With high school junior Michal Menet’s verbal commitment to James Franklin, Penn State has secured the top in-state recruit and locked in its ninth verbal commitment for the Class of 2016. The 6-foot-5, 271-pound offensive lineman struggled to decide between the Nittany Lions and the Duke Blue Devils, but ultimately decided to stay in-state and close to home. His announcement came last Friday at a school assembly, after which he proudly announced that Penn State is “the place I want to be, ... Read More
Cortez Allen has a lot to prove in 2015
With training camp just over a month away for the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are several players who must use camp to take a big step forward. While Jarvis Jones’ name comes to mind on the Steelers defense, perhaps no player must show that he can have a bounce back season more than cornerback Cortez Allen. In fear of perhaps losing another young corner, the Steelers rushed to give Allen a five-year, $26-million contract extension prior to last season. Needless to say that decision ... Read More
Clarion’s Julian Howsare motivated to make New York Jets roster
Julian Howsare has always made the most of every situation he's been put into. Make it out of Altoona and into a college football program. Check. Become an All-American. Check. Sign an NFL contract. Check. The last check mark for Howsare came just minutes after May's NFL Draft had ended. For Division II football players like Howsare, who played his college ball at Clarion in the PSAC West, being drafted sometimes isn't the outcome but rather signing as an undrafted free agent. Those who sign ... Read More
Coates will push Bryant in crowded Steelers WR corps
Playing in the shadow of a certain Sammy while playing college ball at Clemson, Martavis Bryant ought to be quite motivated to stay ahead of the newest Sammie in Pittsburgh. When the Steelers drafted Auburn's Sammie Coates in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, it came as more than a bit of a surprise to most, especially considering the team's massive needs elsewhere. But Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin simply could not pass up this addition to an already potent air attack led by veteran QB ... Read More
Lawrence Timmons open to idea of retiring a Steeler
Until lately, whether it because of performance or salary cap issues, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a knack of knowing when to cut ties with veterans getting up there in age. One guy that they will be forced to make a tough call in the next couple of years will be inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Even though he is still playing at a very high level, Timmons has a couple of extremely high cap hits coming up of $12.6 million in 2015 and $11.8 million in 2016. That alone may force the ... Read More
Penguins offseason: Could Comeau be back in Pittsburgh?
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Blake Comeau as a free agent last summer without much fanfare. He was a 28-year-old veteran that had spent the previous two seasons playing a fourth line role, so the assumption was that he would wind up in the same role with the Penguins, possibly pushing Craig Adams for playing time and working on the penalty kill. He did have a past history of working as a top six scorer, but that was back in his early years with the New York Islanders. His recent ... Read More
Seton Hill’s Nick Sell named top D2 baseball player
After a record-breaking season with Seton Hill, the Griffins' top player has received the most prestigious honor in Division II baseball. Nick Sell, a senior infielder, was awarded the Tino Martinez Award on Monday, declaring him the most outstanding player in D2. "Receiving the Tino Martinez Award is an amazing personal recognition for me, but I share this honor with my teammates who have been on an unbelievable journey with me over the past four years," Sell said in a press release the team ... Read More
Antwon Blake standing out during Steelers OTA’s
With the Pittsburgh Steelers a little over a month away from reporting to Latrobe for training camp, we have started to get a look at the 2015 team during OTA’s, which began last week and will continue this week and next week. Some guys have made it a point to stand out during these OTA’s and one guy in particular could have a say in how the Steelers secondary looks when they take the field for the season opener against the New England Patriots. That guy is cornerback Antwon Blake. With ... Read More
James Conner, Tyler Boyd named preseason All-Americans
Ever since new Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi took over, there has been a little more excitement about the Pitt program than usual. Needless to say others outside of Pittsburgh like what the Panthers are bringing back, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Pitt juniors James Conner and Tyler Boyd were honored on Monday by being named All-Americans by national college football expert Phil Steele. Boyd was named to Steele's first team preseason All-America squad while ... Read More
Penguins offseason: Martin, Ehrhoff could be on their way out
The free agency period is almost here and the Pittsburgh Penguins have some tough decisions to make. The most high profile players that will be eligible for free agency on July 1 will be veteran defensemen Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff. Paul Martin: Upon joining the Penguins as a free agent in 2010, Martin’s slow adjustment to then-head coach Dan Bylmsa’s system caused him to become a scapegoat and fans were trying to find ways to get run him out of town. However, he then had an amazing ... Read More