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Topic: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview

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Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #28 on: July 23, 2025, 03:09:53 PM »
OK, I'm back:

Defensive line:  PSU has two NFL picks on the on the DL  On the edge, Dani Dennis-Sutton is projected by some to be a top 10 pick in the NFL draft.  At tackle, Zane Durant was named by PFF as one of the nation's elite defensive tackles.  At this moment, he's probably a middle round NFL draft pick.  

After those two guys, things get a bit dicey.  Penn State in the making at defensive end in Max Granville.  Unfortunately, he was injured in practice and will miss the entire season.  After him are two average to above average guys in Zuriah Fisher (RSR+) and Enai White, a Jr from Texas A&M.  For DT, Penn State has an average to above average player in Alonzo Ford (RSr+), and then a bunch of unproven guys.  To make things worse, Ford missed almost all of last year with an injury.

Grade:  B-

Secondary:  Should again be one of the best units in the B1G, led by AJ Harris, a projected first round pick.  They are supported by a very deep and talented cast.  

Grade:  A-


Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #29 on: July 23, 2025, 03:20:08 PM »
Overall Defensive Grade:  B-  (Talent at every position, but not elite)
Overall Offensive Grade:  A+  (Best backfield in the conference, perhaps the best QB, OL, and TE rooms as well.  WR room has been massively upgraded)

Intangibles:  Perhaps the best offensive AND defensive coordinators in CFB.  Special teams also return all major players.

Questions:  

Will the questions around Drew Allar be resolved now that he has actual receivers to throw to?

Will the PSU offense be good enough to keep them in games if the defense struggles?  This is the opposite of your typical PSU team.

Will the new receivers have time to gel with Allar and prevent teams from selling out against the run?

Will PSU be able to pressure the QB without Abdul Carter?

Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #30 on: July 29, 2025, 08:15:15 PM »
Back in 2001 or 2002 @Big Beef Tacosupreme had a PSU thread at the old CFN site.

It turned into a thread to post jokes in, which is way better than this shit.
Dear god, was it that long ago?

Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #31 on: July 29, 2025, 08:17:15 PM »
Some "expert" picked PSU to play Texas in the NC game.  That seems possible of course.  It's also possible some team ranked about 12 preseason ends up playing.
Was it chat GPT?  Because I asked chat GPT and that's what it said, too.  :57:

Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #32 on: July 29, 2025, 08:21:10 PM »
At times he seemed slow to read and release,maybe guys weren't getting open,maybe he had happy feet,locks on or was hesitant. Perhaps it comes together this year if the wide outs can hold up their end,he has the tools.

One thing is for sure, he doesn't lock in on a single receiver.  If anything, he checks down too quick.  

I have my suspicions that this issue in particular may have something to do with the poor WR play last season. 

He is not a very good passer when he's on the move, either.  

betarhoalphadelta

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #33 on: July 29, 2025, 08:42:34 PM »
Was it chat GPT?  Because I asked chat GPT and that's what it said, too.  :57:
Artificial intelligence has nothing on natural stupidity...

MrNubbz

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #34 on: July 29, 2025, 11:37:33 PM »
Dear god, was it that long ago?
I know it was here in '03-'04 when i stumbled in and was as big as the next 4-5 biggest threads together
"Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports... all the others are games" - Ernest Hemingway

Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #35 on: August 08, 2025, 06:12:27 PM »
Since yinzers don't like lots of threads, perhaps you could each do one of these on your respective pages.

Unit by unit:  Better or worse than 2024?

QB - Drew Allar returns, but Beau Pribula transferred.  Allar should be better, the two young guys under him probably won't be as good as Beau was:  
SAME, maybe a bit worse

WR - Lost the top two receivers, but got a bunch of talented freshman and 3 of the best receivers in the portal:  
WAY BETTER

RB - Same tailbacks as last year, but PSU gets the third string guy back from injury.  Supposedly these guys have gotten a lot better under one of the best RB coaches in CFB:  
BETTER

TE - Although PSU loses the Mackey Award winner in Tyler Warren, this room is deep and very talented.  Khalil Dinkins made Feldman's Freak list. PSU also gets starter Andrew Rappleyea back from injury, and breakout freshman star Luke Reynolds will be back with another year of coaching under his belt.  In addition, PSU gets a 5 star and two 4 stars as incoming freshman.  Everyone things OSU will have the best TE room in the country, but PSU may be closer than you think:
WORSE - (But not as much as you might think)

OL - This will be Penn State's best OLine since 1994.  It is deep and talented.  The unit is so good that the Offensive coordinator is playing with 7 OL sets.  This unit is trying to win the Joe Moore award for the best OLine in country, and they may just do it.
BETTER

Defense Later

 

Big Beef Tacosupreme

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #36 on: Today at 06:27:05 PM »
DT:  Although Penn State returns Zane Durant (All B1G HM and projected middle rounder), it seems like they lost everybody else.  However, Alonzo Ford is back from injury and was pretty good before he was lost for the 2024 season.  While Ford and Durant should be one of the better pairs in the B1G, there is not much experienced depth behind them. rFR Xavier Gilliam is widely regarded as the third best player.

WORSE

DE:  Losing Abdul Carter is going to get the lions a lower grade, but it isn't like Penn State is awful here.  They have a potential first rounder in Dani Dennis-Sutton on one end, and Zuriah Fisher on the other.  Fisher was given the "one of those guys nobody’s talking about right now" quote by Franklin, and those only come out when a player is going to be very, very good.  The last person I can remember that got that praise was Tyler Warren.  Behind those two guys are a handful of players that will factor heavily into the rotation.  The projected breakout star, Max Granville, was injured and will miss 2025.

WORSE

LB:  Finally some good news.  Tony Rojas has been turning heads, including from the guys at BTN.  He made Feldman's freak list, and is fully healthy after off-season surgery.  I project he will be a breakout star this year.  Behind him are a bunch of very talented players that should play quite a bit.  

BETTER


SECONDARY:  In the words of the BTN guys, this unit is the strength of the defense.  I won't go into a lot of detail here, because this unit returns everyone except for Jaylen Reed (6th round).  Yes, I know KJ Winston was a third rounder, but he was injured for most of 2024 so for the purpose of this exercise it doesn't matter.

BETTER

MaximumSam

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Re: Penn State 2025 way too early pre-season preview
« Reply #37 on: Today at 06:30:15 PM »
I'm a Jim Knowles truther, but I am wondering how he does in his first year. He likes to have a lot of different stuff, so it is a bit of a difficult defense to install in one offseason. 

 

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