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As a Penn Stater, class of 1963, I was disappointed with the loss to Mississippi in the Peach Bowl, and I was irate with the key Penn State football players who sat out the game.
Four of them have their eyes on the NFL draft, and one entered the transfer portal.
These players enjoyed full scholarships during their years at Penn State and were held in high regard as potential graduates.
The current transfer portal system has created the "Wild West" of college football. Players can transfer during the election period and conceivably transfer schools four times during their college years.
This adds tremendous instability to football programs and adversely impacts the education of student-athletes.
The four Penn State football players who sat out the bowl game for fear of being injured and losing out on NFL contracts let down the school, the alumni and themselves, but most of all they let down their teammates, so-called "brothers who relied on them to be there. The dropouts deserted the team.
College football players should be required to finish the season, including bowl games. Their football scholarships for a given year should stipulate playing in bowl games.
Donald Moskowitz
Londonderry N.H.
QB development not Franklin forte
I read that James Franklin is planning to be more involved in the future with the quarterbacks. Really?
If that's the case, oy!
Thinking back on the poor development of Christian Hackenberg, the development of Will Levis (after leaving Franklin's watch, of course), and another five-star in Allar heading down the same path, I don't see any way that PSU makes the playoff next year.
Franklin will play several games that he will have to outprepare and outcoach his opponent, and I honestly can't remember the last time that happened.
And as we keep bashing the wide receivers, who was it that recruited them and fired the receivers coach who developed the likes of Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington?
We are faced with a fairly extensive rebuild for next season. I wish I could feel some more optimism.
Steve Rifkin
Parkland, Florida
PSU lacked transparency
Neil Rudel's comment about more transparency for the fans is spot on.
To me, it's not enough to say whether a player is playing in the bowl or not for me to want to spend money to go to a bowl game. Many of the players on defense did not play in the second half as "negotiated" by Franklin.
Would I get a 50% discount? How about they play the same number of snaps they played throughout the season?
I think many are feeling that if we get to a playoff game, then all is good, and the players will play.
However, I now have my doubts, and I have currently lost the trust of many players and their agents to give it their all.
It's just become so easy to err on the side of not spending money to attend a game where the players are looking out for themselves and not those that pay their way.
Kirk Gadebusch
Atlanta
Schedule gets tougher
I agree for the most part with James Franklin.
It really upsets me off about the disloyalty and why even play the bowl game.
Ohio State should feel the same way.
No way was the defense I saw at the Peach Bowl even remotely the same. And with Manny Diaz moving on, the team should have rallied and finished the job.
Drew Allar was weak again, but something has to be done about our god-awful wide receivers.
We will never see his supposed five-star talent with this group. Until late in the game, Allar's only completions were to the tight ends and running backs.
I was glad to see the pistol formation finally being used but for 2024 the O-line (of course) and much of the defense need work in the trenches.
I never could figure out why people were saying we are not quite there this year (2023), but 2024 should be the better year to win it all.
With a schedule that includes USC, UCLA, Ohio State, Washington, Wisconsin in Madison and even West Virginia, it will be a challenge to make it in the 12-team playoff.
Tim Muri
Naperville, Ill.