Reggie McGee Hears from All Over

Photo Courtesy of Facebook.com

When writing anything about Nittany Lion football, there are some things an author must always keep in mind.  One such thing is that Penn State is, and always will be, Linebacker U.  And they don't maintain that distinction without talent like Olney (MD) Good Counsel outside linebacker Reggie McGee.

"I plan on taking a few visits to some schools that I am able to get to.  Maybe LSU, Tennessee, NC State; and once I return to Maryland I might be going to Penn State to visit and check it out," he told NittanyLionsDen.com.  "The only offers so far [have] been Mississippi State and NC State."

"At the moment I'm interested in Mississippi State the most because they're showing the most love, but I'm also interested in the schools [that I will be visiting] above."

At the end of the day, what will McGee be basing his decision off of?  "Most important is academics because there is a life after football.  Also I would like to go to a school that has a winning tradition, or that is on a rise," he said.   "Also, I love a school with a good fan base.  As far as location, I don't really think that is going to play a big role in my decision."

"And I am really going to pay attention to the coaching staff, because I want to feel comfortable around them and a good coaching staff cares about their players so that would be a huge plus."

McGee did add that, "Right now Mississippi State has a lead, but other than that [all other schools] about even at this point.  I can see myself at any school."

Reggie McGee self-reports himself at 6'3" and 195 lbs, running a 4.6 forty.  He also reports a squat of 425 and a bench-press of 240.

We want to thank you for following our coverage of the Nittany Lions as the newest member of the Bloguin network. We are putting the final touches on our first full month and are appreciative of the support we have received from you, Bloguin, our friends at The Reporter, Big Time Sports Media Network and more.

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As you also should know, this site is on Twitter, looking to fill your timeline with news and notes regarding Penn State football and other sports, with an emphasis on previewing the 2011 season and providing some exclusive interviews with possible recruits. So to get the latest updates sent to you on Twitter give us a follow at @TheNLD, and give us a Follow Friday shout out so we know you want others to check us out too.

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One final note...

The Blogs With Balls gang is taking nominations for the best untitled sports media awards and you can help get the site nominated. All you need to do is click here, fiill out some information about yourself and nominate us for as many categories as you wish. We hope to get your nomination for Best Team-Specific Site but would be honored to have your nod for any other category as well.

In addition, I'll suggest all Penn State fans do their part to nominate Jay Paterno for Best in Technical Achievement. His Twitter habits and appreciation for blogging has made him one of the most active college football coaches on the social networking scene and I would like to see him get some recognition for that if possible.

The last person to address the media on Thursday at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago was commissioner Jim Delany. He talked about a number of issues, including the NCAA violations at Ohio State and Michigan and the stain it has left on the conference, as well as the fact that the Big Ten Network was not designed to broadcast high school games (a stab at the Longhorn Network). While he praised Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott for the work he has done in putting together the Pac 12 Network(s) and echoed some of the sentiments of SEC commissioner Mike Slive, you may be wondering just what Delany's biggest focus was on Thursday.

Thankfully, there is a word cloud for that.

We took the transcript from Delany's presser on Thursday and took out the most common words in the English language such as "the," "a," "with," etc. What was left?

Ryan Switzer: A Name to Remember for 2013

Photo Courtesy of Facebook.com

With Silas Redd having only completed his freshman year, it is hard to imagine RB being a place of need already.  However, the tailback position might be the most vital spot for Penn State to fill with their 2013 class, and the Nittany Lions are up to the task.  We already mentioned Dontea Ayres, but today we are going to bring a little more speed with Charleston (WV) George Washington School product Ryan Switzer.

"I run a 4.33 forty time, and a 3.85 shuttle," he told NittanyLionsDen.com in a recent interview.  "I think that is what sets me apart, my speed and ability in open space."

It is this speed and ability that has drawn attention from across the country.  "I have offers from Wake Forest, Ohio, Penn State, Florida State and Marshall. Kentucky, Pitt and Oregon have also been in contact," he said.  "Right now I'm listening to everybody, but I like Kentucky, Penn State, Florida State and Wake Forest."

What is Ryan looking for in a school?  "It doesn't have to be close to home.  I want to play in a good conference with a school that offers good academics, traditions and fan support."

How is Penn State shaping up in this recruiting battle?  "I feel pretty good about Penn State.  They are a great school with great tradition"

Switzer is not looking to rush the process though.  "Really, I'm just thankful for everything.  I'm not sure when I'll be ready to make a decision, I'm just glad that finally all my hard work has come into play."

In addition to his speed, Switzer self-reports himself to be 5'10" and 170 lbs. 

Video courtesy of Big Ten Network.

Cup of Joe: Now "No Days Off"

Okay, fine, I admit it.  Yesterday with the B1G Media Days looming, I didn't think anybody would need any Joe to get excited.  Well, I was wrong.  Anybody who follows our newest writer/photographer Matthew Brady (@SpreadHDGFX) knows that he was not happy or awake today at work without having his delicious morning coffee from here in The Den, slacking off all day and blaming it on a computer system.  So, for Matt and anybody else who just couldn't wake up today at work, here is your Cup of Joe:

-Joe Paterno brought yesterday's greatest quote

-Suhey and Zordich bring a 1-2 punch at fullback

-Sights and Sounds of Penn State at the B1G Media Days

-The Pink Zone did great work in 2011

-Penn State's now former men's tennis head coach is moving out west

-Joe Paterno looked good yesterday

-The BigTen tries to do some damage control

-If you are already following us on twitter, liking us on facebook and sending questions/comments to us here - good job.  If you aren't, you should be.

The Leaders Division coaches were the first to address the media today, including Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. One of the common themes to the questions focused on the off-season drama at Ohio State. While Paterno sort of shied away from commenting on the situation, Wisconsin's Bret Bielema was much more outspoken about the rash of problems in college football in general, although he did say later that none of his comments were intended to be directed at Ohio State.

Here is a rundown of what the coaches of the Leaders Division had to say, including Ohio State interim head coach Luke Fickell.

Transcripts available from ASAP Sports.

Joe Paterno, Penn State

Geez, we've always had problems. You're going to have problems when you have the type of competition that's going on.

I tell a story. The old days when I first started to coach, I lived four blocks off the campus. We don't have a big house. We've been there for a long time, my wife and the kids. Well, the kids are all gone obviously. I used to get a telephone call from one of the campus cops would say, Hey, coach, you better come up here and get ahold of Mike. Too much to drink, making a lot of noise.

I'd go up at 2:00 in the morning, grab Mike, put him in bed, get him up at 5:00 in the morning, run his rear-end off for a week. You guys never heard about it.

Every once in a while I hear one of these guys that I know a little bit about when they were 19 and 20, I'm talking about all the kids today, they ought to go back and read Socrates. Socrates, 400 years BC, said, ‘The kids today are terrible, tyrants. They don't pay attention.’ That's 2,500 years ago, OK?

Anyway, I'm shooting my mouth off too much. Let's go (laughter).

[On Penn State avoiding NCAA trouble over time]

Maybe we're lucky. I don't know. What the good Lord said, don't be the first one to cast the rock. I preach all the time. I tell our alumni all the time, Stay out of it. We try to keep them informed as to what they can do legally, what they can't do legally. I'm constantly talking to the staff about, hey, every once in a while they'll come back and say, Hey, so-and-so is doing this, so-and-so is doing that.

I go back to what Rip used to tell me when I was an assistant coach. He used to say when I'd come back all upset, maybe I was trying to recruit some hot shot, I lost him, I'd be all upset. He would say, ‘Hey, Joe, don't worry about the guys we lose, only make sure that the guys you bring in here belong here, and they're coming here for the right reasons.’

That's probably been something that I preach all the time to the staff. If somebody wants to horse around with something, or he suggests that maybe he wants something, walk away, walk away. That doesn't mean we've always walked away. I try to keep track of it. It's nice to know we haven't had a major violation. I'm proud of that. I'm not going around gloating about it.

To see what the other coaches in the division had to say, check out the quotes after the jump.

Mike Pettigano over at Black Shoe Diaries organized a Big Ten Bloggers poll as we get ready for Big Ten media day. Because there is no official media poll this year in the Big Ten (although some newspapers are organizing their own), it was left to the duty of the blogopshere to contribute to this year's preseason poll.

Here is the full list of sites represented in the poll, which I presume also includes Black Shoe Diaries. I cast a vote to represent Nittany Lion's Den.

• Black Shoe Diaries
• Nittany White Out
• Nittany Lions Den
• The Daily Gopher
• Black Heart Gold Pants
• Sparty MSU
• Bucky's 5th Quarter
• Corn Nation
• Eleven Warriors
• Lake the Posts
• Maize & Blue Nation
• Crimson Quarry

Penn State comes in fifth overall in the poll, while Wisconsin looks to be the clear choice for the team to beat in the Big Ten. Check out the full poll results here.