Chesney at UCLA
- Thread starter PSUForever
- Start date
Not quite the numbers I found. According to Sports Illustrated Penn State lost 47 to the portal. Other sources stated 46. There were 30 football players who participated in senior day (Daily Collegian and Penn Live). Almost the entire 20+ recruiting class was lost and CMC was able to sign 15 (various sources). CMC was able to get 39 through the portal, almost all 3* players. And 8 of those players were part of the signing class, so that’s really only 31 net if you count a signing class of 15. Multiple departing players were 4* and therefore both quality and quantity of players suffered.
Last edited:
The NIL information seems to indicate we spend approximately 29-32 million on NIL. That is behind Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, USC, and Nebraska alone in this conference and Wisconsin is our equal. And the gap is another 20 million and that's only in our conference.
That's not Pirates level but I don't see us competing for titles if we are a middling program in terms of resources.
Last edited:
I had a different source, what i was implying is UCLA on paper seems to have an advantage over us.
Watching games up to now the portal players we lost are better contributors to their respective teams
than the ones we took in.
I wasn’t arguing with you. Actually, I was agreeing with you. UCLA had an advantage over Penn State. Plus I would argue that California is a more fertile recruiting ground compared to Pennsylvania unlike 30-40 years ago.
Which isn't accurate but this year isn't relevant. We weren't going to spend money just to spend it
The Athletic even stated those numbers are based on "sources".
We spent as much as anyone in 2025 which is why Franklin is gone
Would Chesney have taken the PSU job if offered last year? Yes.
Would he take it now? I doubt it. Why would he want it - UCLA’s AD/etc seem to be providing much more alignment than PSU’s, he moved his older parents out to LA, etc.
Would he take it now? I doubt it. Why would he want it - UCLA’s AD/etc seem to be providing much more alignment than PSU’s, he moved his older parents out to LA, etc.
Lots of candidates probably lost interest after talking to Pat Kraft.
I hope you're correct but I don't think you are. Start with 85 players I assume 105 includes kids that have virtually no chance to make an impact. Let's say 25 leave every year due to graduation. That still leaves a base of 60 players who you hope will be able to grow and contribute. If 20 don't live up to expectations you still have a base of 40. You might be able to supplement that with 10 good portal players. If you need a QB spend $3 million and get a good one. If you need 3 linemen spend $2 million and get them. Add a top WR for another $million.
The problem is PSU doesn't have a base of 40 potential star players. I'm not sure if we have more than a dozen which means we would need to add 38 in the portal. I just don't see that happening. Look at the portal players in recent years. AJ Harris was highly rated when we got him. In 2025 WR Kyron Hudson, WR Devonte Ross, and DE Enai White were the big portal additions. Amare Campbell was a nice pickup at LB last year. So I agree we can certainly add some good talent but adding the 30+ we need to field a sustainable playoff contender seems like a pipe dream. Most star players stick with their current team because they've grown fond of their coaches and teammates. If we want an OSU starter we have to pay MORE than OSU pays and that seems unlikely. We got Peoples this year because he has a better chance to start at PSU.
How many .500 teams from last year are going to make the playoffs this year will mostly new players from the portal?
.500??? You think this team is going 6-6??? Where are we getting 3 wins? scUM is not a good team (they look very mediocre), but we're plain rot-gut bad..... no way we're winning a road game with this pathetic defense and a just plain awful redzone offense even if we get to the redzone. You don't win road games kicking FGs.
Where precisely are the 3 sure wins on the rest of our schedule? The way we play defense and offensively in the redzone, we can (and do) lose to anybody - and I mean anybody. The fact that this roster is being paid +$30 million and is quite possibly the worst team in the Conference, is just criminal malpractice by Krafty The Clown.
The guy isn't here. Obsessing about it isn't going to make any difference.
Even more impressive for Chesney considering how many JMU guys Cignetti took a couple years prior.
Since I made this post Chesney has won two games moving UCLA into the top 10 and we have lost 3 straight moving into the bottom of the B10.
What I don't understand is how Chesney comes from JMU and seemingly has a good O-Line with a strong run game. He could not have inherited many good O- lineman at UCLA. Meanwhile Campbell inherited some pretty good talent at O-Line (Donkoh, Goodman, Cousins) yet we are average at best and worse than UCLA with our O-line play.
UCLA goes out and beats Wisconsin with a 2nd string QB who Chesney never even met before the start of the season. Meanwhile Campbell has worked with Becht since the dawn of time and Becht is horrible including losing to Wisconsin with a pathetic performance and then single handedly losing the MeatCHEATAgain game.
Something ain't right here, folks.
I am willing to give Campbell time (3 years) but he needs to dramatically turn this around. All those who say he was dealt a bad hand and Kraft is the one to blame for this clown show. I don't disagree. However, I also think Campbell is underperforming here. No other way to look at it. Becht is a train wreck. Why?? That is all on Becht? Play calling is not so hot. Red zone offense horrific. Defensive adjustments non existent. Running game = high school JV team. Tackling is a joke. No toughness or physicality outside of a couple guys on D. And do we even have a defensive line?
I am not saying we should be undefeated but this is ridiculous how horrific the on field product is. Campbell must share in the accountability for this dumpster fire and he has 2 and a half years to turn this around. I liked the Campbell hire a lot. Now, my confidence in him has seriously eroded.
What I don't understand is how Chesney comes from JMU and seemingly has a good O-Line with a strong run game. He could not have inherited many good O- lineman at UCLA. Meanwhile Campbell inherited some pretty good talent at O-Line (Donkoh, Goodman, Cousins) yet we are average at best and worse than UCLA with our O-line play.
UCLA goes out and beats Wisconsin with a 2nd string QB who Chesney never even met before the start of the season. Meanwhile Campbell has worked with Becht since the dawn of time and Becht is horrible including losing to Wisconsin with a pathetic performance and then single handedly losing the MeatCHEATAgain game.
Something ain't right here, folks.
I am willing to give Campbell time (3 years) but he needs to dramatically turn this around. All those who say he was dealt a bad hand and Kraft is the one to blame for this clown show. I don't disagree. However, I also think Campbell is underperforming here. No other way to look at it. Becht is a train wreck. Why?? That is all on Becht? Play calling is not so hot. Red zone offense horrific. Defensive adjustments non existent. Running game = high school JV team. Tackling is a joke. No toughness or physicality outside of a couple guys on D. And do we even have a defensive line?
I am not saying we should be undefeated but this is ridiculous how horrific the on field product is. Campbell must share in the accountability for this dumpster fire and he has 2 and a half years to turn this around. I liked the Campbell hire a lot. Now, my confidence in him has seriously eroded.
I wouldn't "disagree" with anything you said - and, for sure, the way to build and maintain a team/program is definitely by bringing in solid groups of freshman year by year.
But, unlike prior eras - where that was the route you HAD TO take - it is now all turned on its head.
Several programs (not just Cignetti at IU) have seen coaches come in, take over a program with just about ZERO quality "incumbents", and put quality teams on the field in year ONE, let alone 2 or 3.
You CAN do that now, if you have to (and a lot of programs have to - including PSU circa 2026). You can go into the portal in say 2027 - and essentailly recruit brand new class of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes - by grabbing existing college players from the portal. That is, of course, a completely new phenomenon
If you have a staff that is going to make it happen eventually, they should be expected to show substantive improvement (nearly) immediately. If not, that is a very bad sign.
That wasn't the case pre-100% annual free agency. For example, when BGJ took over PSU in 2014 - and it HAD TO be built over a few years at least (and, lets be honest, he got things up to a high level quicker than any informed and reasonable person could have dreamed - - - his issues arose later
)If the bulk of the 2027 two-deep is composed of guys currently on the roster (and the 2027 high school recruiting class), 2027 will be very very not good (could be worse than this year).
Back in the day, that is the group you would HAVE TO put out there. There were no other options.
But now there is no reason it has to be.
Last edited:
I have zero confidence that Campbell and his entrenched staff of yahoo assistants have the capability of luring any decent players even with NIL $.I wouldn't "disagree" with anything you said - and, for sure, the way to build and maintain a team/program is definitely by bringing in solid groups of freshman year by year.
But, unlike prior eras - where that was the route you HAD TO take - it is now all turned on its head.
Several programs (not just Cignetti at IU) have seen coaches come in, take over a program with just about ZERO quality "incumbents", and put quality teams on the field in year ONE, let alone 2 or 3.
You CAN do that now, if you have to (and a lot of programs have to - including PSU circa 2026). You can go into the portal in say 2027 - and essentailly recruit brand new class of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes - by grabbing existing college players from the portal. That is, of course, a completely new phenomenon
If you have a staff that is going to make it happen eventually, they should be expected to show substantive improvement (nearly) immediately. If not, that is a very bad sign.
That wasn't the case pre-100% annual free agency. For example, when BGJ took over PSU in 2014 - and it HAD TO be built over a few years at least (and, lets be honest, he got things up to a high level quicker than any informed and reasonable person could have dreamed - - - his issues arose later
It's seems Pat Kraft hired the staff from Hootersville High.
The point is we have so many holes to fill that we won't be able to solve it all or pay for it all in the portal. We don't have much talent as in a couple guys in our first 22. So we can't just buy 30 top end portal guys. We can buy a few and that maybe gets us to 8-4 but we also don't know if Campbell is simply out of his league. Don't know but after this clown show start you have to bring that scenario into the equation as a potential outcome. Everyone assumes he will knock it out of the park as in 11-1 or 10-2 and perennial playoff contender with better talent. I'm not convinced.I wouldn't "disagree" with anything you said - and, for sure, the way to build and maintain a team/program is definitely by bringing in solid groups of freshman year by year.
But, unlike prior eras - where that was the route you HAD TO take - it is now all turned on its head.
Several programs (not just Cignetti at IU) have seen coaches come in, take over a program with just about ZERO quality "incumbents", and put quality teams on the field in year ONE, let alone 2 or 3.
You CAN do that now, if you have to (and a lot of programs have to - including PSU circa 2026). You can go into the portal in say 2027 - and essentailly recruit brand new class of 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes - by grabbing existing college players from the portal. That is, of course, a completely new phenomenon
If you have a staff that is going to make it happen eventually, they should be expected to show substantive improvement (nearly) immediately. If not, that is a very bad sign.
That wasn't the case pre-100% annual free agency. For example, when BGJ took over PSU in 2014 - and it HAD TO be built over a few years at least (and, lets be honest, he got things up to a high level quicker than any informed and reasonable person could have dreamed - - - his issues arose later
If the bulk of the 2027 two-deep is composed of guys currently on the roster (and the 2027 high school recruiting class), 2027 will be very very not good (could be worse than this year).
Back in the day, that is the group you would HAVE TO put out there. There were no other options.
But now there is no reason it has to be.
WRT 11-1, 10-2 every year?
If "people" really feel that way - yes, that is inane.
I don't - personally - know anyone that feels that way (but I generally don't hang with the "Championships!!!" crowd).
If the second part? - The make the "playoffs" nearly all the time? Yes, he/PSU absolutely should - if it goes to 24. That should be near as easy as falling off a log for PSU, damn near all the time - lest it be a real crapper show.
Things are looking up! 24 team field. LOL, even PSU has hope. I think that constitutes about 1/3 of the P4 schools. I can see the BWICAC propaganda now. Campbell turns PSU around in 1 year and sends PSU to the playoffs! LOL
There was a time in the not so distant past, that losing to Ohio State and Michigan was the end of the world. In about 2 seasons, PSU has been surpassed by Oregon, Indiana, UCLA and USC.
Are we better now and next year than Iowa, Nebraska. Northwestern and Minnesota?
I’d like to see proof of this claim. Links and/or quoted posts would be adequate.
Not sure about that; money will always talk, and there are only so many B1G jobs. That said, agree - Kraft f*cked the process. Maybe we still end up with Campbell, and who knows what Chesney would have done, but the right move would have been to move on to Chesney (or, make an offer to both Sitake and Chesney and tell them first to sign gets it) as soon as Sitake started wavering (instead he got embarrassed on a national stage and was seemingly close to hiring Daboll before Campbell appeared). I didn't think this year would be a true rebuild/foundational reset year given the schedule and the (now massively overrated by the pundits) transfers from ISU, but it is, and Campbell isn't going anywhere. Embrace the suck and give him four years to fix it; nothing else is going to happen before then anyway.
Latest
-
01
BWI
Penn State’s Ground Game Finds a Spark With Counter, but Michigan Exposes the Same Flaws
-
02
BWI Football
What time, TV channel will Penn State-Purdue be on in Week 9? Here's what we know
-
03
BWI Football
The 2026 BWI Penn State bye week fan survey: Give us your thoughts on who's impressed, the biggest disappointment, changes needed, and more
-
04
BWI Recruiting
Penn State involved with nearly 40 prospects in updated 2029 Rivals150
-
05
On3 Football
True Freshman Standouts from Week 7 of College Football