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STATE COLLEGE – Penn State’s annual Blue-White Game means a lot of things to a lot of people.
Students sit in the stands to socialize, barely glancing at the action on the field.
Alumni use the annual intrasquad scrimmage to meet friends from their college days during informal weekend reunions.
Only the most passionate fans take mental notes on who the third-team right guard might be.
But there was something sobering about this year’s Blue-White Game. Some football players might have taken their final snaps Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Depending on the final settlement of the House vs NCAA case, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin and his staff might be forced to trim the roster.
It’s something that Franklin has never experienced in 30 years of coaching. Neither has anyone else. It’s something that has weighed on his mind since last year.
“I don’t want to lose any of them,” he said Saturday. “I’d like for these guys to stay a part of the program until they graduate. A lot of them chose Penn State to get their degree from Penn State and play football here.
“I don’t like anything about it.”
The House vs. NCAA settlement would dramatically change college athletics. It would provide former athletes with $2.8 billion in back pay for lost name, image and likeness (NIL) rights and create a system to pay athletes directly, starting in the summer.
The NCAA would be allowed to implement a salary cap that is expected to start at about $20.5 million per school and would increase annually during the 10-year deal.
The settlement includes new roster limits for NCAA Division I sports, which would replace scholarship limits and allow more athletes to receive full scholarships.
The NCAA has set 105 as the roster limit for Division I football. At Penn State, the roster will increase to about 120 when the rest of its 2025 recruiting class enrolls in May or June.
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, as Franklin said.
Federal judge Claudia Wilken on Wednesday questioned the fairness of the roster limits. She raised concerns that they harm current athletes while helping future ones. She’s asked for a solution that protects those already on rosters.
“She brought up grandfathering the current players in the program, which would be phenomenal,” Franklin said. “Everybody would love that.”
Joey Schlaffer, a former high school star at Exeter, dreamed of playing at Penn State since he was a little kid. He wanted to follow his older brother, Michal Menet, to Happy Valley.
He’s a backup at tight end, a deep position, and is in his third year with the Lions. He and his teammates are trying to deal with the uncertainty in a new world of college athletics.
“We’re all aware of it,” Schlaffer said. “I just have to worry about doing the best I can do and take advantage of my reps. People are going to make their decisions. It’s not really in my control. Chips are going to fall where they may.
“It means a lot for me to stay here. It’d be rough if I found myself somewhere else.”
Franklin said he spoke to the team about the 105-player roster limit when the transfer portal was open in December and then again this month. It closed at midnight Saturday.
Backup quarterback Beau Pribula was among the Penn State scholarship players who entered the portal in December. Four more entered the portal in April: offensive lineman JB Nelson, defensive lineman Joseph Mupoyi, linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson and defensive back Jon Mitchell.
“My responsibility is to educate our players about what the process is and how we’re going to handle it at Penn State,” Franklin said. “We’ve talked about it. We’ve had some guys go into the portal because of that. Everybody else is comfortable with how it would stand.”
He takes pride in being prepared, so he has laid out a process to make roster cuts. He hopes he doesn’t have to use it.
“I don’t like it at all,” he said. “I’m a D2 football player (at East Stroudsburg). I went to college on a $1,500 scholarship and a full Pell Grant. I know what the game of football and college athletics does in terms of helping build well-rounded individuals.
“I’m fighting and scratching and clawing to hold on to what I believe college athletics is all about.”
Continue reading...
Students sit in the stands to socialize, barely glancing at the action on the field.
Alumni use the annual intrasquad scrimmage to meet friends from their college days during informal weekend reunions.
Only the most passionate fans take mental notes on who the third-team right guard might be.
But there was something sobering about this year’s Blue-White Game. Some football players might have taken their final snaps Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Depending on the final settlement of the House vs NCAA case, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin and his staff might be forced to trim the roster.
It’s something that Franklin has never experienced in 30 years of coaching. Neither has anyone else. It’s something that has weighed on his mind since last year.
“I don’t want to lose any of them,” he said Saturday. “I’d like for these guys to stay a part of the program until they graduate. A lot of them chose Penn State to get their degree from Penn State and play football here.
“I don’t like anything about it.”
The House vs. NCAA settlement would dramatically change college athletics. It would provide former athletes with $2.8 billion in back pay for lost name, image and likeness (NIL) rights and create a system to pay athletes directly, starting in the summer.
The NCAA would be allowed to implement a salary cap that is expected to start at about $20.5 million per school and would increase annually during the 10-year deal.
The settlement includes new roster limits for NCAA Division I sports, which would replace scholarship limits and allow more athletes to receive full scholarships.
The NCAA has set 105 as the roster limit for Division I football. At Penn State, the roster will increase to about 120 when the rest of its 2025 recruiting class enrolls in May or June.
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel, as Franklin said.
Federal judge Claudia Wilken on Wednesday questioned the fairness of the roster limits. She raised concerns that they harm current athletes while helping future ones. She’s asked for a solution that protects those already on rosters.
“She brought up grandfathering the current players in the program, which would be phenomenal,” Franklin said. “Everybody would love that.”
Joey Schlaffer, a former high school star at Exeter, dreamed of playing at Penn State since he was a little kid. He wanted to follow his older brother, Michal Menet, to Happy Valley.
He’s a backup at tight end, a deep position, and is in his third year with the Lions. He and his teammates are trying to deal with the uncertainty in a new world of college athletics.
“We’re all aware of it,” Schlaffer said. “I just have to worry about doing the best I can do and take advantage of my reps. People are going to make their decisions. It’s not really in my control. Chips are going to fall where they may.
“It means a lot for me to stay here. It’d be rough if I found myself somewhere else.”
Franklin said he spoke to the team about the 105-player roster limit when the transfer portal was open in December and then again this month. It closed at midnight Saturday.
Backup quarterback Beau Pribula was among the Penn State scholarship players who entered the portal in December. Four more entered the portal in April: offensive lineman JB Nelson, defensive lineman Joseph Mupoyi, linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson and defensive back Jon Mitchell.
“My responsibility is to educate our players about what the process is and how we’re going to handle it at Penn State,” Franklin said. “We’ve talked about it. We’ve had some guys go into the portal because of that. Everybody else is comfortable with how it would stand.”
He takes pride in being prepared, so he has laid out a process to make roster cuts. He hopes he doesn’t have to use it.
“I don’t like it at all,” he said. “I’m a D2 football player (at East Stroudsburg). I went to college on a $1,500 scholarship and a full Pell Grant. I know what the game of football and college athletics does in terms of helping build well-rounded individuals.
“I’m fighting and scratching and clawing to hold on to what I believe college athletics is all about.”
Continue reading...
