Nitt Picks Thought We Covered This

I thought this was old news so I didn't jump on it, but the Altoona Mirror ran an article this past weekend mentioning recruits were being told that Joe's successor will come from in-house.

Joe Paterno either knows something no one at Penn State will confirm, or he does not know the old adage that one shouldn't make promises he can't keep.

Players recruited by the Nittany Lions are being assured that when Paterno retires, his replacement will come from the current coaching staff rather than an outside hire.

''Mr. Paterno told me himself that his replacement is already within the staff, so he'll just bring one new guy in and bump everybody up in the ranks,'' linebacker Mike Yancich from Washington, Pa., said.

Lest you think this is limited to just one lone recruit...

Fightonstate.com recruiting reporter Cory James speaks frequently with every Penn State recruit and confirmed Yancich's comments about coaching promises.

''They tell the recruits that the next coach will come from within and the program won't change while they're there,'' James said. ''Every kid I've talked to, that's 100 percent the answer that Penn State has said.

''I've even heard a few of them say [the university] doesn't want to put anything in formal writing with any of the assistant coaches, but it could be because they want Joe to go out on his own terms. And if he decided to retire tomorrow or he decided to retire in five years, at least the coaches are telling recruits the administration doesn't want to put a timeline on Joe.''

I didn't think this was any earth shattering news. We've known this for quite some time ever since Larry Johnson started letting the cat out of the bag in Maryland. (Emphasis mine)

Defensive-line coach Larry Johnson, one of the team's best recruiters, has been partly responsible for eight commitments, with most of the players from Maryland. According to several, Johnson has assured them that Paterno's successor will be in-house.

And then there's this from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette a few weeks ago. (Again, emphasis mine)

Wolfolk, whose parents are from Pittsburgh, played for Penn State offensive coordinator Galen Hall in the Arena Football League. Wolfolk believes Johnson would be a good choice to replace Paterno.

"The answer Larry gave us when we asked was that they were going to promote from within, but he didn't give us any hints," Wolfolk said. "Brandon, his family and I are comfortable with all the assistant coaches there. As long as those pieces stay in place, I believe it's going to be fine."

So this isn't anything new, but the so-called World Wide Leader ran a blurb across their ticker and now everyone is in a scuttle-butt over it. Why they are just now jumping on this wagon is beyond me. I guess the editors of the Altoona Mirror made some phonecalls to Bristol.

RUTS Preview

Run Up The Score made a guest appearance on Every Day Should Be Saturday as part of Orson's guest lecturer series.

Five: Every hero forgets something in their toolbelt. What does your team lack?

Offensive cohesion. We have three wide receivers who will finish very high on the list of all-time receptions at Penn State, but two new quarterbacks vying for the starting position. Five returning starters on the offensive line, but two inexperienced running backs. If you subscribe to the Anybody But Morelli theory of quarterbacking, both of these problems could conceivably iron themselves out if opposing defenses are forced to respect the Penn State passing game. Stop laughing, pretty please.

It's a very good read with RUTS' usual sharp wit, so check that out.

Anderson Going Pro

In a collegiate volleyball first, Penn State outside hitter Matt Anderson has decided to forego his senior season and play professionally in Korea.

“It was the best thing for my volleyball,” Anderson said. “Since I started playing I’ve always wanted to play professionally, and play in the Olympics some day, and I’m at that point right now with USA Volleyball. To elevate my game to the next level I have to get out there and play internationally with different teams and see how good I can actually get.”

Anderson, who was named the AVCA national co-Player of the Year, is believed to be the first American men’s college volleyball player to leave school with eligibility remaining to play professionally.

Good luck, Matt. We'll miss you next year. Hopefully we'll see you standing on top of the Olympic podium in the near future.

Etcetera

LaVar Arrington is opening a bar in State College called Linebacker U. I had no idea where this place was until they mentioned it used to be a Pizza Hut and then it clicked for me. Sign number 153 that I'm getting old.

Sunday Morning Quarterback weighs in on JoePa.