Next year, better or worse?

[LurkerLazarus]

Moving forward, our depth should always be better. We've got nothing but 4-stars in the pipeline. We'll be fine.

 

[JD]

At first blush, I'd say worse based on all of the new starters on defense and lack of depth at linebacker.

John's Penn State Football

We Are...Penn State!

 

[bdgan]

QB as good or better
OL as good or better (still have a lot to prove)
TE worse
WR slightly worse (depends on Shorter)
RB slightly worse

DE better (Simmons & Matos improving, Brown returning)
DT worse (lose 3 key contributors so depth is an issue)
LB much worse (Farmer & Brown had a combined 4 tackles yesterday)
CB same (Haley & Campbell are losses but Reid returns with Oruwarie)
S much worse (Allen tough to replace, Scott hasn't impressed)

K unknown
P as good or better

Favorable home schedule but OSU & @ Michigan will be very difficult. Replacing Nebraska with Wisconsin adds another tough game. It all depends on how much of an impact Parsons and Shorter will have as true freshmen. That's a big ask. 9-3.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Jabari Butler is supposed to be a player, correct? I think our secondary is going to be better, overall, next year. The hardest player to replace will be Allen, but we've got some promising guys to work with.

 

[Judge Smails]

Exactly , BUT if you lose McSorley for most of the season like Michigan lost its starting QB (Speight who was the QB that beat PSU 49-10) this season let see your record or Sparty's if they lose Lewerke for next year.

Most PSU fans say the 49-10 loss at Michigan was because you had no healthy line backers same goes for Michigan losing their starting QB.

A healthy McSorley is the best QB in the Big 10 but if you lose him watch out!

You lost your starting QB because your tackles were dogshiat at protecting the QB.

 

[ejb25]

QB, OL, and DL are the most important positions and matters most with returning experience. Those should be waited the most above all returning positions because they make every other position better.

 

[LemonEars]

Next year will be a fun season. We lose star players but might have a better team -- better overall talent and more depth. The incoming frosh should present many pleasant surprises. The team won't look to Barkley and Hamilton in key situations. There will be plenty of balance. I think the team will remind us of Joe's teams in the late 60s and early 70s. Good players at all positions -- not as many star players. I think Stevens will play a key role. Even though he didn't contribute much last night, it was clear the coaches wanted him on the field.

 

[1000_OaksLion]

It all begins and ends in the trenches. We will be better on OL. Our DL should be no worse. Cothren and Cothran were serviceable but not great. The wild card here is whether Hansard, Boldes and Mustepher can be just as effective at DT as Matos was at DE this year. If so, the DL will be better imho. TM will have complete control of the offense and we have great skill players. We will score points.

 

[green2623]

Inhales. The TEAM will be Better.

 

[Cosmos]

Maybe I am in the minority here but Sanders does not look even look like a serviceable RB much less top tier. Maybe Journey will show us something but I am worried about Miles. I hope I am wrong.

Me too. He just doesn't to seem mentally engaged. Someone please remind him that's a live ball on kick return. That said, he ran like his hair was on fire against Maryland.

 

[lionville]

As a team we might have a better running game with teams not completely selling out to stop Barkley.

I think opposing teams continue to play the RPO the same way even without 26 back there.

 

[jimjim47]

You lost your starting QB because your tackles were dogshiat at protecting the QB.

That is true, just hope for your sake McSorley stays healthy. He is very good but if he goes down you will be looking at a 7 to 8 win season next year just like Michigan this year.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Not if Stevens stays.

 

[tboyer]

You are. Don't worry.

He's not going to be Barkley and no one will expect him to be. But if the OL continues to improve, Sanders could easily have more yards from scrimmage than Barkley had this year.

Miles still looks green at times -- like he did on the botched pitch -- but you have to consider the limited game reps.

I think he will still look a little green in September but he's got all the talent he needs and from everything I've read Miles is a hard worker. Best guess is by midseason Sanders will be settled in as a sold Big Ten back, and by late in the season he could be making all-Big-Ten noise.

Franklin's been talking about how important the new running backs coach will be -- it's a really critical hire.

 

[WDLion]

Offense
QB same or better
TE worse
OL better
RB worse
Receivers same or worse

Defense
DL better
LB same or worse
DB worse

Special teams
Punting worse
Place kicking better
Kickoffs same

Overall I’m ok with this. Most games are won or lost at the line of scrimmage. Maybe we step back a bit after losing Saquon, Hamilton, and Gesecki, but an improved offensive and defensive line goes a long way, and our DBs, with Reid back and some of the young players could still be very good. Johnson is looking like the next great receiver and we have some depth there. The kicking game is an unknown at this point but we need to find a reliable place kicker and punter too, although our record in the red zone has been very good. Can Sanders be the next great back? Can we fill in at LB with quality starters? Can we find a good pass catching tight end? The wildcard here might be Stevens and how we use him.

Overall the depth of quality players keeps increasing with successive recruiting classes, but we really do lose some fantastic skill people after this season. It’s like the circle of life in college football, and makes it a fun sport to watch. What say you, Football brainiacs?

I don't have a clue.

 

[WDLion]

That is true, just hope for your sake McSorley stays healthy. He is very good but if he goes down you will be looking at a 7 to 8 win season next year just like Michigan this year.

You have no way of knowing that. Just because UM was worse doesn't mean every team will be worse.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

He's not going to be Barkley and no one will expect him to be. But if the OL continues to improve, Sanders could easily have more yards from scrimmage than Barkley had this year.

Miles still looks green at times -- like he did on the botched pitch -- but you have to consider the limited game reps.

I think he will still look a little green in September but he's got all the talent he needs and from everything I've read Miles is a hard worker. Best guess is by midseason Sanders will be settled in as a sold Big Ten back, and by late in the season he could be making all-Big-Ten noise.

Franklin's been talking about how important the new running backs coach will be -- it's a really critical hire.

He'll be finally getting reps as a true #1. He has a good burst and will be on the map next year.

 

[olelion]

Mcsorley plus improved OL = damn good, probably at least as good as this year, despite personnel losses

Defense will be fine. Who is going to light up the secondary as they learn and gain experience?

And I'm one of those who predicted 6-6 in 2016 after the Minny win. The program is back and will be a perennial force nationally as well as in the B1G

 

[AWS1022]

That is true, just hope for your sake McSorley stays healthy. He is very good but if he goes down you will be looking at a 7 to 8 win season next year just like Michigan this year.

Michigan didn't have a good backup...Penn State does.