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Florida International University quarterback Keyone Jenkins (1) makes.a pass attempt during an NCAA football game against New Mexico State on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in Miami. (AP Photo\/Peter Joneleit)<\/p>\n
FIU (1-0) at PSU (1-0)<\/p>\n
When: Saturday, noon<\/p>\n
TV: Big Ten Network<\/p>\n
Odds: Lions are 41.5-point favorites.<\/p>\n
This is already the fifth football season that NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) has been in existence, and many of the details remain behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
But those in the trenches know specifics of who is making how much, and they\u2019re trying to use that information to their advantage.<\/p>\n
Two such examples surfaced in the past week.<\/p>\n
After losing a non-conference game to Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi coach Charles Huff (a former James Franklin assistant) said this: \u201cThey spent $15 million on their O-line and D-line. In the second half, they should get a return on their investment. We\u2019re built pretty good, but we\u2019re not built for that league (SEC).\u201d<\/p>\n
The Oregon-Oklahoma State lead-up saw the coaches trading barbs.<\/p>\n
Oke State coach\/loose cannon Mike Gundy \u2014 you remember him for his infamous \u201cI\u2019m a man! I\u2019m 40!\u201d rant at some student reporter (already 18 years ago) \u2014 accused Oregon of spending $40 million on its roster.<\/p>\n
Gundy contrasted that to the Cowboys, saying his team spent \u201caround $7 million\u201d over the past three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Oregon spent close to 40 (million) last year alone,\u201d Gundy said. \u201cSo, that was just one year. Now, I might be off a few million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ducks coach Dan Lanning fired back, saying, \u201cIf you want to be a Top-10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. We spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gundy also suggested teams\u2019 budgets should dictate which teams are scheduled for non-conference games.<\/p>\n
I wonder what he thinks of Penn State playing Nevada, FIU and Delaware.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, staying on the money theme, the most significant news out of PSU this week \u2014 confirmed Friday \u2014 was a report the school is switching to Adidas for its merchandise.<\/p>\n
Penn State has been bedfellows with Nike for more than 30 years as Joe Paterno enjoyed a good relationship with Nike CEO Phil Knight, who named a building after JoePa at the company headquarters in Oregon.<\/p>\n
Adidas, though, is making a strong push into the college marketplace, and Penn State represents a prime client as the deal kicks in July 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
Adidas also recently committed a 10-year deal to Tennessee worth a reported $20 million annually.<\/p>\n
Nitpicking \u2026 <\/p>\n
n Franklin made an interesting disclosure when he said backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer \u201cplayed in the (Nevada) game better than he\u2019s practiced, at times, in terms of he wasn\u2019t holding on to the ball.\u201d Considering the competition between Grunk and Jaxon Smolik was supposedly even, you have to wonder how that made Smolik feel.<\/p>\n
n Riley Thompson losing the starting punting job to Gabe Nwosu is notable given he was a two-year starter and is second in PSU history behind Jordan Stout in career punting average (44.2). However, Thompson slipped from 45.8 in 2023 to 42.8 last year, was under 40 in four games and didn\u2019t punt well in the playoff games.<\/p>\n
n Franklin took the blame for the botched 2-point conversion vs. Nevada, up 36-3, saying, \u201cit wasn\u2019t executed or coached well.\u201d He wanted to get the play on tape in order for future opponents to have to plan for it.<\/p>\n
n CJF offered an interesting philosophy about penalties, saying, \u201cI really focus on the pre-snap penalties and the post-whistle penalties, which to me, are focus penalties. The post-whistle penalties are selfish penalties where you\u2019re getting unsportsmanlike conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
n Though Tyler Warren is gone (Indianapolis Colts), the Lions still got six receptions out of the position in Week 1. Andrew Rappleyea returned from injury to catch three. Franklin said had Rapp been healthy in 2024, Luke Reynolds would have redshirted. And he believes Khalil Dinkins \u201cis the most complete tight end in the country \u2026 Here we are again with three really good tight ends.\u201d PSU is becoming Tight End U with Warren, Pat Freiermuth (Steelers), Mike Gesicki (Bengals), Brenton Strange (Jags) and Theo Johnson (Giants) already in the NFL.<\/p>\n
n House ad: If you don\u2019t want to wait for Monday\u2019s PSU Extra, check altoonamirror.com for our post-game story and a short video recap with Andy Stine and me.<\/p>\n
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com. <\/p>\n