PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Penn State, after beating Rutgers here 40-36 for its third win in 15 days, is now bowl eligible. But…make that buts, plural…there’s still a lot to be figured out.
To start: Which bowl, where, when and against whom?
The representative from the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium was everywhere in SHI Stadium on Saturday, from the field to the press box. Penn State played in the Pinstripe Bowl and beat Boston College there in 2014. A return visit on Dec. 27 against Pitt or Clemson would be very attractive to TV and at the gate.
Other bowl possibilities include the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit and the Music City Bowl in Nashville on Dec. 30. An announcement of which bowl and opponent will be made next Sunday afternoon.
There’s a high school recruit signing date this week, from 7 a.m. Wednesday to midnight Friday. Penn State’s recruiting class is now at seven, down from a high of 26, and is ranked No. 84 in the nation, according to On3.
Current assistants and staff and players will be deciding on their futures, some as soon as Sunday and Monday. For many, their lives will be hold.
The headline of the week — the year, actually — is expected to be the hiring of a new head coach by athletic director Pat Kraft, who has been mostly a one-person search committee, aided logistically by his right-hand man, Vinnie James, the deputy AD for internal operations and the day-to-day Penn State football administrator. But mostly, Kraft has been a one-man band, literally flying across the country.
The new head coach actually has to say yes, agree to terms, be signed off on, signed to a contract, brought to campus and introduced. Then, there’s the big onloading of the entourage that he will be bringing and hiring. An announcement is likely to come this week, perhaps in the next few days. Any new hire must be approved by the Penn State Board of Trustees’ Committee for Equity and Human Resources. Among the more prominent candidates for the job are Lincoln Riley of USC, Kalen DeBoer of Alabama and Bob Chesney of James Madison.
Players in their last year will start thinking about opting out and moving on, getting healthy and getting ready for the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine in late February. It’s something running back Nick Singleton has started to really think about. NIL and Penn State athletic department contracts, the potential of injuries and the impact on preparing for the pro football draft are all key issues NFL-bound players like Singleton must take into consideration.
“Right now, I’m talking to my parents about that,” Singleton said after the game, when he became the Penn State all-time leader in rushing TDs (45), career total TDs (55) and career all-purpose yards (5,586). “I don’t have a decision right now, but after that I will.”
Does he worry about the risk of getting injured while playing in a bowl game? “If I go, I know about the risk and all that,” he said. “But I do it for teammates and coaches.”
Players with eligibility will be torn between staying and waiting for the new head coach and starting to shop the marketplace, in advance of the portal officially opening up on Jan. 2-16. (Players will get a 15-day window to transfer that opens five days after the school has hired or announced its next head coach.)
There is so, so much. And, as interim head coach Terry Smith — now 3-3 as the boss for the 6-6 Nittany Lions — said in his post-game press conference Saturday night, there is “no timetable.”
When asked about his future, Smith deferred and even made light of his past politicking for the head coaching job.
“Last week, I came in with a lot of energy, so to speak,” Smith said. “This week, I’m just thankful we won a game. I’m thankful we have an opportunity to go to a bowl game. I’m thankful for these guys who played their hearts out for all of us. I just told our guys we’re going to have an opportunity to play in a bowl game, yet to be determined. I’m going to give these guys a week off. Next Sunday is selection Sunday, and we’ll figure out who we’re going to play. We’ll just start game-planning from there and take care of our veteran guys and get our younger guys a lot of work and get them ready to go.”
With next week off, Penn State players will regroup, maybe make a quick trip home, and then buckle down for the final two weeks of classes. And wait to also learn who the next head coach at Penn State will be. “I’m probably going to go home and hunt,” said senior linebacker Dom DeLuca. “Rifle season just started.”
Meanwhile, the Penn State assistant coaches, staff and support personnel will have a very light calendar next week, days filled with anxiety, anticipation and, for some, networking, job-searching and determining whether they should accept a job offer at Virginia Tech.
Smith and his players are used to the uncertainty by now, since James Franklin was fired by Kraft on Oct. 12 — 49 days ago.
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has been Penn State’s starter the past six games after QB1 Drew Allar broke his ankle late against Northwestern, in a loss that seems like eons ago. Grunk, who competed 17 of 21 passes for 209 yards and a TD against Rutgers, was asked a pair of post-game questions about his future with a new head coach:
1. How does he approach not knowing who the next head coach will be, since his football future literally depends on it? “It’s kind of like we talk about in the locker room — just attacking adversity. So, you know this, it’s just been tough this season. Unknowns pretty much every week. This week, especially, will be more challenging, just with seeing what happens. I think it’s just taking it day by day and not taking it for granted.”
2. What Grunk wants from the new head coach. “I just really want to sit down with him. And, you know, see what the plan is. You know, just talk to him about my future. And know what he sees me doing. And just seeing what he does as a coach and how we can develop that way. I think that’s just really the biggest thing — just sitting down with him.”
