Black Shoe Diaries
DOMINATE THE STATE
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Only Gregg Garrity’s 47-yard Touchdown Catch in the Sugar Bowl Until Penn State Football
We’re only 47 days away from Penn State’s season opener, so how about whetting your appetite with a look back at one of the most iconic moments in program history? New Years’ Day 1983: With the Nittany Lions just beyond midfield and clinging to a tenuous 20-17 lead over Georgia in the fourth quarter of […]
MMQB – Most Anticipated Game This Fall
We are less than 7 weeks away from the kickoff of the 2026-27 football season, and we’re starting to get excited around these parts. The upcoming schedule has been noted as “favorable” for first-year head coach Matt Campbell, which is advantageous as he works on bringing all of his players and coaches up to speed. […]
Only Maurice Evans Until Penn State Football
With 48 days until Penn State opens their 2026 campaign against Marshall and once again, nobody on the current roster wearing the No. 48 jersey, we’re jumping back into the time machine to honor a guy who was pretty damned good during his playing days but perhaps you haven’t thought about in a hot minute. […]
Only Jahan Dotson’s 49-Yard Touchdown Catch Against Wisconsin Until Penn State Football
With 49 days until Penn State takes on Marshall and with nobody on the current roster wearing the No. 49 jersey, we’re going to look back at a moment from 2021’s season opener at Wisconsin. It was the first game the Nittany Lions played in front of an actual crowd in nearly two years, as […]
Penn State Hockey Freshman Profiles: Kale Dach
The Skinny Position: CHeight: 5’10”Weight: 165 poundsDOB: February 15, 2007 (age 19)Shoots: LeftHometown: Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Canada2025-26 Team: Calgary Hitmen (WHL)2025-26 Stats: 63 games, 34 goals, 41 assists, +8NHL Draft: 2025 7th round (201st overall) by Pittsburgh Penguins 2026-27 Outlook Penn State’s outlook at center looks very different from 2025-26. Reese Laubach returns, but Charlie […]
Penn State 2026 Breakout Candidates: Defensive End
With the days of Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton behind us, Penn State football is now heading into 2026 with an unproven defensive end rotation. With Zuriah Fisher and Chaz Coleman leaving the program, the Nittany Lions’ top returner from 2025 is Yvan Kemajou, who had six tackles, five TFLs, and 1.5 sacks last year. […]
Only Cooper Cousins Until Penn State Football
We’re exactly 50 days away from Penn State kicking off its 2026 football season against Marshall, and today we’re honoring a person who is widely expected to help anchor the offensive line. After seeing playing time mainly on special teams as a freshman, Cooper Cousins saw action on the O-line as a sophomore last season, […]
Penn State Hockey Freshman Profiles: Shea Busch
The Skinny Height: 6’3”Weight: 216 poundsDOB: June 12, 2007 (age 19)Shoots: LeftHometown: North Vancouver, BC, Canada2025-26 Team: Everett Silvertips (WHL)2025-26 Stats: 12 games played, 13 goals, 5 assists, +13NHL Draft: 2025 4th round (128th overall) by Florida Panthers 2026-27 Outlook Busch is coming off an upper-body injury that sidelined him from late October until April. […]
Summer Summary: July 16th
It’s that time-new jersey numbers for Penn State football (albeit four transfers that haven’t played for the Nittany Lions yet) Remember in the Days Until Countdown when I talked about Malachi Goodman? Other people think he’s on the come-up too. (So do we) ICYC (In case you care), a former Nittany Lion running back is […]
Only Brock Riker Until Penn State Football
Brock Riker- who played at Brock High School in Brock, Texas- committed to Texas State as a member of the 2024 recruiting class. A three-star recruit, he joined GJ Kinne’s staff in San Marcos and played in three games during the 2024 season to retain his redshirt. In 2025, he became the team’s starter at […]
Three Reasons For Concern: Defense
Cue the emo music. 1. Pass Rushers At Defensive End One of the “smart” football things to say is, “You know, sacks are a team stat.” And, sure, it’s true. A defensive tackle eating double teams helps others have one-on-one matchups. A disguised defense confuses the offense and creates just enough havoc to allow a […]
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 […]
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