Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Summer Summary: August 27th
ICYMI, this year’s game themes have been fully announced, along with the kickoff time for the Whiteout. A profile of the team’s new starting center. Who has the toughest schedule in the conference? (Hint: It’s not Penn State.) What does the defense look like? How is training camp going? Wrestling heads-here’s a projection of the […]
Only Cael Brezina Until Penn State Football
If I had a nickel for every Cael Penn State took from Iowa State, I would only have two nickels. That’s not a lot, but it’s funny that it happened twice… Cael Brezina was a three-star recruit and the No. 107 linebacker in the 2026 class when he committed to Iowa State’s 2024 class. His […]
BSD YouTube Show: Breaking Down Our Top 10 Penn State Players for 2026
Happy Hump Day, Everyone! We brain-farted and forgot to create this post on BSD as we were doing this show live on YouTube on Monday night, but better late than never… In our latest show, Jared and Tim went more in-depth on BSD’s Top 10 players for the upcoming season and whether we agree with […]
Oh, Hello: Mason Courville Commits to Penn State Hockey
Penn State hockey has found its goalie of the future with a commitment from Mason Courville: Currently at 16, Courville will be eligible to play at Penn State starting in the 2028-29 season. After an outstanding run with the WB/Scranton Knights Junior team, he joined the Flint Firebirds of the OHL in 2025-26. He posted […]
Only Caleb Bacon Until Penn State Football
Caleb Bacon did not receive any scholarship offers during his high school recruitment and opted to join Iowa State as a walk-on during the 2021 season. His breakout season did not come until 2023, where he made 60 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. In 2024, he suffered a left leg injury during […]
Penn State-USC White Out Clash Set For Primetime on NBC
With the start of the college football season just four days away, more announcements on kickoff times are starting to pop up. For Penn State fans, one of the most anticipated kickoff times is now official, as Daniel Gallen over at Lions 247 reported that the Nittany Lions and Trojans are set to face each […]
Only Lavar Arrington II Until Penn State Football
Lavar Arrington II committed to Penn State in July 2024 as a four-star recruit and one of the top linebacker prospects in the 2025 class. He had several power conference offers but ultimately decided to follow his dad’s footsteps and join the Nittany Lions. In his first season, he only appeared in seven games, with […]
Penn State Top 10 Players: Full Voting Breakdown
We recently wrapped up our annual preseason top 10 players series, with linebacker Tony Rojas taking the top spot. Today we’ll take a look at the full voting breakdown from the BSD staff and some observations. As a reminder, each member of the staff contributes their own top 10 list, with 10 points for a […]
Only Xxavier Thomas Until Penn State Football
Xxavier Thomas was the No. 11 overall recruit from Pennsylvania in the 2025 class when he committed to Penn State. Despite his relatively high recruiting ranking, he only received offers from Penn State and Akron. Thomas committed to Penn State in December of 2023. He redshirted in the 2025 season and appeared in one game. […]
MMQB – The End is Nigh
At long last, the end of the 2026 off-season is upon us! We fans have endured more tumult than usual this past off-season, what with the coaching changes and the transfers and the stadium construction and so on. But we made it! This Saturday, the 2026-27 college football season officially begins at 12:00 ET with […]
Only Tony Rojas Until Penn State Football
Tony Rojas was the No. 8 linebacker in the 2023 class when he committed to Penn State. His breakout season in 2024 gave the fanbase optimism that he could be the next great linebacker at Penn State. The most notable play of his career so far was a pick six in the first round of […]
Only Peyton Falzone Until Penn State Football
A Nazareth, Pennsylvania native, Peyton Falzone was originally committed to Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class, but he opted to flip his commitment to Auburn last summer. He remained in the Tigers’ class until December 3, 2025, two days before Matt Campbell was officially announced as Penn State’s football coach. For a moment in time, Falzone […]
Fall Sports Update: Men’s Soccer Wins Dow’s Debut
Men’s Soccer (1-0) The men’s soccer team made a splash hire following Jeff Cook’s resignation when the Nittany Lions poached Rob Dow from Vermont. Dow led the Catamounts to an NCAA championship in 2024, giving Penn State optimism that he can reboot a program that had gone stale in recent seasons. The Nittany Lions opened […]
Only Keith Jones Jr. Until Penn State Football
Keith Jones Jr. did not receive a star rating during his recruitment, but he joined Grambling State as a member of the 2024 class. He redshirted for the entire 2024 season and did not appear in any games. During the 2025 season, he started twice and appeared in 12 games at wide receiver for the […]
Penn State’s Top 10 Players for 2026: #1 Tony Rojas
The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first-place vote being 10 points, a second-place […]
Only Ji’Ayir Brown Until Penn State Football
Ji’Ayir Brown took an unconventional route to Penn State: a Trenton, New Jersey native, he was a three-star recruit out of Trenton Central High School, then spent two seasons at Lackawanna College, earning Northeast Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year and JUCO All-American honors before transferring to Penn State in 2020. After a light […]
Summer Summary: August 20th
Matt Campbell is focused on building his culture at Penn State. The Altoona Mirror has a preview of the team and season. The backup quarterback has recovered from open-heart surgery, and is ready to go this fall. A look at one of the probable starting wideouts. Everyone is a fan of Terry Smith, right? Some […]
Penn State’s Top 10 Players for 2026: No.2 Anthony Donkoh
The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first-place vote being 10 points, a second-place […]
Only Josiah Zayas Until Penn State Football
Josiah Zayas comes to Penn State as a true freshman defensive back out of Piscataway, New Jersey. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound recruit played his final high school season at Piscataway after transferring from St. Thomas Aquinas, and his recruiting grade varies depending on the source. He’s listed as a three-star in some rankings, and a four-star […]
Penn State’s Top 10 Players for 2026: #3 Rocco Becht
The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first-place vote being 10 points, a second-place […]
Only Max Granville and Ben Brahmer Until Penn State Football
Max Granville A four-star recruit out of high school, with an offer sheet that included Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn. He reclassified up a year, graduating early to enroll for the 2024 season instead of 2025. In high school, he had 38.5 sacks across his three-year career, including six strip-sacks in 2022; first-team all-state as […]
Penn State’s Top 10 Players For 2026: No. 4 Marcus Neal Jr.
The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first-place vote being 10 points, a second […]
Penn State Debuts At No. 18 In Preseason AP Poll
Penn State will begin the season as a ranked team, as they’re No. 18 in the preseason AP poll. After a promising season that went off the rails in 2025, finishing the year unranked, the Nittany Lions are back in the top 25 for 2026 in Matt Campbell’s first year as the Lions head coach. […]
Penn State’s Top 10 Players for 2026: #5 Andrew Rappelyea
The BSD staff recently voted for the top 10 Penn State players heading into 2026. The votes are dictated by how the players are expected to perform in the upcoming season, without factoring in long-term or NFL potential. Each member submitted a ballot with players ranked 1-10, with a first-place vote being 10 points, a […]
Only Yvan Kemajou Until Penn State Football
Yvan Kemajou enters his sophomore season as one of the most experienced pieces of Penn State’s retooled EDGE room. The 6’3″, 254-pound Maryland native was a four-star recruit out of Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, ranked the No. 188 overall prospect and No. 21 defensive lineman nationally, with a senior season that included 40 […]
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