Penn State Saturday six pack: A key commitment’s anniversary, wrestling clip of the weekend, Preakness picks, more
Happy Saturday, Penn State fans! And, welcome back to the six pack, our every-now-and-then roundup of thoughts or opinions on any number of Nittany Lion topics to get you through the weekend. We’re at the midway point of May, which means big visit weekends are almost here regularly. For now, though, a one-off this Saturday highlights the stretch that will take us into next week.
Let’s dive in.
1. Flashing back to a key commitment
Do you remember what happened on this weekend a year ago? If not, here’s a reminder: Ethan Grunkemeyer was in town for the Elite 11 regional and left it as both a Penn State verbal commitment and an Elite 11 invitee. The Olentangy, Ohio native was just starting his rise up the national recruiting rankings at the time. Grunkemeyer would go on to be part of the 2023 Elite 11 class. He played in the Under Armour All-American game, too, and ended up as a four-star who ranked No. 108 overall and was the No. 9 quarterback in the On3 Industry Rankings for the Class of 2024. He then enrolled at Penn State for the spring semester. That decision proved to be crucial after Blue-White Illustrated broke the news that expected third-string signal caller Jaxon Smolik will miss significant time this year due to an undisclosed injury.
By arriving early, Grunkemeyer could start getting a firm grasp of Andy Kotelnicki’s offense while adjusting to college life on and off the field. Obviously, he’s a long ways from actually needing to see the field. But, if for some reason he does need to take snaps this fall, his early commitment, which led to an early enrollment, will be remembered as a key moment for Penn State in the last recruiting cycle.
2. Speaking of the Elite 11 regional
It returns to Penn State this weekend. A number of the region’s (and even some prospects from outside of it) top quarterbacks and skill players will be in State College to visit the Lions on Saturday before competing for an invite to either the Elite 11 finals or the All-22 portion of that event on Sunday at State College Area High School. Stay tuned for more updates from that throughout the weekend as head coach James Franklin’s program again aims to take advantage of what having the event in town means to his program’s recruiting efforts.
3. Which jersey numbers will the new guys wear?
Penn State welcomed four new Nittany Lions to campus last weekend. Linebacker Anthony Speca, receiver Peter Gonzalez, lineman Caleb Brewer, and defensive end Mylachi Williams have all now started classes and are working out with the team. But, they are not on the official roster yet. Once they are, we’ll learn their first uniform numbers in blue and white. Making guesses here would be sort of silly. But, it’s at least worth noting that Speca’s high school number 16 is not available, nor is Gonzalez’s No. 7, Brewer’s No. 44, nor William’s high school number of 88 nor the one he took in recruiting photos, which was No. 8. So, none will likely get their prep number at the next level to start.
4. Updated betting odds
Back on May 3, DraftKings released a number of odds for Penn State games this fall. All of the lines have moved some since they first opened, and all were against the Nittany Lions. It’s not indicative of much at this early juncture, but here’s how things have changed:
Original:Sat., Aug. 31: Penn State -12 at West Virginia
Sat, Oct. 12: Penn State -6 at USC
Sat, Oct. 26: Penn State -7 at Wisconsin
Sat., Nov. 2: Ohio State -2 at Penn StateMay 15 odds:Sat., Aug. 31: Penn State -10 at West Virginia
Sat, Oct. 12: Penn State -4 at USC
Sat, Oct. 26: Penn State -6.5 at Wisconsin
Sat., Nov. 2: Ohio State -3 at Penn State
5. A must-watch Penn State wrestling video
You do not have to be a diehard wrestling fan to remember the 2018 184-pound NCAA finals. Penn State pulled away from Ohio State and ultimately won its latest team title in the Cael Sanderson era thanks to Bo Nickal’s pin of Buckeye Myles Martin in the finals. Flo Wrestling is currently documenting “the greatest pins of all-time,” and it calls Nickal’s fall is the lead-off episode. It’s a tremendous production featuring terrific insight from both Nickal and Martin. If you’re looking to kill 25 minutes today, we highly recommend watching the episode here.
6. Final word
Let’s wrap up with a Preakness pick! No, it has nothing to do with Penn State. But, a sixth topic for the six pack didn’t come immediately to mind.
The second leg of the Triple Crown will go off at 6:57 p.m. from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan is in the eight-horse fan, will wear the No. 5 saddle cloth, and might just go off as the favorite after original morning line favorite Muth scratched earlier this week. He could win but doesn’t have to. Imagination, a Bob Baffert trained horse who will be No. 9 in your racing form, could break away early and never look back. Catching Freedom, the No. 3 entry for trainer Brad Cox, was fourth in the Derby and figures to have a chance, too. No. 8 Tuscan Gold for Chad Brown catches the eye, as well. The plays are a win bet on #9 Imagination and an exacta of Nos. 3,8,9 with Nos. 3,5,8,9. Good luck and if wagering, do so responsibly!
The post Penn State Saturday six pack: A key commitment’s anniversary, wrestling clip of the weekend, Preakness picks, more appeared first on On3.
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