I know its hard for alot of you to deal with Penn State being "mediocre" myself included, but let's be rational. Joepa got "old" practically overnight (2000-forward) and lost the "fire in his belly". More than anywhere else recruiting suffered, It was just recently pointed out that since 2000 Penn State has never had back to back to back Top 20 recruiting finishes. How could that be? I follow recruiting pretty closely and was very surprised to learn this? Given that half of Joepa's Staff didnt recruit, and the fact that Joe conceded large regions to others (Ohio, the Carolinas, Florida) this is not surprising. Recruiting is very hard work so a 70 to 80 year old Paterno could not possibly keep up. Joe could no longer make in-home visits. Penn State was competing with one arm tied behind its back, that's why I would get annoyed with people who said, "Joe earned the right to leave on his own terms". Really? How did that work out for Penn State? If Joe had retired years before, the "Scandal" would never have become the "Scandal". The story wouldn't have been sexy without Joe's name attached.
Couple the Scandal, with NCAA Sanctions, mass player defections, multiple Head Coaches, etc and you wonder how Penn State has even maintained a winning record? I ask how many schools could deal with this much bullshit and still win? Just speaks to Penn State's "historical" reputation. As I said earlier, recruiting is hard and James Franklin has already had 3 consecutive Top 20 classes in his first 3 years. The roster will soon be fully stocked with elite talent.
Penn State is Top 10 all-time wins (No. 8), Top 4 since 1950 (modern era), Top 5 producing NFL players, Top 5 Super Bowl players, and on and on. I suspect we are in the top tier with All-Americans and Hall of Famers (NFL and College), too, I havent done the research. How many schools have cool nicknames (Linebacker U)? When you say "Happy Valley" everyone knows where you are referring to. When the average college football fan sees our uniforms they instantly recognize them as "Penn State". 107 k strong, tremendous recruiting area, great academic reputation, high graduation rates, alot of schools would kill to have these advantages. Penn State has alot going for it. Point of the thread is that Penn State will not be down long, its just a matter of time.
Couple the Scandal, with NCAA Sanctions, mass player defections, multiple Head Coaches, etc and you wonder how Penn State has even maintained a winning record? I ask how many schools could deal with this much bullshit and still win? Just speaks to Penn State's "historical" reputation. As I said earlier, recruiting is hard and James Franklin has already had 3 consecutive Top 20 classes in his first 3 years. The roster will soon be fully stocked with elite talent.
Penn State is Top 10 all-time wins (No. 8), Top 4 since 1950 (modern era), Top 5 producing NFL players, Top 5 Super Bowl players, and on and on. I suspect we are in the top tier with All-Americans and Hall of Famers (NFL and College), too, I havent done the research. How many schools have cool nicknames (Linebacker U)? When you say "Happy Valley" everyone knows where you are referring to. When the average college football fan sees our uniforms they instantly recognize them as "Penn State". 107 k strong, tremendous recruiting area, great academic reputation, high graduation rates, alot of schools would kill to have these advantages. Penn State has alot going for it. Point of the thread is that Penn State will not be down long, its just a matter of time.
