Is Penn State finally getting bigger in the trenches: BWI Live
With spring football just around the corner, the BWI Daily Edition is gearing up by checking out the updated roster released after winter conditioning. Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel will discuss the group’s most interesting weight gains and losses and single out any players that grabbed their attention.
They’ll also discuss the recent NFL Combine and which players had a good day or a bad day, depending on their performance in testing metrics. Lastly, Pickel will recap the Big Ten wrestling championships and Penn State’s dominant run to another conference title. He’ll also preview how the weekend set the team up for the NCAA tournament.
As always, you get a final say on what T-Frank and Pickel talk about! Join the show at 7 pm to discuss what’s on your mind by joining the live chat. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube and enable notifications, so you don’t miss any live shows or breaking news.
Penn State roster Update
One of the larger swings on the Penn State roster came at the offensive line, where several players made big jumps in overall weight. Overall the offensive line gained 255 pounds or just over 12 pounds per player. So Does that mean the team is intentionally getting bigger, like head coach James Franklin wondered out loud after the team’s loss to Michigan? Or is it a normal course of growth for this time of year? T-Frank and Pickel will discuss that idea on the show and give their thoughts on how the team progressed this offseason.
Another position group that T-Frank wants to discuss is linebacker. Several Penn State stars made big jumps at that position too. What does Abdul Carter’s weight gain mean for his position? The same can be said about Curtis Jacobs, who packed on some pounds during winter conditioning.
Combine testing results in poor overall showing
Next, T-Frank will give his thoughts about the standout Penn State performers from the 2023 NFL Combine. He’ll argue why Brenton Strange and Juice Scruggs stood out at crowded positions while Ji’Ayir Brown failed to reach several benchmarks.
Wrestling takes home the championship
The Penn State wrestling team’s dominance continues this year, with a regular season title and now a Big Ten Tournament title. What’s more, the group sent nine contestants to the NCAA championships with their efforts this past weekend. As Pickel previously reported, the team also crowned four champions.
Super senior Roman Bravo-Young and senior Aaron Brooks are now three-time Big Ten champs. ‘RBY’ beat Minnesota’s Aaron Nagao in the 133-pound finals to cap off a perfect tournament. At 184 pounds, Brooks crushed Kaleb Romero of Ohio State 11-2 in the finals. Junior Carter Starocci is a two-time Big Ten champ at 174 pounds. He beat Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola 6-2 in the finals after a 2-0 effort led him there. Finally, freshman phenom Levi Haines won his first conference crown by beating top-seeded Peyton Robb 3-1 in a thrilling sudden victory outcome.
