NCAA Football

Yes, Penn State was utterly outclassed by USC in the Rose Bowl. That should not take away from the strides this program has made since its brief slip from respectability 4 years ago. Penn State may not have fallen for that long, but that was because they decisively switched gears and moved in a more sustainable direction. Especially on offense, they turned themselves not only into a more exciting and modern attack, but one that helps them recruit and reload yielding a consistent winner.

The old model for Penn State had been a pro style offense built around a pocket passer and great running back. This formula is not broken, but it requires top recruiting. Penn State is a top 10-20 destination for recruits, but no longer can consistently land the big time pro QB prospects. They learned their lesson from losing out on Ron Paulus and Chad Henne.

Penn State has smartly taken a page from Texas' re-emergence, and rebuilt around a big, dual threat QB with a collection of small quick receivers in an open offense. This give the team an attractive identity differentiating them from Michigan and Wisconsin. It also allows them to build around players that are easier to recruit. Yes, they lost out on Pryor, but they have landed Robinson, Clark and now Kevin Newsome, Jr. (link) they should be able to continue to recruit these types of big, athletic dual threat QB's, and there is arguably less risk and competition than when you are going for a big, pro-style QB. If a pro-style QB is a bust (Morelli) you are doomed. If a dual threat QB disappoints you can still go more to the option and use their athleticism to keep the offense moving.

Going with small, quick WR's is also smart for recruiting. Just like with QB's, Penn State is not USC. They will never be able to land 4 big and fast pro-sized WR's. There are a ton of talented, small/quick WR's in the Deon Butler mold that a team like Penn State can consistently recruit and keep (WR's at that size also are less likely to declare early for the NFL.) Penn State also seems to be sliding in the same direction with RB's, which has bigger risks, but at least they will have a large, athletic QB who can get some tough yards if needed.

On defense the changes are less dramatic. Penn State has made its name recruiting great LB's, and will continue to do so. This is one area where Penn State can recruit with anyone. However, they have shifted form big DE's to undersized speed rushers (think Courtney Brown-> Mayburn.) Again, its easier to recruit undersized speed rushers than pro sized DE's. overall, the team has shifted from size to speed on defense, which should serve them well moving forward.

If you want to find a downside to Penn State's new philosophy, surprisingly, it might show up at the next level. Penn State has always put as many players in the NFL as almost any other program. This is not surprising, given the team had sported a pro style offense and defense. They had NFL sized/style players at QB, RB and across the defense. But now, other than LB, this will no longer be the case. The will be going for big athletes at QB and undersized but quick athletes at RB, WR and DE. This will lead to consistent success for the team, but less big time prospects for the pros.