With ten reduced scholarships for the next four recruiting classes, developing a successful walk-on program, or run-on as Bill O'Brien has affectionately named it, will be key going forward for Penn State. Yesterday, the Nittany Lions took a big step towards that goal as kicker/punter Chris Gulla, quarterback D.J. Crook, and quarterback Austin Whipple have all joined the program.
Current Board of Trustees Chair Karen Peetz will not seek reelection to that leadership position for the next term, per a release from Penn State. Peetz still plans to remain an active member of the board, but cited her recent appointment as president of Bank of New York Mellon as the reason for her decision.
Let the #culture eruption begin.
Penn State announced earlier today that 100 fall student athletes have received Academic All-Big Ten honors this semester, shattering the previous school record of 81 in 2007.
When the Dapper Dan Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards are presented on February 6th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, there is a decent chance that the winner will have some type of Penn State connection as Bill O'Brien, Women's Soccer player Taylor Schram, and former Women's Volleyball player Christa Harmotto are all nominees.
The results are in, and Joe Paterno has been voted as the "best college football coach of all time." Nearly 327,125 votes were cast in the bracket style tournament, with Paterno defeating Chris Petersen in the final round (yes, Boise State's Chris Petersen made it to the finals).
Penn State announced on Friday that it will be rolling out a new scholarship program for first year students. The new program, known as the Provost Awards, expands on a system that has already been in place at the branch campuses for six years, and adds another $20 million to the scholarship pool.