Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
MARCH 2025/VOL. 40, NO. 7 MANAGING EDITOR Matt Herb CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stu Coman Cathy Jones Chris Riffer WEBSITE PUBLISHER Sean Fitz WEBSITE EDITOR Nate Bauer STAFF WRITER Greg Pickel RECRUITING REPORTER Ryan Snyder FOOTBALL ANALYST Thomas Frank Carr CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jim Carlson PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Althouse, Frank Hyatt, Steve Manuel, Mark Selders COVER PHOTO Penn State Athletics DESIGN Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller F F F PUBLISHER Mark Panus BUSINESS ANALYST Sarah Boone CIRCULATION MANAGER Tristin Shears ADVERTISING SALES Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 CUSTOMER SERVICE Lauren Gordon, Cathy Jones (800) 421-7751 BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED (USPS 742-550) is published monthly, except June, by Coman Publishing Co., a division of On3 Media, Inc., located at 905 W. Main St., Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. A one-year (11 issues) subscription is $68.00. First-class, digital and foreign rates available on request. Periodicals postage paid at Durham, NC 27701 and additional mailing offices. Printed by The Papers, Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Please send address correc- tions/changes to BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED, PO Box 2331, Durham NC 27702-2331. For advertising or subscription information call 1-919-688-0218 or write BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED, PO Box 2331, Durham NC 27702-2331. Site Lines C O M M E N T S F R O M T H E L I O N S D E N A T B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ON JIM KNOWLES' ARRIVAL AS PENN STATE'S DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR … I'm still in kind of shock this happened. I'm 53, and Dear Old State paying a coordinator highest in history is a little surreal. And I know nothing about Jim Knowles. But at 59, and with the information coming out about how he likes the culture here and wants to be a part of it and has Philly roots, it seems like he is looking for a landing pad for his career. — ericjpro Not to be hyperbolic, but PSU has always been sort of a sleeping giant. We're smack dab in the middle of the largest metros with the most money. … I'm pumped. I'm already planning to go to the Blue-White Game, and I haven't wanted to go in some time. — JKlee717 Remember that Knowles coached at two OSUs. We know what he did at Ohio State, but he also had good defenses at Oklahoma State with a lot less talent. We may not be at an Ohio State level with our talent (though we are close), but I'd wager we have more talent than he did at Okie State. It took him a year at both OSUs to see big improvements in the defensive performance. Let's hope that's not the case with us. — PhillipintheValley Nice to think we might be proactive on defense. Last year, it felt like we just waited for the offense to do their thing and then made adjustments — very reactive. Sounds like he's ready to play advanced chess against all of these offensive coordinators. — Gmac14 A special thanks to [athletics director] Pat Kraft for giving James Franklin everything he needs to contend for a cham- pionship. I know some people have been down on him, but his moves over the past year have put us in the best position we could be in to have a chance to win it all. You can't ask for much more than that. — getmyjive11 Jim Knowles gives new meaning to the term "home run hire." I like everything about this guy. — Jason1743 ON THE IMPENDING CHANGES TO BEAVER STADIUM … Mixed emotions with this. On one hand, it will be refreshing to have a nice and clean area where I'm not squeezed in like a sardine to get a drink or snack. On the other hand, there was something very communal and alive about being locked into the lower levels of the Titanic with thousands of others, singing and hooting and hollering. I just hope we can keep the same energy in the building as we space out seats and bring in the $$$. — edtee I really like it. Looks like the new suite areas could have a lot of space for extra people for big events. — Locopsu I like that idea of year-round events. If you've been to [Green Bay's] Lambeau Field, they have space for weddings, meetings, dinners, etc. People plan things there all the time. Could that be a way Beaver Stadium gets revenue? There are similarities there in that Lambeau is a rural location, and so is PSU. — Gas Lion Honestly, I was a little concerned about the stadium losing its feel as Beaver Stadium, but this looks pretty good. — SeamusPSU I like that the athletic department isn't afraid of going big. We have one of the biggest fan bases and stadiums in the world. It's time to start maximizing the opportunities not just for football, but the entire university. … With this $700 million project for Beaver Stadium, it seems like for the first time in a while, the university is saying, "We are Penn State, and we want to do big things, get onboard." Sure, there is a lot of deferred maintenance in there. But it looks like for the first time in a while, they aren't complacent in catching up. They're getting ahead, and it's quite refreshing. I hope it catalyzes other departments and areas of the university to do big things as well. — mbach2013 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 After Tom Allen left for Clemson, Penn State hired Jim Knowles away from Ohio State, where he had just finished helping the Buckeyes win a national championship. PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL