Skip to main content

Black Shoe Diaries

DOMINATE THE STATE

Latest Entries

Blessed & Honored: Kemon Spell In Play?

Kemon Spell Update Recruiting analyst Brian Dohn put in a projection for Kemon Spell to re-commit to Penn State on Saturday: Spell decommitted from Penn State on October 12 following James Franklin’s ousting, but the Nittany Lions reoffered him on December 10. Matt Campbell and staff are looking to reclaim the No. 1 running back […]

Nittany Lions in the NFL 2025: Divisional Round

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: […]

Wrestling Postview: No. 1 Penn State 51, Northwestern 0

After handing the Iowa Hawkeyes their worst home defeat in history on Friday, the No. 1 Penn State Nittany Lions continued their dominant run through the Big Ten, securing a 51-0 shutout against Northwestern in Evanston. This marks the team’s second Big Ten dual shutout (and fifth overall) of the season. Penn State won all […]

Maryland 96, Penn State 73: Rock Bottom, Again

Penn State fell 96-73 to Maryland on Sunday to fall to 0-7 in Big Ten play. Atrocious perimeter defense and rebounding put the Lions in a hole they could not climb out of. David Coit nearly set a Maryland single-game record with 43 points. Both teams started red-hot offensively, each shooting 75% at the first […]

Penn State vs. Maryland Preview: Can the Nittany Lions Break Through?

How To Watch Who: Maryland TerrapinsRecord: 7-10, 0-6 Big TenWhen: Sunday, January 18th, 12:00 p.m. ESTWhere: Xfinity Center, College Park, MDKenpom Ranking (PSU): 126 (108)TV: BTNRadio: Penn State Sports NetworkVegas Line: Penn State +2.5Over/Under: 147 What To Watch For Prediction I really want to pick Penn State, but I am traditionally a jinx for the Blue and White. The last preview I did, I […]

YAY HOOPS (?): Penn State vs. Maryland Open Thread

Penn State men’s basketball is still in search of its first conference win. Luckily for the Nittany Lions, Maryland is sitting dead last in the Big Ten standings. If there ever were a time for a win, it would be now. The matchup is set to tip off at noon from College Park and be […]

Penn State 6, Notre Dame 3: Shorthanded Lions Sweep Irish

Penn State hockey completed its second straight Big Ten sweep at home with a 6-3 win over Notre Dame on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions moved into second place in the Big Ten standings with tonight’s win. Guy Gadowsky’s squad had only 17 healthy skaters for this game, but Penn State dug deep to secure […]

Wrestling Postview: No. 1 Penn State 32, No. 4 Iowa 3

Penn State Wrestling travelled to Iowa City last night riding a 78 dual meet winning streak, including the last 4 against the Iowa Hawkeyes and came away with a dominating 32-3 team score winning 9 of the 10 individual bouts. As always, the Hawkeyes fought tooth and nail, five of the decisions were decided by […]

Wrestling Preview: #1 Penn State vs #30 Northwestern

The Nittany Lions’ Big Ten road trip continues with a swing through the Chicago area to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern is fresh off a dual meet loss to Wisconsin on Friday, while Penn State is following up a top five dismantling of the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Northwestern has a much younger team […]

Penn State 4, Notre Dame 1: Survival Mode

No. 7 Penn State beat Notre Dame 4-1 on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena in the first game of the season series. The Fighting Irish were brutally physical against a Penn State team that is already shorthanded with several injuries, but the Nittany Lions prevailed with three power play goals and an outstanding performance […]

Penn State Hockey Series Preview: Notre Dame

No. 7 Penn State finishes off its five-game home stand with a two-game series against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish do not have a single win in 10 Big Ten games under first-year head coach Brock Sheahan. Penn State needs to take both games in regulation to avoid a bad loss and keep pace with […]

NHL

Wrestling Preview: #1 Penn State vs #4 Iowa

The record-setting Nittany Lion wrestling team hits the road in their toughest dual meet outside of the commonwealth this week, taking on the last team not named Penn State to win the national team title. Carver Hawkeye is one of the toughest places to wrestle in the nation, and it’s been known to have some […]

NCAA Hockey Bracketology: January 15

As of this morning, the following teams would be in the NCAA Tournament if the season ended today based on the NPI and conference standings. Please note that projected conference tournament winners are in italics and are projected by current in-conference point percentage: First Four Out: Princeton, Minnesota State, UConn, St. Cloud State The selection committee avoids […]

UCLA 71, Penn State 60: More Frustration

Stop if you’ve heard this one before. Penn State, playing at home, battled tooth and nail with a probable NCAA tournament team before finally faltering in the final minutes. Well, it happened again on Wednesday night at the BJC with UCLA leaving town with a 71-60 win that still has the Nittany Lions (9-8, 0-6 […]

Penn State Lands Former Iowa State DL Ikenna Ezeogu

The Nittany Lions went to the Cyclone Portal for perhaps the final time earlier this evening, landing former Iowa State defensive lineman Ikenna Ezeogu. Ezeogu is 6-foot-5, 285 pounds and has played a lot of football for the Cyclones. He originally came to Ames as a 220-pound defensive end, but transformed his body with 60+ […]

Ki-Jana Carter Elected to College Football Hall of Fame

One of Penn State’s all-time greats will now be recognized as one of college football’s all-time greats. Running back Ki-Jana Carter was named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class. He will be inducted in December 2026. Carter was a unanimous All-American and finished second for the Heisman Trophy back in 1994 as […]

Penn State vs. UCLA Preview/Open Thread: Still Seeking That Elusive Big Ten Win

How To Watch Who: UCLA BruinsRecord: 11-5 (3-2 Big Ten)When: Tonight, 8:30 PM ESTWhere: Bryce Jordan Center; University Park, PAKenpom Ranking (PSU): 40 (103)NET Ranking (PSU): 48 (101)TV: FS1 | Noah Reed (PXP) and Donny Marshall (Analyst)Radio: Penn State Sports NetworkVegas Line: UCLA -4.5 (FanDuel)Over/Under: 148.5 (FanDuel) What To Watch For Prediction Call me hopelessly optimistic (you kind of have to be if you’re going […]

BSD YouTube Show: Grading The Roster Reset

While there are still some more moves to come, a large portion of Penn State’s roster is set that we have a decent idea of who will be making up much of the depth chart in 2026. We grade Penn State based on how it did retaining the holdovers, getting Iowa State players, and getting […]

Wrestling Media Availability with Cael Sanderson, Cole Mirasola, & Luke Lilledahl

This afternoon, Head Coach Cael Sanderson Heavyweight starter Cole Mirasola, and 125lb starter Luke Lilledahl spoke to media ahead of ahead of Friday’s dual meet vs. Iowa in Iowa City, IA and Sunday’s dual vs. Northwestern in Evanston, IL. Cael Sanderson – Head Coach Does “Iowa Week” feel different or is it business as usual? […]

Hockey Film Room: Bread and Butter

Your No. 8 Penn State men’s hockey team played its 19th and 20th games of the regular season on Friday and Saturday, which resulted in 3-0 and 5-2 wins over Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were Penn State’s first repeat opponent on the Big Ten slate. Entering last weekend, I was curious to see what would […]

This Week in Happy Valley: Hockey Back on Track

Penn State hockey’s defense turned in a solid effort against Minnesota. Braedon Ford suffered a long-term injury after an ugly collision at the boards in Saturday’s win over Minnesota. Charlie Cerrato, Shea Van Olm, and Casey Aman are all day-to-day, per Guy Gadowsky. Gavin McKenna has the most points among NCAA draft-eligible players as we […]

Blessed & Honored: Penn State Offers Four-Star VA Linebacker

Penn State Visits Samson Gash Penn State did an in-home visit for 2026 wide receiver Samson Gash over the weekend: Gash committed to Michigan State over the summer, but he did not sign with the Spartans during the early signing window. The Nittany Lions are trying to add the potential legacy recruit to their 2026 […]

Nittany Lions in the NFL 2025: Wildcard Weekend

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: […]