Penn State Tuesday thoughts: Will the Lions target another Group of Five transfer portal possibility?
The offseason is officially here in the football world across the U.S. But, things are hardly completely quiet on the Penn State football front.
This week’s Tuesday thoughts on the Nittany Lions cover an intriguing addition to the transfer portal, the blue and white connection to the Super Bowl, and more.
It’s time to dive in.
1. Nick Scott, Grant Haley, continue the Penn State Super Bowl tradition
If asked nine Februaries ago to name two members of the Penn State Class of 2014 who would stand on the NFL’s biggest stage at the end of the 2021 season, who would you have picked?
Be honest. Chris Godwin, Mike Gesicki, or Saeed Blacknall probably would be the three players on the list to whittle to two.
Instead, the answer was Nick Scott and Grant Haley, of course.
Scott was the Los Angeles’ Rams iron man in the team’s postseason run to the Super Bowl. He had two tackles in the NFC side’s 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals back on Sunday.
Haley played plenty for the Rams during the 2021 season, as well.
Both players had plenty of big moments as Nittany Lions. Haley returned the Marcus Allen blocked kick to lead Penn State over Ohio State in 2016. Scott did a little bit of everything in blue and white, which became a major positive as he began his time in the pros.
It’s hard to pick a better pair to represent Penn State on the sport’s biggest stage. They are not just tremendous players, but also people. Congrats to both former Lions as they savor the Super Bowl rings that are coming their way.
Will Lions games end up on different channels in the future?
Every game day, we have a post at BWI that lists, among other things, what channel Penn State is playing on.
There are usually just a few options. The Lions will generally end up on one of the Disney channels, Big Ten Network, FOX, or FS1.
That could be changing in the future, however.
John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reported Monday that the Big Ten is getting ready to negotiate its next television deal with ESPN. The stalwart of the media reporting industry says that it’s unlikely that the network will receive any kind of exclusivity moving forward. That could bring other networks into play, of course, which could impact where you find future Penn State games in the TV guide.
“CBS and NBC also will be aggressive in trying to get Big Ten rights,” Ourand writes.
“By aggressive, I mean that it looks like they will come to the conference with lots of cash. CBS wants high-quality college football games to replace the SEC, which is leaving CBS after the 2023 season, and NBC is salivating over the prospects of fall Saturday doubleheaders with Notre Dame games leading into Big Ten ones.”
ESPN will still retain parts of the Big Ten schedule, of course. But, as expected, others are eager to get in on the action, as well.
Will Penn State extend a new transfer portal offer soon?
On3 senior national college football reporter Matt Zenitz shared on Monday that a new offensive tackle has entered the transfer portal.
Cole Spencer, who started at left tackle for Western Kentucky, is looking for a new home to play his next college football season at. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Louisville, Ky., native was an All-USA Conference pick following the 2021 season. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein already followed Spencer on social media. The Lions already have one former Hilltopper on the roster. Receiver Mitchell Tinsely joined the Lions’ roster back in January.
Spencer, who was a three-year starter at WKU, is certain to have plenty of options to pick from. Penn State could end up being one of them, but time will tell.
The Lions already added Cornell interior offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad via the portal. It’s also chasing Vanderbilt tackle Tyler Steen plus transferring North Texas defenders Gabriel and Grayson Murphy.
We’ll see if Spencer is next.
