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Portal Season Thread

That’s why Diaz and Smith got Washington and Tracy so much PT this season,i.e. for true freshman.

But it seems the staff will go after the best portal CB they can find.

Big class coming in with a good many DT’s but a big DT would be great. But hard to find so depending on the attrition and development of the couple young DT’s at the position the staff may stand pat.

With the big class coming I’m only expecting 6 or 7 incoming portal players. But who knows….
Maybe this year if we sign a top db xfer he'll stick around past Spring Practice? : )
 
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Maybe this year if we sign a top db xfer he'll stick around past Spring Practice? : )
I didn’t see what happened as a negative. A very good CB couldn’t beat out any of the top 3 returning CB’s to earn a starting job. If that happens again it would mean that the young returning CB’s are ready to play well next year. But that’s a good bit less likely unless King returns for 2024.
 
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I didn’t see what happened as a negative. Na very good CB ca
Me in but he couldn’t beat out any of the top 3 returning CB’s to earn a starting job. If that happens again it would mean that the young returning CB’s are ready to play well next year. But that’s a good bit less likely unless King returns for 2024.
I agree with the end product rationale- but if you look at the teams we aspire to be all of them talk about how practice is often tougher than games and how they sharpen their steel through competition.

On the one hand supposedly our top NIL receiver couldn't get comfortable with the playbook and/or his role until the Maryland game since he missed Spring Practice. If we bring someone in again, hopefully we are darn sure they intend to work hard and compete throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall to see the field wearing blue and white- rather than ditch out for a guaranteed start somewhere else.

Throwing some extra coin to have 4 King stick around is likely a much better investment than looking outside. We'll see. It is like a YMCA pick up hoops game anymore...
 
I agree with the end product rationale- but if you look at the teams we aspire to be all of them talk about how practice is often tougher than games and how they sharpen their steel through competition.

On the one hand supposedly our top NIL receiver couldn't get comfortable with the playbook and/or his role until the Maryland game since he missed Spring Practice. If we bring someone in again, hopefully we are darn sure they intend to work hard and compete throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall to see the field wearing blue and white- rather than ditch out for a guaranteed start somewhere else.

Throwing some extra coin to have 4 King stick around is likely a much better investment than looking outside. We'll see. It is like a YMCA pick up hoops game anymore...
Cephas didn’t arrive until the late summer. It might have been different if he could have enrolled in January and gone through Spring practice. I’m more disappointed with McClain who did enroll early.
 
I didn’t see what happened as a negative. A very good CB couldn’t beat out any of the top 3 returning CB’s to earn a starting job. If that happens again it would mean that the young returning CB’s are ready to play well next year. But that’s a good bit less likely unless King returns for 2024.
If Im King Im returning. Stock has fallen hard.
 
The latest CBS sports 2024 NFL mock draft has Kalen King being selected #23 in the 1st round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

FYI: Olu projected to go #7 and Chop is at #12

CBS Sports
His combine stats will not be very flashy. He's 5'11. His 40 time and vertical are avg./below average. He's the type of guy who needs to prove it on the field that these won't limit him. You're going to disagree with me but if you look at my posts over time you'll see that I know what I'm talking about.
 
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The latest CBS sports 2024 NFL mock draft has Kalen King being selected #23 in the 1st round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

FYI: Olu projected to go #7 and Chop is at #12

CBS Sports
I don't think King had a great year but he has talent and will be a 1st or 2nd round pick. Similar to JPJ last year. Even if he's a third round guy he should enter the draft.
 
Talk is cheap if I’m looking for a new team to join as a WR.
How many deep completions did Allar have this season?
How many deep shots did he even take?
Did the PSU receivers improve during the season?
Did the offense feature the WRs?
Who is going to be the OC? And what will his offense look like?
Penn State is currently not an ideal landing spot for a WR looking for a better place to play.
We are one year removed from having a receiver drafted in the first round. The problem this year was lack of talent at the WR position. We have a returning QB with great skills and the best returning running backs in College for next year. We just won 10 games and lost 2. We are a couple of players away from being in the CFP next year. A good WR transfer does not need to do much to become the #1 receiver on the team. Not a hard sell at all if NIL money is equal.
 
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I don't think King had a great year but he has talent and will be a 1st or 2nd round pick. Similar to JPJ last year. Even if he's a third round guy he should enter the draft.
Yeah he's probably going to be ok either way but the one thing that people don't typically account for is how players perform their first year in the nfl.

Players who struggle in their first year in the NFL because they needed that extra year in college to grow/improve that they never got. That 1 extra year in college could mean the difference in them succeeding in the NFL or not. I think King still needs to work on a few things. But he's not an obvious decision one way or another.
 
Chris Tyree from ND in transfer portal WR let’s get after him
Former RB turned slot receiver. Excellent speed and maneuverability. A bit short in stature but strong. I believe he is originally from Virginia and was recruited by PSU out if HS. Possibility because of prior relationship with staff?
 
Tyree would be an improvement to the WR room, but he is purely a slot guy.

Did finish as NDs leading WR this year. Wonder why he's leaving?
 
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Things are going to start heating up this week and next - who’s coming, who’s going?

Sounds like Texas A&M WR Cottrell is being pursued by PSU, but he’ll be a hot commodity. I’d imagine we look to bring in 2-3 WRs this off-season.

Do we look at DL? An extra CB with the turnover we’ll have?

Sounds like Singleton is going to flirt with the portal. Not sure what his stock looks like after this year, but was he misused?

I could see literally every one of our WRs considering the portal, to be honest.

Every year there is attrition in the DB room, but I’m not sure whom this year.

If Manny leaves, could see a significant exodus on defense.
I thought Singleton just made it clear he was coming back? What have I missed?
 
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JPJ had measurables completely different than King.
He doesn't have the length JPJ has but JPJ was also heavily criticized for being too "handsy" in coverage, not being good against the run and not being able to catch the ball. The first two have translated at times but overall he's been great. King doesn't have his size and I've been critical of him at times this year but he's almost 6'0"/190 he has really good speed (we'll see how he tests) and good instincts. I'm not saying he's a first round lock but he probably goes top 45 or so and could go much earlier. Regardless, he should enter the draft. If the falls, he falls. That's not the worst thing.
 
He did, it that’s not nearly as much fun as throwing crap at all things Penn State. Next he will be saying Allar is flirting with the portal.

He did, it that’s not nearly as much fun as throwing crap at all things Penn State. Next he will be saying Allar is flirting with the portal.
We already have the forum clown in this thread talking about Allar. It is unbelievable.
 
We already have the forum clown in this thread talking about Allar. It is unbelievable.
Since this was clearly directed at me I said...

"I'm also fine with Allar leaving (hopefully not for another Big Ten team) unless we're willing to build an offense around him"

I don't want him to leave but I also don't want to continue to try to force him to run an offense not suited to his strengths. That's not best for him or us. I want to hire an OC that will adapt his scheme to Allar's strength. The delayed handoffs, RPO with no threat of keeping it, designed runs--must stop
 
Cephas didn’t arrive until the late summer. It might have been different if he could have enrolled in January and gone through Spring practice. I’m more disappointed with McClain who did enroll early.
We agree- what I guess I'm coming to the realization of is that it isn't just the talent- but also the availability to transfer for Spring Practice along with having the nads to really want to compete (vs picking a situation where there is some sort of "guarantee.")

These kids are not just "plug and play" chess pieces. For the $ Cephus simply wasn;t a good buy. His impact this year was minimal and any $ that was paid out to him he underdelivered on. Keeping Parker Washington at twice the cost of Cephus would've been a difference maker for this team....but so be it.
 
The chance to be the #1 receiver on a team that won 10+ games in back to back seasons…yeah, that would be a tough one to sell.
‘Cuz that worked so well last year at this time.
I must have forgot top notch receivers were breaking down the door, but PSU turned them away because the guys already here were so darn good.
“Winning” isn’t going to be in the top three priorities for any WR looking to portal anywhere.
 
‘Cuz that worked so well last year at this time.
I must have forgot top notch receivers were breaking down the door, but PSU turned them away because the guys already here were so darn good.
“Winning” isn’t going to be in the top three priorities for any WR looking to portal anywhere.
Last year we only had one 10+ season in a row, not two…and we thought we had a #1 receiver coming back. It’s a different scenario this year.
 
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