BWI Live: A Penn State football podcast from Blue White Illustrated

The Penn State schedule for 2026 is soft, right? It’s one of the biggest talking points for fans and media heading into new head coach Matt Campbell’s first season in Happy Valley. Yet, one position can change that math very quickly. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’re ranking the top five quarterbacks on Penn State’s schedule for 2026. Which teams will be the toughest to beat based on who is under center? We’re ranking five through one for Penn State’s Big Ten schedule this fall. We’ll also hear from NBC color analyst and former Penn St...

The Penn State football team is just weeks away from the start of fall camp, and we’re getting you ready for the season with our 2026 Season Preview magazine. On today’s BWI Live Show, we’ll recap two of the articles in the magazine by discussing Nate Bauer’s conversation with linebacker Tony Rojas. Then, we’ll dive into our exclusive chat with new Penn State defenisve coordiantor D’Anton Lynn. Of course, we’ll also be taking your questions and comments live on the show! Join us at 10 a.m. on YouTube or on replay wherever you get your podca...

The Penn State recruiting department took two serious hits this week as summer recruiting came to a conclusionary thud. Four-star receiver Khalil Taylor chose Nebraska over Penn State and then four-star running back Aiden Gibson decided to flip to Rutgers after committing to the Nittany Lions over the Scarlet Knights earlier this spring. What’s going on with recruiting? We discuss that on today’s show, plus we’ll look at the players who can replace them in the Class of 2027 down the stretch. 

Join the show today live at 10 a.m. on YouTube. We’ll be taking yo...

The Penn State football team is less than 60 days out from the start of the 2026 season, and conference media days are already kicking off this week. Today on the BWI Live Show, we begin our season preview by discussing the top five hardest games that the team will play this year and the top burning questions we have for the team heading into Big Ten media days later this month. We’ll also discuss the latest news on the recruiting front. 

Join us live at 10 a.m. on YouTube! We’ll be taking your questions and comments throu...

Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser sat down with Blue White Illustrated for an exclusive interview at the end of last month. On Monday, we put out the entire 40-minute conversation for fans on our YouTube channel, and today, we’re discussing the highlights with you on the BWI Live Show. Join us as we recap the conversation, what we learned about Mouser, and what it reveals about the team’s plans for this fall. We’ll also discuss the latest season previews from Athlon and Matt Campbell’s conversation with the Big Ten Network. Finally, we’ll take your quest...

Penn State football is closing in on the start of the 2026 season, with about a month to go before the start of Fall camp. It’s also starting a new era with the team’s switch to Adidas official at the team’s annual Lift for Life event on Wednesday. Join the BWI Live Recruiting show for a recap of that, plus a new RPM as Penn State begins to work on the upcoming Class of 2028. 

Join the show live today at 10 a.m. as we discuss those topics, plus a final update on Khalil Taylor before his ann...

Penn State wrestling had an outstanding weekend at Final X in Newark — sending five wrestlers to the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan this October. Greg Pickel joins Thomas Frank Carr to break down every result, starting with Marcus Blaze's clutch win at 61kg over Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State, earned on a late takedown at the edge of the mat in round three.

They also cover Luke Littledahl's competitive series loss to Spencer Lee — and why the result says more about Spencer Lee's level than any deficiency in Littledahl heading into his junior season. Then a full...

The Penn State recruiting staff got two major wins this week for the defensive roster. Top linebacker target Case Alexander and Texas cornerback Dhillon McGee both chose the Nittany Lions over the top schools in their states. Today on the BWI Live Recruiting Show, we’ll recap those wins, plus give fans an update on the lone outstanding commitment left on the board in receiver Khalil Taylor. What’s the latest? Reporter Ryan Snyder will detail that, plus we’ll recap the team’s June recruiting for 2028 and beyond. 

Join the show live at 10 a.m. on YouTube t...

Penn State head coach Matt Campbell sat down with Blue White Illustrated earlier this month for an exclusive interview. Reporter Nate Bauer spoke with the new head man of the Nittany Lions and discussed what he learned from the interaction on today’s BWI Live Show. Join us at 10 a.m. to hear Bauer’s reaction and highlights from his series of articles on the interview. Plus, we’ll discuss another season projection for Penn State, discuss the latest Penn State recruiting news, and take your questions during the BWI Mailbag. 

Join us live to be part of the...

The Penn State football recruiting class of 2027 was hit with another decommitment on Monday, and this is the biggest blow yet. Four-star wide receiver Jamir Dean made the expected flip from the Nittany Lions to Georgia on Monday afternoon, a little over a week after his official visit. What does that mean for the team’s class-building efforts? We’ll also discuss the latest reactions from Penn State’s final official visit weekend. What sort of impact did the team make on the national prospects who joined them for the weekend? We’ll also discuss the wildcards and commitment from Eli...

Penn State football fills one of its biggest needs in the 2027 class as defensive end Elijah Guertin of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island commits to the Nittany Lions. At 6'5" and 250 pounds, Guertin fits exactly the mold Danton Lynn has been building toward — a big, versatile defensive end who can play every down and develop into a franchise-level pass rusher.

Sean Fitz breaks down how the recruitment unfolded, why Penn State beat out Florida and Tennessee, and why Guertin's ranking undersells what he actually is. Then Thomas Frank Carr takes you to the film ro...

It’s a big week for the Penn State football recruiting department. The staff hosted its first official visit weekend of the year last week and is in the midst of camps to try and find the next group of Nittany Lions for 2027 and beyond. The pace doesn’t slow down becuase tomorrow, they will host the next round of targets for 2027. We’ll be covering all of that on the BWI Live Show today at 10 a.m. Also, not all the news is good. Will Penn State lose a second defender from the class this week? 

Join us...

Penn State football adds another piece to its 2027 class as safety Caleb Cooper of Providence Day High School in Charlotte, North Carolina commits to the Nittany Lions! Cooper is a 5'11" 205-pound safety with a 4.45 forty and a 10-foot broad jump — and his junior season numbers tell the story: 97 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 6 pass deflections, and an interception.

Ryan Snyder breaks down the recruitment story — including how Deon Broomfield got Cooper on campus within 24 hours of reaching out — and what it was about Penn State that sealed the deal. Then Thomas Frank Carr takes you to the film r...

One of the longest-running college football podcasters in the country joins BWI for a full Penn State 2026 preview. Ty Hildenbrandt of the Solid Verbal — a Penn State graduate who has been doing the show since 2008 — sits down with Thomas Frank Carr to break down everything you need to know about the Nittany Lions heading into Matt Campbell's first season.

Ty makes the case that Penn State is genuinely dangerous this year — a veteran roster, a favorable schedule, and a quarterback in Rocco Becht who may be the most experienced signal-caller in all of FBS. He projects Penn State...

The Penn State football team is now in its summer work phase, following its return from break in late May. While important things are happening on campus with both the team and recruiting, we’re taking today to look at the bigger picture. Last week, the United States Senate held a hearing on the future of college football as part of its proposed legislation to govern the sport.

Reporter Nate Bauer watched that hearing and has been writing about it over the last several days. Today, we’ll discuss the situation facing the sport and what needs to b...

The Penn State football team faces one of its most critical weekends in recruiting on the 2026 calendar. The team hosts all of its committed prospects, plus six uncommitted players, many of whom represent the top of their positional boards. Can the team secure a number of these players? Join the BWI Live Recruiting Show today at 10 a.m. to discuss that, plus recap the team’s first recruiting camp of the summer from Wednesday afternoon. We’ll also be taking your questions and comments live on the show! 

Join us live at 10 a.m. to discuss all of th...

National college football insider Pete Nakos of On3 joins Thomas Frank Carr for his second appearance on the BWI YouTube channel — and he comes with news Penn State fans need to hear. Chaz Coleman's future at Tennessee is seriously in doubt, and Pete breaks down exactly where things stand, what Tennessee has done to try to support him, and whether there is any realistic path for Coleman to get back on a college football field in 2026.

Then Pete and TFC go deep on the Penn State roster — from Rocco Becht's spring role despite his shoulder injury, to why...

Expectations are both high and unknown for the Penn State football team in 2026. With so many variables and new faces converging in Happy Valley this year, it’s hard to know where to place the team in the Big Ten pecking order. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’ll answer the top five burning questions facing the team that will lead us to that answer in time. We’ll discuss the important games that define the season, the players who need to make a big leap in production, plus realistic expectations. We’ll also discuss Athlon’s Big Ten coach...

Cael Sanderson has done it again. The Penn State wrestling head coach is the Open Mat Division I Coach of the Year — and at this point, the only real question is when they name the award after him. Mitchell Mesenbrink adds the Hodge Trophy to his national championship, capping one of the most dominant individual seasons in college wrestling history.

Greg Pickel joins Thomas Frank Carr to break it all down, plus preview what's coming up for Penn State's wrestlers on the international stage this summer. Final X is set, U20 Nationals are this weekend, and U23 Na...

The Penn State football recruiting staff is waiting a week to start its official visits so we also have a week to do a wider look at the team’s recruiting situation heading into the final, pivotal stretch of commitment season. On today’s show, we’ll recap the latest recruiting news, including Penn State missing out on a pair of four-star prospects. Today’s main topic will be a gut check of where things are and where they will go over the next six months of recruiting. We’ll ask recruiting reporter Sean Fitz a series of questions to get his...

The Penn State football team will get news soon about when it will play certain opponents in the 2026 regular season. Will this news lead us closer to a confirmed White Out game for the upcoming football season? We’re discussing the upcoming news,  previewing the Penn State safety room, plus taking your questions today on the BWI Live Show. 

Join us today at 10 a.m. on YouTube to be part of the show! We’re highlighting questions from the BWI Mailbag thread, but we will also take your questions live during the show to be part of the ac...

Penn State football enters the summer with a reasonably strong indication of where the roster stands after a good month and a half of practice during the spring. Now, the staff will sit down and review what they learned about the team over that timeframe to build the offense around its best players. We also learned this spring that the staff routinely ranks the best players on the offensive side of the ball to remind the group of who they should be building around. 

Today, we’ll do the same thing. We’re ranking the five best Penn...

Penn State football adds another piece to an already loaded 2027 class as defensive tackle Andy Paiva from Skyline High School in Draper, Utah commits to the Nittany Lions! At 6'3" and 325 pounds, Paiva is a rare true nose tackle prospect — and Ikaika Malloe traveled all the way to Utah to get his guy.

Sean Fitz breaks down how the recruitment unfolded, why Penn State beat out Oregon and Arizona, and how Paiva fits alongside Stanley Montgomery on the defensive tackle board. Then Thomas Frank Carr takes you into the film room for a full breakdown of what ma...

The biggest month of Penn State football recruiting is on its way next week. With the start of summer comes the start of official visit season. While it’s not the same bonanza of commitments as it used to be, the team will still try to secure its top targets at key positions over the next few weeks. Today on the BWI Live Recruiting Show, we discuss that, plus the loss of top commit Gabe Jenkins to Colorado, the latest in the 2028 Recruiting rankings, and more. 

Join us live at 10 a.m. on YouTube to be part of...

Penn State's 2027 class has five consensus four-stars. Is that a problem — or is the Campbell staff just doing what they've always done? Thomas Frank Carr and the BWI crew highlight five committed players who can make the jump from three to four stars before the cycle ends, plus what anonymous Big Ten coaches are saying about Campbell's staff, the 24-team playoff push, and On3 national insider Pete Nakos on the NIL firestorm reshaping college football.

Today's Rundown

0:00 Intro — Big Ten Anonymous Coaches on Penn State

4:18 The Tony Rojas Quote — What the Conference Thinks of Pen...

Penn State football is in its first year under new head coach Matt Campbell, and unlike some coaching changes, this doesn’t feel like a rebuild for the Nittany Lions. Despite the turnover and turmoil of November and December in 2025, the team emerged on the other side with a blended roster of players from both Iowa State and Penn State heading into 2026. Campbell sat down with On3 recently to discuss his view of the program and team building. Can Penn State emulate Indiana’s success on its way to a National Championship? We’ll discuss that idea, plus discuss how th...

Will Wood commits to Penn State. The three-star quarterback from Natick, Massachusetts — playing at Tabor Academy — becomes the Nittany Lions' 2027 QB commit after Penn State made a deliberate pivot away from Peter Bourque. Thomas Frank Carr and Sean Fitz break down the full story: why Penn State chose Wood over Bourque, what the film shows, and what kind of quarterback Penn State is actually building around.

Video rundown

0:00 Intro — Penn State Gets Its 2027 Quarterback

1:18 Did Penn State Miss on Bourque or Was Wood the Choice? Fitz Answers

3:55 How the Will Wood Recrui...

It’s a big day for the Penn State football team’s recruiting efforts this cycle. Four-star quarterback Peter Bourque will announce his college decision today between Penn State, Georgia, and Virginia Tech, though we’ll explain on today’s show why this is a two-team race. Head coach Matt Campbell and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters seem to have made up their minds on a different quarterback. On today’s BWI Live show, we’ll preview Bourque’s decision and what it means for PSU target Will Wood. We’ll also discuss another announcement coming up today in which the Lions may ge...

Aiden Gibson commits to Penn State. The four-star running back from Woodruff, South Carolina — 6'1", 215 pounds, No. 17 RB nationally — chooses the Nittany Lions over Rutgers after a recruitment that started at Boston College and ended with Penn State's best in-home visit of the cycle. Thomas Frank Carr and Ryan Snyder break down how it happened, what Gibson does on film, and why Taylor Mouser calls the running back the tone setter of the offense.

In this video:

0:00 Intro — Penn State Lands Four-Star Running Back Aiden Gibson

1:19 How Savon Huggins Built This Relationship From Boston...

The Penn State football team broke for the summer session at the end of last month with the goal of improving its weaknesses over the summer and being ready to hit the season at full force. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’re discussing the players who need to improve the most this offseaosn to help Penn State become as bulletproof as possible before the regular season starts. We’ll also recap Aiden Gibson’s commitment to Penn State, take your questions in the BWI Mailbag, and discuss the latest news with the team schedule. 

Today's Rundown...

Penn State's 2026 roster is a blend of two programs. Matt Campbell and his staff made hard choices this offseason — and the players they chose to keep are now in line for bigger roles than ever. Thomas Frank Carr, Nate Bauer and Sean Fitz each name their top three breakout candidates from the retained Penn State roster, plus an interview with On3's Andy Staples on the Campbell transition, the offense and a potential 24-team playoff.

Video Rundown: 

0:00 Intro — Penn State Basketball Update and 24-Team Playoff Debate

2:37 The Retained Players Exercise — Setting Up the Countdo...

Penn State wrestling's off-season is anything but quiet. Lucas Cochrane enters the transfer portal as the only Lion to move on during the window. PJ Duke enters the World Team Trials at 74kg — one weight class above where he wrestled in college — and it tells you a lot about his future. Plus Mitchell Mesenbrink's decision to enter or not, Levi Haines at the Pan Am Championships, and what the five-for-five eligibility rule could mean for Penn State's roster management going forward.

In this video:

0:00 Intro — Portal Window Closed, World Team Trials Coming

0:54 Lucas Cochra...

Official visits start at the end of the month and Penn State's coaches are on the road. Thomas Frank Carr, Sean Fitz and Ryan Snyder break down where the 2027 class stands by position, where Penn State has leverage, where there's work to do, and which blue-chip prospects the Nittany Lions have a real shot at landing before the cycle closes.

In this video:

0:00 Intro — Where Penn State Recruiting Stands Entering Official Visit Season

5:44 OL Board: How Many OL Does Penn State Need in the 2027 Class?

11:25 WR Board: Khalil Taylor — Penn State's Posi...

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team broke camp almost a week ago, but we’re still picking through the things we learned both during and since the team exited organized team activities for the summer. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’ll discuss the players who got better over the last 15 practices and set themselves up for positive momentum leaving training camp. We’ll also discuss the team’s 2026 schedule and which players on the team might be in the conversation for a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. In other words, which teams are hardest on their sc...

Spring practice is over — now what? Thomas Frank Carr, Sean Fitz and Nate Bauer break down the biggest remaining questions from Penn State's spring camp, including who emerges as the offensive star in 2026, what happens when Tony Rojas returns to a linebacker room that already has Kooper Ebel and Caleb Bacon, and what Matt Campbell said to close out spring. Plus two new 2027 commits, the latest recruiting news and your questions in the BWI Mailbag.

In this video:

0:00 Intro — Remembering Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli

3:25 Does Penn State's Offense Have a Star? The Big Spring Ques...

Penn State football is done with spring practice — and the 2027 recruiting class isn't slowing down. Four-star defensive tackle Stanley Montgomery of Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia has committed to the Nittany Lions, becoming the first true defensive tackle in Penn State's 2027 class and its highest-rated prospect.

Thomas Frank Carr and recruiting reporter Ryan Snyder break down the full recruitment — from Montgomery's two summer camp visits under the previous staff, to his Syracuse commitment and decommitment, to Matt Campbell's January offer and the April 18th visit that put everything in motion. Plus a full film breakdown of what...

Penn State football has done it again — two commitments in two days. Wide receiver Jamir Dean of Tennessee has committed to the Nittany Lions, becoming the third wide receiver in the 2027 class alongside Landon Bloom and giving new WR coach Kashif Moore his first official recruiting win.

Thomas Frank Carr and Ryan Snyder break down the full story — how Moore offered Dean within 48 hours of his arrival at Penn State, why Dean chose the Nittany Lions over Arkansas, Purdue, and UConn, and what makes him a legitimate four-star candidate despite an 89 Rivals grade out of the gate. Plus...

The Penn State recruiting team put in a lot of work this spring, gaining 12 commits during spring football. The team valued itself in the top 20 of recruiting classes from a standing start in late March and now transitions to the next phase. With May arriving on Friday, the recruiting calendar switches to an important new cycle, which we’ll discuss on today’s show. However, the most important news this week is that the team may be on the verge of getting another commitment in the coming days. We’ll discuss Aiden Gibson’s recruiting updates from the last few days...

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team is now done with spring practice and off to the next stage of the 2026 offseason. Today on the BWI Live Show, we’ll discuss the winners and losers of spring ball after 15 practices. Join the show today as we give a stock up and stock down report for the standout players this spring. We’ll also finish up our discussion about Matt Campbell’s comments after practice, plus whoever else reporter Greg Pickel spoke to from the team. 

Join the show today at 10 a.m. on YouTube! We’re back to our no...

The Penn State Nittany Lions Football team concluded spring football on Saturday with the annual Blue-White event. The practice was held inside Beaver Stadium, which itself is a construction site with the west side being blocked off for the day’s events. It was also held in a 50-degree downpour, which limited the attendance. Today, we’ll spend the show discussing what we saw and learned from the practice. Join us for 60 minutes of Penn State football talk, including a new commitment to the recruiting class and dissecting what head coach Matt Campbell had to say afterward. 

Join...