They (Still) Are.... Penn State!

By Michael Schneid

"One man didn’t build this program & one man sure as hell cannot tear it down."

The above quote was made by the Penn State players, most of whom have reaffirmed their commitments to the program despite these trying times. The above quote obviously implies "one man" but what it does not imply is that it is the NCAA, ESPN, and the media as a whole that is trying to take down Penn State.

Much has been made about the Penn State scandal and the aftermath and punishments. Among the consequences is a four-year bowl ban, scholarship reduction, and as a result players can transfer immediately without having to sit out for a year. That is the big news and rather unprecedented.

When you transfer you are forced to sit out a year but in this special case, because these current players are not responsible for the actions of the former PSU administration, they are eligible to begin play immediately. This led to "experts" and "analysts" assuming that the PSU roster was ripe for picking and everyone would immediately vacate (no pun intended) State College. Much to their surprise, that has not (yet) happened. This is not a surprise to me.

I am not a Penn State graduate or anything like that. I visited the campus one weekend and now have a better understanding of what football means to Penn State. And it really shouldn't surprise people that players are staying. We are talking about 18-21 year old kids who have all become close with one another, like a family. What kind of guy betrays their family?

The college football season begins in about a month. The guys on Penn State, due to experience and spring practice, know, for the most part, where they are on the depth chart and how they stand with new head coach Bill O'Brien. It would be a challenging move for certain guys to transfer at this point, unless their spot was guaranteed. And at that point, you might see resentment from guys in the locker room if a new player just walks in with earning his spot. O'Brien will likely put his best players in position to be as successful as they can and help them get to the NFL. O'Brien has an NFL background so he knows what coaches and scouts are looking for. Yes, wins and losses are important. Sure, bowl games are fun for the kids and fans. But at this point, the PSU players will focus on the NFL while displaying character - loyalty and respect. They will be playing for pride and honor and to restore the prestige of Penn State University, a University these players care about very much.

You can not just expect them to turn their back on the school that is giving them a free education, just because of a little rough patch. Sometimes in life, things get a little rough. You can run away and take the easy way out, or you can fight back and fight through the troubles. That is the task in front of the players that choose to play for Bill O'Brien.

Among PSU's top players are RB Silas Redd, LB Gerald Hodges, LB Michael Mauti, DT Jordan Hill. Redd has been mentioned often - he met with Lane Kiffin last week. Redd would benefit USC in a huge way. You could make the argument that Redd would benefit USC a lot more than he would Penn State. But I don't believe that. I also don't believe the sentiment that Redd is an instant Heisman candidate at USC but not PSU. Why is that? If Redd runs for 1800 yards and 20 TDs for Penn State, how is that any different than doing the same for USC? Is it because USC will win more games? USC is an 11-12 win team right now due to their QB and WRs. Redd just adds even more firepower to an already loaded team. Losing Redd is a crushing blow to the PSU offense. Penn State can go from a potential 8 win team to a 4-5 win team without their best offensive player. Again, O'Brien has a history with the NFL so he will be sure to put Redd in a position to be noticed by NFL scouts.

The media has been extremely critical of Penn State (rightfully so in some cases). But with all due respect to "experts" they are not an expert at this subject. And I certainly am not either. This subject goes beyond the obvious, goes beyond the football field. You need to dig deep into this story. The story involves 18-21 year old men whose top priority should be a college education. Penn State is still a great school to have a degree from. You need to think about how close these kids have become in their three, four years together and people expect it to be that easy for them to walk away from their friends? Walk away from their University? A college student's mind is very complex. Mixed in with the football and school and some partying these student-athletes are still students, some of whom are sensitive and have feelings. But the folks all over television, radio, and the internet all feel that just because times are tough, these kids are going to run. Sure, times are tough. It takes a strong man to fight back and maybe some of the media folks should write about the character and will of the PSU football players who are staying, to play to restore honor to their school. Who are staying because they are loyal. Or we can continue to read about how awful Penn State is, how every player should transfer into a better situation.

For Penn State football, the end game is just that. After their last game, the season is over. There is no bowl game, at least for the next four years. 12 games and that's it. If they go 12-0 there will be no BCS or Big Ten title reward. But yet, they continue to recruit well. This week O'Brien got reassurances from several top recruits including #1 TE Adam Breneman and #3 QB Christian Hackenberg. Why would you want to play for Penn State? They can't go to a bowl. There are more rewards than just bowl games and that is why kids like Breneman and Hackenberg have not wavered in their commitments. Because they can get an education from Pennsylvania State University, they can play Big Ten football, and they will be nationally recognized for their performances. Sure, nationally people may not follow PSU as much but when the Nittany Lions play Ohio State or Michigan, ESPN has to show those highlights. And if PSU wins or guys put up big numbers they have to talk about them.

Penn State actually signed a new recruit Wednesday night.Newly committed LB Brennan Franklin said "If I went to New Mexico or New Mexico State or Indiana, they wouldn’t be going to a bowl game anyway." So if that is the feeling, why not go to a Big Ten school, play some of the best teams and players in the country and as Bill O'Brien plans, prepare yourself for the NFL.

Franklin could have chosen New Mexico. Won six games, gone to a bowl game. But when was the last time you saw New Mexico highlights on ESPN? Penn State highlights are every week. It is still Big Ten football. It is still nationally televised and nationally covered program.

Let's look at a school like Cincinnati. The Bearcats have won the Big East title in three of the last four seasons. But before that their reward for a long season was the International Bowl in Canada and the PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. Those aren't the most attractive rewards. The opponents were Western Michigan and Southern Miss, respectively. For fans, there are negatives to bowls but players enjoy playing in them. But would you rather go 9-3 playing in the Big Ten and your season ends or go 9-3 in the Big East and go to Birmingham bowl game (now known as BBVA Compass Bowl) or the Beef O'Brady's Bowl (that's a real thing). Fellow Big Ten team Illinois played in the Kraft Hunger Bowl last season.

The thought that PSU football is done is very farfetched. The Nittany Lions are from from done. Penn State football is beginning a new era, a new beginning. The focus at Penn St football is no longer on championships or bowl games, but on getting guys drafted to the NFL. It is about character on and off the field. Of course the biggest thing for Penn State is repairing their image.

They Are...They STILL Are and they always will be...PENN STATE.