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Black Shoe Diaries

https://www.blackshoediaries.com/ | 325 entries published

DOMINATE THE STATE

Latest Entries

Oh, Hello: 2026 Nebraska Three-Star DB Bryson Williams Commits To Penn State

THE SKINNY Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 175 poundsHometown/High School: Omaha, NE (Omaha Westside H.S.)Ranking: ★★★★ (0.8733 247Sports — No. 905 overall)Notable Offers: Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Washington State, San Diego State HIGHLIGHTS OUTLOOK Well, we got out first Iowa State-to-Penn State recruit. Bryson Williams committed to Iowa State back in the summer over other finalists Vanderbilt and […]

about 9 hours ago | 1 read

YAY HOOPS (?) Open Thread: Michigan State

Penn State faces Michigan State in its Big Ten home opener today looking to rebound from an embarrassing loss to Indiana on Tuesday. Tipoff is at noon on Big Ten Network. As always, open thread rules apply. No politics, religion, illegal streams, or NSFW content, and be civil.

about 13 hours ago | 0 reads

Penn State vs. Michigan State Preview: It Doesn’t Get Any Easier

How To Watch Who: Michigan State SpartansRecord: 8-1 (1-0 Big Ten)When: Saturday, December 13, 12:00 p.m. ETWhere: Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PAKenpom Ranking (PSU): 12th (110th)NET Ranking (PSU): 11th (109th)TV: B1G Network | Chris Vosters (PXP) and Steve Smith (Analyst)Radio: Penn State Sports NetworkVegas Line: Michigan State -12.5 (FanDuel)Over/Under: 144.5 (FanDuel) What To Watch For Prediction While I expect a much better effort and […]

about 17 hours ago | 0 reads

Wrestling Preview: #1 Penn State vs #28 Wyoming

For the second year in a row, the Nittany Lions wrestling team will take on the Cowboys in a ranked dual meet; this year, the matchup will be a marquee one in Laramie, the first time Wyoming has hosted a #1 team in over 30 years.  While the Penn State lineup remains largely unchanged from […]

1 day ago | 0 reads

Wrestling Postview: #1 Penn State 36, #13 Lehigh 6 & Early Mat Returns

The Lehigh wrestlers came into Rec Hall for the 113th Dual Meet with the host Nittany Lions and left beaten and battered to the tune of 36-6 team score with the good guys winning 8 of the 10 matches. PSU now leads the all-time series 76 wins, 34 losses, and 3 ties. That’s 15 straight […]

2 days ago | 0 reads

Running Thread: Penn State Players Entering The Transfer Portal (12.11.25)

Like we are doing for the Pinstripe Bowl opt out thread, we’ll be updating this post as players enter the transfer portal. As a reminder, players can’t officially enter until January 2. Right now, they are just announcing their intentions to do so. CB Elliot Washington (12/11/25) Washington leaves Penn State after three seasons with […]

2 days ago | 0 reads

Report: Trio of Coaches Joining Matt Campbell from Iowa State

Three Iowa State coaches will be joining Matt Campbell at Penn State: Taylor Mouser will come on board as Penn State’s new offensive coordinator. Ryan Clanton is the new offensive line coach, and Deon Broomfield is listed as a secondary defensive coordinator. This seems like it would be the end of the Andy Kotelnicki era […]

NFL

2 days ago | 0 reads

(Early) NCAA Hockey Bracketology: December 11

With the halfway point of the college hockey regular season nearly here, the NPI saw some movement from last weekend’s results. Penn State is idle until January 3, but the rest of the games being played around the country are still of interest to the Nittany Lions. As of this morning, the following teams would […]

NHL

3 days ago | 0 reads

Fall/Winter Sports Update: Volleyball Falls in NCAA Tournament

Women’s Volleyball (19-13) The women’s volleyball team defeated South Florida 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before being swept by top-seeded Texas in the second round. Penn State hit just .197 against South Florida, but Kennedy Martin’s 22 kills and five blocks were enough to push the Nittany Lions past the Bulls […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

South Carolina Reportedly Targeting Stan Drayton

The dominoes continue to fall. As the staff takes place, a third coach is now reportedly leaving for another opportunity. Ty Howle is leaving for Virginia Tech, Jim Knowles is not being retained, and, Stan Drayton is reportedly headed to South Carolina. Drayton is a highly respected running backs coach, he has an expansive resume […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

Jim Knowles Will Not Join Matt Campbell’s Staff

It’s official. As part of new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell’s staff moves, another piece of the puzzle has been set. Earlier reports suggested Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock would follow Campbell to Penn State, leaving the question of whether it would be as an analyst or a coordinator. It appears we have […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

Midweek Musings – New Offense?

Penn State head coach Matt Campbell was officially announced this past week, and the new regime takeover has begun. Penn State still has a bowl game to play, but we’re already starting to see staffing changes happen. First, Ty Howle has left Penn State to join James Franklin at Virginia Tech as his offensive coordinator. […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Report: QB Coach Danny O’Brien Leaving For Virginia Tech

Earlier Tuesday, it was reported that Ty Howle is following James Franklin to Blacksburg to become the Hokies new offensive coordinator. Well, you can add another Nittany Lions assistant making the move to Virginia Tech as quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien is reportedly joining the Hokies as well. A former quarterback for James Franklin at Maryland, […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Penn State 72, Indiana 113: Flush It

Penn State played one of those “burn the tape” types of games, where everything went right for the other team, and everything that could have possibly gone wrong for the Lions did. It all started when Indiana made its first five threes of the night, which also happened to be their first five shots of […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Penn State vs. Indiana Preview: Big Ten Action is Back

What to Watch For Prediction This feels like the perfect get-right game for a slightly reeling Hoosiers team, and the 15-point spread feels just about accurate. Still, I’m interested to see how some of Penn State’s younger and less experienced players perform in a true hostile environment. But I’m expecting Mike Rhoades’ squad to get […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Report: Ty Howle Hired as Offensive Coordinator at Virginia Tech

Penn State football’s Ty Howle is reportedly following James Franklin to Virginia Tech and receiving a big promotion in return. Howle, who has served as the Nittany Lions’ tight ends coach since 2021 and co-offensive coordinator since 2023, will now be the Hokies’ offensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He is also expected to […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

This Week In Happy Valley: A New Era Begins

The Campbell family gets their first look at Beaver Stadium. Matt Campbell cites Cael Sanderson as he made the tough decision to leave Iowa State for Penn State. Zane Durant has opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl. Penn State hockey prepares for tough second half during long break. Gavin McKenna and Jackson Smith were named […]

NFL

5 days ago | 0 reads

Blessed & Honored: Bouncing Back

Penn State In the Mix for Elite QB 2027 four-star quarterback Israel Abrams is now on Penn State’s radar following Matt Campbell’s hiring: Abrams is the No. 3 quarterback in the 2027 class as of today. The most recent projections had Abrams heading to Iowa State, but with Matt Campbell now at Penn State, the […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Nittany Lions in the NFL 2025: Week 14

Here’s a list of the current Nittany Lions in the NFL listed by 53-man roster: *Just a reminder that again this season, I will not include players like Juwan Johnson and KeAndre Lambert-Smith that did not finish their college career at Penn State* Arizona Cardinals: Blake Gillikin, PJ Mustipher Atlanta Falcons: Arnold Ebiketie Baltimore Ravens: […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

BSD YouTube Show: Recapping Matt Campbell’s Press Conference

The Matt Campbell era is upon us in Happy Valley! We discuss Campbell’s opening presser on Monday afternoon, and look ahead to what comes next the following days and weeks. We’ll be live at 7 p.m. EST. We’ll get the audio from the show onto Apple and Spotify as well for tomorrow.

5 days ago | 0 reads

Mondays with Matt: Welcome!

Matt Campbell met the State College media for the first time on Monday afternoon. We will work on a better name and see what words stand out the most over the coming years. But, as always, you can read the full transcript with Campbell, AD Pat Kraft, and university president Neeli Bendapudi HERE. Or, read […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Penn State a Slight Underdog Against Clemson in Pinstripe Bowl

Penn State will head into the Pinstripe Bowl as a slight underdog against Clemson, according to FanDuel. The Tigers are a 2.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions when the teams meet in New York on December 27. It took Penn State until the last week to get their sixth win and gain bowl eligibility. Following […]

6 days ago | 1 read

BSD Roundtable: Grading The Matt Campbell Hire

Well, that was one hell of a coaching search, wasn’t it? After 54 days, Penn State finally secured its new head football coach, signing former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell to an eight-year deal. I think all of our thoughts about the hire are different before the Sitake Debacle and after the Sitake Debacle, […]

6 days ago | 0 reads

Possible Iowa State-to-Penn State Assistant Coaching Moves

Penn State will formally introduce new head coach Matt Campbell later today, and while there is plenty to celebrate, hiring Campbell was just the first step in what will be a supremely busy offseason for the Nittany Lions. Next on the docket for Campbell and his Penn State program: who will be on the coaching […]

NFL

6 days ago | 0 reads