Former Penn State Forward Tyler Paquette Signs With ECHL's Wheeling Nailers
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Drew Allar's growth from 3-star recruit to Penn State's leader
From Underdog to Top Dog James Franklin didn't hesitate when asked about Drew Allar at Big Ten Media Days. He's proud of him. Not just for what he does on the field, but for how far he's come since high school. 'Drew has made tremendous growth every single year,' Franklin said. 'All the way back to recruiting.' He reminded everyone that Allar wasn't always seen as a surefire star. 'When we first started recruiting, [he] was a three-star recruit, kind of a throwback recruit,' Franklin said. 'Kept getting better, kept moving up the charts.' Some recruiting services had Drew Allar as the top-rated quarterback in the nation. That alone shows the type of work Allar put in before even stepping on campus. Franklin also pointed out how Allar had to sit and learn his freshman year as a backup behind an NFL quarterback. He didn't complain. He got better. 'He's now 6'5", 235 pounds, can make every throw on the field,' Franklin said. 'He's shown that he can hurt people with his feet and has really, really made tremendous strides as a leader.' That leadership is a huge part of why Franklin is so high on him heading into the 2025 season. 'He's willing to have tough conversations with his teammates,' he said. 'He's holding himself to a high standard.' Allar already had first-round NFL Draft buzz last season, but chose to return to Penn State for one more year. That decision says everything. 'Unfinished business collectively as a team but also as an individual,' Franklin said. For Franklin, Allar represents what Penn State is all about—doing things the right way and playing for the team, not just yourself. 'He's really what it's all about,' Franklin said. 'It's team, team, team. It's community. It's Penn State.' Now, heading into his third straight year as the starting quarterback, Allar is on track to graduate this fall. He already has more than 800 completions, 50-plus touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions—stats that put him in rare company since 1956. The stage is set for Allar to not only lead but also to take the final leap. Franklin and the rest of Penn State believe he's ready. And honestly, after everything Allar's shown on and off the field, it's hard not to believe it too.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
The most talented Penn State roster yet? James Franklin thinks so
Veteran Leadership and Young Talent If you ask James Franklin, this 2025 Penn State team isn't just another squad. It might be the best he's ever had from top to bottom. 'This is the best combined personnel that I think we've had at Penn State,' Franklin said at Big Ten Media Days. 'And when I talk about personnel, I'm talking about players and staff, from a depth, from a talent standpoint, and from an experience standpoint.' That's saying a lot considering this is Franklin's 12th season running the program. He credited the roster's strength to a mix of homegrown development, smart recruiting, and the right transfer additions. It starts with his leaders—guys like Drew Allar, Nick Dawkins, and Zakee Wheatley. All three were at media day and represent the kind of veteran core that sets the tone for everything. Dawkins, for example, is a six-year senior with two degrees already and going for a third. Wheatley has been a turnover machine in the secondary, with nine takeaways so far. Allar is heading into year three as the starting quarterback with some of the cleanest stats in college football. But it's not just about experience. Franklin made it clear the talent pipeline is flowing stronger than ever. 'When it comes to player development, we expect to have anywhere between 10 and 12 guys drafted this year,' he said. 'We've averaged over five draft picks per year in my 12 years at Penn State. That's a stat we're very, very proud of.' He even took it back to 2016, the year Penn State won the Big Ten Championship. That season only produced one 2017 NFL Draft pick—Chris Godwin. Now? The expectations are higher, and so is the output. Another sign of how loaded this team is? Franklin brought in eight guys from the transfer portal, but he stressed they're not a program that relies heavily on it. 'We're not a big portal team,' he said. 'We'll go out and make some moves and make some adjustments to fill maybe a gap.' That strategy is paying off. Instead of overhauling the roster, Penn State used the portal to plug specific needs—just like programs used to with junior colleges. When asked if having all this talent adds pressure to win it all this year, Franklin welcomed the question. 'These are always the expectations at Penn State,' he said. 'There's a lot of people excited on a national level… but that hasn't changed internally in our program.' At the end of the day, Franklin knows preseason hype means nothing unless you back it up. 'The only rankings that matter are the ones that happen at the end of the season,' he said. So now it's about handling business. And if Franklin's confidence is any indicator, business might just be booming in Happy Valley this fall.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sean Payton: Dre Greenlaw plays like Mike Tyson
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw made the most of the first day in pads at Broncos training camp. Greenlaw filled gaps and delivered hits throughout team drills in Denver and head coach Sean Payton said you didn't even have to be watching to know that Greenlaw was the one landing blows. Payton said "you can hear it" when Greenlaw makes a hit and then went on to compare his style to another knockout artist from a different sport. "He plays like Mike Tyson," Payton said, via the team's website. "He's tough, he's physical. He's built that way. There's not a lot of leaky yardage. Some guys [allow that]. He's a knock-back tackler. They stop where he hits them. There's an intensity to how he plays. He's one of those players that if you put the film on and didn't say anything, at some point early, you'd ask, 'Who is this guy?'" Greenlaw was limited to two games for the 49ers last year because of injuries and a quad injury interrupted his first offseason in Denver, so one key for the Broncos will be making sure Greenlaw's healthy enough to deploy that physicality on a regular basis. If he is, facing an already tough Broncos defense will be even less enjoyable for opposing offenses in 2025.
