Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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BSD YouTube Show: Previewing Penn State’s Offense
We are just over 50 days out from the season, which means it’s time we start our position previews. This week, we take a look at the offense. How will new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser do? What can we expect from Rocco Becht? Will wide receiver actually be OK? How about the offensive line? We’ll […]
Penn State Hockey Freshman Profiles: Ethan Weber
The Skinny Height: 6’Weight: 196 poundsDOB: December 10, 2006 (age 19)Shoots: RightHometown: Manhattan Beach, CA2025-26 Team: Penticton Vees (WHL)2025-26 Stats: 68 games played, 14 goals, 37 assists, +27 2026-27 Outlook Weber had a productive season in the WHL last year and projects to have a solid future at Penn State. Carter Schade, Jarod Crespo, and […]
Penn State 2026 Breakout Candidates: Offensive Line
Penn State’s offensive line will look quite different from a year ago, as four starters have moved on to the NFL. With so much turnover, the Nittany Lions offense will depend on several members of the offensive line to make a big leap in 2026. Here are the main candidates: Malachi Goodman Goodman appears to […]
Only Dominic Rulli Until Penn State Football
Dominic Rulli walked on to Penn State’s roster for the 2022 season. After spending three years as a walk-on, he was awarded a scholarship at the start of the 2025 season. Through four seasons at Penn State, Rulli has appeared in 42 games, largely on special teams. He is perhaps best known for calling the […]
Oh, Hello: Three-Star OT Oscar Webersink Commits To Penn State
THE SKINNY Height/Weight: 6-foot-8, 290 poundsHometown/High School: Stockholm, Sweden (St. Thomas More in Connecticut)Ranking: ★★★ (85 Rivals)Notable Offers: Florida State, Maryland, Northwestern, Wake Forest, West Virginia HIGHLIGHTS Originally from Sweden, Oscar Webersink is making the move to American football and enrolled at St. Thomas More in Connecticut for the upcoming season. He went on the […]
Penn State Hockey Freshman Profiles: Crew Petty
The Skinny Position: GHeight: 6’4”Weight: 205 poundsDOB: August 11, 2007 (age 18)Catches: LeftHometown: Kennewick, WA2025-26 Team: Gilmour Academy (USHS-Prep)2025-26 Stats: .919 save percentage, 2.19 GAA, 5 shutouts, 24-9 record 2026-27 Outlook Penn State played the entire 2025-26 season with only two varsity goaltenders after John Seifarth quietly departed the roster at the beginning of the […]
TMQB – Hopes for the Receiving Game?
For the last several years, the Penn State passing game has been rather disappointing. Drew Allar was a square peg in the Andy Kotelnicki offense round hole, and coupled with subpar performances by the receivers, the passing game just sort of sputtered. The nadir of this was, of course, the College Football Playoff semifinal game […]
Three Reasons For Optimism: Defense
1. The Secondary There are a lot of new faces, but the talent level remains high for the defensive backfield. Daryus Dixson figures to jump into a starting spot at cornerback after playing in all 13 games in 2025. Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy should compete for the other starting spot. It would not surprise […]
Only Nick Dawkins Until Penn State Football
Nick Dawkins was a three-star recruit when he joined Penn State’s 2020 recruiting class. He did not crack the starting lineup until 2024, but his impact was immediately felt on the offensive line. Dawkins earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2024 and won the Wuerffel Trophy for his leadership off the field. He was again […]
Penn State Hockey Freshman Profile: Ryder Fetterolf
With the 2026-27 college sports calendar drawing ever closer, I thought I would take some time to profile Penn State hockey’s incoming freshman class, starting with goaltender Ryder Fetterolf. The Skinny Height: 6’Weight: 185 poundsDOB: January 5, 2008 (age 18)Catches: LeftHometown: Pittsburgh, PANHL Draft: 2026 4th round (125th overall) by Carolina Hurricanes2025-26 Stat Line: .923 […]
Only Vaea Ikakoula Until Penn State Football
Vaea Ikakoula was a three-star recruit and the No. 15 player from Utah in the 2025 class. He originally committed to Stanford in June of 2024 before flipping to Iowa State at the end of the calendar year. He started two games for the Cyclones in 2025 and appeared in four games total. On Christmas […]
Only Chimdy Onoh Until Penn State Football
Chimdy Onoh was a four-star prospect when he joined Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class. The Maryland native was the No. 13 overall offensive lineman prospect in the 2023 class and the No. 4 player from Maryland. Despite his lofty status as a recruit, Onoh has struggled to crack the lineup at Penn State. He appeared […]
Only Alijah Carnell Until Penn State Football
Alijah Carnell was a three-star prospect from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas when he committed to Iowa State. He appeared in two games during his freshman season in 2024, making two tackles. In 2025, he appeared in six games and made six tackles and 0.5 sacks. He decided to follow Matt Campbell to […]
2026 Breakout Candidates: Wide Receiver
Penn State wide receivers have only been good vibes the last couple years. Great on the field, great in recruiting, definitely no FREAK OUTS here. Nope, no sir. Koby Howard (RS FR) I don’t know if there was a player who represented the 2025 season more than Koby Howard. Despite being a three-star prospect (he […]
Only AQ Shipley Until Penn State Football
No one has the number 57 on Penn State’s 2026 roster, so for today’s entry we are turning back the clock to one of the most decorated linemen in program history. AQ Shipley played both defensive and offensive line early in his Penn State career but was named the starting center in 2006. In 2007, […]
Summer Summary: July 9th
ICYMI-unfortunately, Penn State has had a rough couple days in recruiting. First, Khalil Taylor tossed the Nittany Lion hat aside to choose Nebraska, and then yesterday, running back Aiden Gibson reclassified to 2026 and swapped to Rutgers. Last week we looked at how Marshall was affected by the portal. This week, it’s the Winged Helmets. […]
Summer Recruiting Roundup: Pantsed
Four-Star QB Calls for Penn State Let’s start with the good news. In one of Matt Campbell’s biggest gets yet, four-star QB James Armstrong committed to Penn State on Thursday. The Aliquippa, Pa., native is considered a four-star in 247Sports’ composite rankings and is a top-10 quarterback in the Class of 2028. Armstrong made the […]
Only Landon Tengwall Until Penn State Football
With just 58 days until Penn State-Marshall, it’s time to honor former offensive lineman Landon Tengwall, who wore No. 58 for the Nittany Lions. Tengwall was recruited by James Franklin as a four-star offensive lineman and quickly made an impact both on and off the field. He redshirted his freshman year and started five games […]
Three Reasons for Concern: Penn State Offense
We’re back with one of our favorite Summer time series where we give three reasons for optimism and concern for Penn State football’s offense, defense, and special teams. Today, we address the concerns for Nittany Lion offense heading into the 2026 season. Rocco Becht has more starts than any quarterback in the nation heading into […]
2026 Breakout Candidates: Running Back
We’ve reached the end of the Allen/Singleton era in Happy Valley, and it’s time for a new regime. The Nittany Lions will now turn to a mix of familiar and fresh talent in its running back room to fill the gaps left by two of the most accomplished rushers in school history. Matt Campbell also […]
Only Tony Rojas’ Playoff Pick-Six Until Penn State Football
We’ve got 59 days until Penn State opens its season against Marshall. For 59 days, we’re reminiscing on Tony Rojas’ iconic 59-yard pick-six in the Nittany Lions’ first-ever playoff game. Welcome to Happy Valley, SMU. This may be one of my favorite Beaver Stadium moments ever. The onset of noise before the play, Rojas’ running […]
Penn State Football Position Preview: Special Teams
The Field Goals/Extra Point Guy Ryan Barker (RS Jr.) Barker was arguably one of the most important players retained by Matt Campbell’s staff, especially considering they are breaking in new starters at all the other special teams positions. Barker was damn near perfect last year, connecting on 18 of his 19 field goal attempts, making […]
Oh, Goodbye: Four-Star South Carolina RB Aiden Gibson Flips To Rutgers
Just a day after four-star PA wide receiver Khalil Taylor spurned Penn State for Nebraska, the Nittany Lions got more fantastic news as four-star South Carolina running back Aiden Gibson announced his decommitment from Penn State and flipped to Rutgers with the intention to enroll for the 2026 season. Not really much to say here […]
Three Reasons For Optimism: Offense
We’re back with one of our favorite Summer time series where we give three reasons for optimism and concern for Penn State football’s offense, defense, and special teams. Per usual, we begin with our three reasons to be optimistic about the offense in Matt Campbell’s first year in Happy Valley. 1. Rocco Becht Three-year starter […]
Only Bucky Greeley Until Penn State Football
We’re now just 60 days away from Penn State football’s season opener against Marshall. While former Penn State tight ends coach Ty Howle wore No. 60 during his time as a player in Happy Valley, we will not be celebrating him this year. That is because he is now the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech. […]
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