[Live Blog] Penn State Football’s Rose Bowl Media Day
We’re just over two weeks away from the 2023 Rose Bowl, folks.
Penn State football will take a trip to Pasadena to face off against Utah at 5 p.m. EST on Monday, January 2, at Rose Bowl Stadium. With the Nittany Lions’ fifth-ever Rose Bowl appearance looming, the team is holding its local bowl media day beginning at 10:30 a.m. today, December 16, in Beaver Stadium’s press room. Pat Kraft, James Franklin, and more will speak about Penn State’s upcoming matchup with the Utes.
Onward State will have you covered throughout the day with the latest comments, news, and stories out of Happy Valley. In addition to our live blog, we’ll provide updates on our main @OnwardState Twitter account and will be live tweeting the press conferences on @OnwardStSports.
Live Blog
2 p.m. — That’ll do it for Penn State’s Rose Bowl media day, folks. Keep up with the latest Rose Bowl coverage by following along with our site over the next couple of weeks!
1:30 p.m. — Penn State AD Pat Kraft touched on facility upgrades, the NIL landscape in college athletics, Micah Shrewsberry, and James Franklin during his media day press conference.
1:28 p.m. —
1:15 p.m. —
1:12 p.m. — Strong words from Ji’Ayir Brown.
1:11 p.m. — Reinforcements could be on the way for Penn State…
12:59 p.m. —
12:54 p.m. —
12:49 p.m. —
12:42 p.m. — That’s all from Diaz. Several players will speak over the next 30 to 45 minutes. You can find the full list here.
12:37 p.m. —
12:35 p.m. —
12:33 p.m. —
12:32 p.m. —
12:30 p.m. —
12:28 p.m. — Diaz on job rumors surrounding him:
“The great thing I have is — I have a great job. It would have to take an amazingly great job to leave a great job.”
12:27 p.m. — That’s all from Yurcich. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is up next.
12:25 p.m. —
12:22 p.m. — Ohio State and Michigan are in the CFP. Penn State isn’t. Why is that?
12:21 p.m. —
12:19 p.m. —
12:12 p.m. — Yurcich said Sean Clifford did “a lot of great things” for Penn State this season. He said Clifford has a bright future.
12:10 p.m. — That’s all from Collins. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is up next.
12:09 p.m. —
12:08 p.m. — Collins raved about Dom DeLuca’s impact on special teams.
“Dom’s been awesome.”
12:07 p.m. —
12:05 p.m. — Collins touched on Chris Stoll winning the Mannelly Award.
“I couldn’t be more happy for Chris [Stoll].”
12:03 p.m. —
Noon — That’s all from Franklin. Special teams coordinator Stacy Collins is up next.
11:56 a.m. — Franklin said he prefers to have more than three scholarship quarterbacks, but it’s a tough sell to get someone to come in as the fourth, especially when the starter is a sophomore or younger.
11:53 a.m. — Franklin on a lack of opt-outs:
“…I think it goes back to the leadership of our captains… The way we’ve built it at Penn State, there’s really no reason to opt out.
11:51 a.m. — Franklin said on a national scale Penn State may be getting more attention, but for him, this is the expectation.
“I think this is kind of who really we’ve been.”
11:48 a.m. — Franklin said the transfer portal has affected high school students in terms of number of scholarships allotted.
“I’m probably concerned about the number of guys going into the transfer portal and then how that impacts high school students.”
11:44 a.m. — Franklin said it’s been “great” having Pat Kraft and Neeli Bendapudi at Penn State.
11:42 a.m. — Franklin is “planning” for Olu Fashanu, Caedan Wallace, and Keyvone Lee to be available for the Rose Bowl.
11:39 a.m. — Franklin is talking about his hectic travel plans.
11:38 a.m. — Franklin said they’ll practice tonight and the team will be off tomorrow because of graduation.
11:36 a.m. — Franklin is raving about Utah’s squad, mentioning several players by name, including quarterback Cam Rising.
11:33 a.m. — He has arrived.
11:31 a.m. — Franklin is officially late. So much for #SettingTheStandard…
11:26 a.m. — We’re back, folks.
11:00 a.m. — We’ll be taking about a 30-minute break before James Franklin takes the podium at roughly 11:30 a.m.
10:59 a.m. — That’s all from Kraft. He concluded by thanking the media members for all that they do.
10:58 a.m. — Kraft said they’re looking into food and nutrition, sports performance, and mental health as areas they need to improve for not just football but “all 31 [teams].”
10:56 a.m. — More on facilities…
10:54 a.m. — Kraft said Franklin is an elite recruiter and a good man. He told a story about how Franklin’s daughter once called him while he was at work and the head coach got up immediately and said he had to take care of it.
“He didn’t hesitate one second. That’s James Franklin. That’s what I love about the guy.”
10:53 a.m. — Kraft on his first takeaway from spending time around James Franklin:
“Man, he loves his players.”
10:51 a.m. — Kraft confirmed Penn State football’s assistant coach salary pool ranks top three in the Big Ten.
10:50 a.m. — Kraft said Penn State sold out its allotment of Rose Bowl tickets in about threw minutes.
10:48 a.m. — Kraft is showing his passion for improving athletic facilities across campus. He’s talked in the past about how Penn State needs to improve its facilities moving forward, and he’s reiterating that now.
10:45 a.m. — When asked about funding for sports like men’s basketball and if they’d be able to retain Micah Shrewsberry if bigger programs come calling, Kraft gave a firm “yes.”
“Yes [long pause]. Absolutely, my man.”
10:43 a.m. — More NIL talk…
“My sole focus is to support whatever is in the best interest of our athletes and protect our athletes.”
10:40 a.m. — Kraft was asked about balancing being transparent while also keeping necessary things close to the vest. He said while some things need to be kept private, he’s going to be honest.
“It’s who I am. I’m going to be really honest with you.”
10:37 a.m. — Kraft said that collectives are just a portion of the NIL space.
10:35 a.m. — Kraft said they’re “close” to making recommendations to the board on renovating Beaver Stadium.
“I want to make this building better, and we have to do that.”
10:34 a.m. — Kraft on NIL: “It absolutely is a part of the recruiting cycle.”
10:33 a.m. — Naturally, the first question of the day is about NIL.
He mentioned that when he arrived he thought Penn State was “really behind” when it comes to NIL but that they’re “really in a good spot” now.
10:30 a.m. — Pat Kraft has arrived, and we’re underway!
10:15 a.m. — ??
10:05 a.m. — It’s already been a busy morning for James Franklin and his staff. Four-star linebacker Kaveion Keyes, who was originally committed to North Carolina, announced that he’s joining the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2023. Keys is the 22nd recruit to join Penn State’s 2023 class, which ranks 12th nationally.
10:00 a.m. — Good morning, folks! Penn State’s local bowl media day will kick off in about 30 minutes.
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