything beyond being a serviceable WR. He has hit his ceiling. Coming back for a 5th year is doubtful in my opinion.
Why didn't we pick up a top WR last year? I kept hearing it was limited NIL money. My theory is that PSU spends most of it's available NIL money to retain existing players. Then they fill in the holes with players from non P4 conferences and hope they pan out.
We've done reasonably well with linemen but who was the last elite skill player we picked up in the portal? The only one close I can recall is A J Harris. I saw a kid like USC's Zachariah Branch has an NIL value close to $700k. Do you really think we're going to pick up a couple of guys like that? And also a couple of LBs?
Pat McAfee did allude to PSU positioning themselves to be a major force soon with the NIL. He said we have the most CEO’s of any college, which I know most of us already knew. PSU are doing a fantastic job of raising the 700 million in stadium renovations. Pat also praised are AD Kraft and what he’s doing.
Hudson will start unless he's hurt. He started at USC and they had 5 guys better than our WR room. Big question is does Evans stay or go. Rumor he may leave.
I can't imagine Evans staying if Hudson's starting but we'll see
If Evans does leave we absolutely need to find another WR
I fear that the biggest reason we have been able to make a run this year is because of the 6th ranked class of 2022. Those players were signed before NIL took effect. Subsequent classes have been ranked around 15th which is outside the top 10 required to make the CFP.
How much do NIL roster budgets really matter for College Football Playoff teams?
Is a team's roster number the price of admission for Playoff access or to have a shot at winning the whole thing? There are no guarantees.
We are not in the same league as the osu’s or texas’s of the cfb NIL landscape (link 1.). The second link quotes our own NIL collective that 80-90% of our NIL is for retention. Knowing that philosophy and where we sit vs osu, texas, and others, we cannot afford an elite portal wr. It is simply not happening. While that is unfortunate, we are still alive in the playoffs under this philosophy of team building from within.
15th still gives us a shot but some kids are going to have to overachieve.
That is my fear as well if we do not upgrade our NIL collective. Our revenue sharing will be superior vs most, so that may compensate for some of our NIL disadvantages. And perhaps our NIL will improve with time.
Ugh... I really don’t like this NIL stuff. I know this is just how it goes as we move forward, but dang, it’s hard for me to grasp.
I think they want Wallace, Evans, Hudson and Ross as the top 4 (barring somebody else comes on in spring camp). Although I'm assuming it's Ross and Evans who are interchangeable, not Hudson and Evans.
Evans did see more targets vs Boise. That could be why.
Yeah, I think they did that, in part, to try to convince him to stay because if he was vocal on social media as he was I'm sure there was a discussion
We've been waiting for a WR that the staff has recruited to step up since Dotson left, and there have been a pretty good number of candidates over the recent years to do that. But right now we seem to have the WR's in Ivey's class, none of whom has shown any indication of developing into a #1 WR. Then the true freshmen, with only Denmark showing much so far. And then the 2025 true freshmen, none of whom looks to have the talent to step on campus and be the man.
Wallace has his moments but is not physical enough to make the plays a true top team #1 WR needs to make.
I just don't see a top receiver coming from the roster for 2025,.
On a side note, McClain made some catches for Arizona St vs Texas. He looked the part physically while at PSU and the staff said he tested very well when he arrived at PSU. Yet the staff couldn't seem to get him on the field. Who knows....
McClain was set to RS until 2 or 3 injuries piled up and they needed him. From what I saw, he's the same guy: good for a catch or 2, then will jump early and drop a pass.
He appeared to have slimmed down some since leaving us. He's definitely got the look part down. He's just inconsistent.
The Columbus region is home to 16 Fortune 1000 companies. Zero in the State College area. How do we overcome that?
The CEOs would be more motivated to support PSU if their companies were headquartered in State College. Companies like Nationwide Insurance and Wendys are located in Columbus.
But NIL isn't going away. It just means we get to spend $32 million ($20m revenue sharing + $12 million NIL) instead of just $12 million NIL.
Ohio State will spend $40 million ($20 million revenue sharing + $20 million NIL)
Having lived in the C’bus area for 22 years of my life, the amount of corporate money there is unbelievable. OSU has perhaps the biggest advantage in the country for NIL funding.
The corporate atmosphere around the stadium is unbelievable and actually appalling to me having gone to some games there due to free tickets for early OOC matchups. I didn’t even feel like I was at a college football game, more like a large corporate convention. It is not a great CFB atmosphere, and doesn’t even come close to being in State College/University Park around Beaver Stadium for a game. Being on the edge of campus with mountains in the background and stadium in the foreground surrounded by multiple private party non-corporate tailgate parties. Nothing like it in the US.
The corporate atmosphere around the stadium is unbelievable and actually appalling to me having gone to some games there due to free tickets for early OOC matchups. I didn’t even feel like I was at a college football game, more like a large corporate convention. It is not a great CFB atmosphere, and doesn’t even come close to being in State College/University Park around Beaver Stadium for a game. Being on the edge of campus with mountains in the background and stadium in the foreground surrounded by multiple private party non-corporate tailgate parties. Nothing like it in the US.
Excellent question. Perhaps with the stadium renovation, they can start marketing luxury trips, boxes, and accommodations to fortune 500 companies in Philly, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown, etc.
He started and had 36 yards against us I believe. Lemon was their only receiver that did anything against us really.
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