We’ll be 10 games into the football season Saturday when Penn State-Michigan State kicks off in East Lansing, with CBS Sports covering the action and working to tell the teams’ stories.
Those stories usually come with a name or two, the most recognizable and successful members of the team — all-conference standouts, All-America candidates or even long-time or successful coaches. There’s always some story to tell, usually anchored by a familiar name.
At this point of the season, Penn State seems a little lacking in the name category.
Sure, there’s running back Kaytron Allen, who’s just 319 yards away from first place on Penn State’s all-time rushing list. That’s some typically interesting success. Plus, his “Fatman” nickname has stuck with him since it was given to him as a baby by his mother. That’s personal and interesting, a possible connection point.
This has not been a typical season at Penn State, though.
What were the program’s two most recognizable names, coach James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar, no longer impact what happens on the field — although Allar remains prominent in some national TV commercials.
Plus, with so much offseason, preseason and early season emphasis on an if-not-this-year-then-when storyline, when the opportunity for high-level success ended, there just seemed not to be many real connections, real names, for the program to lean upon when losses started piling up.
Defensively, maybe veteran linebacker Dom DeLuca, the former walk-on turned captain, could be one of those connecting points. In another era, his blue-collar, underdog story would really resonate.
This season, though, with the team’s struggles and maybe because DeLuca and all the players have their own pay-for-play deals in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era, the genuine connections seem fewer and farther between.
Players might be building personal brands — and doing it well (see Nick Dawkins) — but it feels like the genuine, personal connections are not as strong. The names do not seem as notable or prominent because they’re somewhat less genuine and organic.
Likewise, the losses have impacted the team’s image. As the Nittany Lions have gone from ultra-talented national championship contenders, thanks to many proven returning starters, they’ve become what could be, at best, a group of overachievers — a gritty bunch who play hard each week.
They’ve taken a hit in terms of image, with a turn in recent weeks to embracing smaller successes that would’ve seemed beneath them at the start of the season. At this point, making Penn State proud and coming home with the Land Grant Trophy would be embraced. That’s in stark contrast to potentially leading thousands of fans to a destination playoff game and a chance at the national championship trophy.
To his credit, and to the program’s benefit, interim coach Terry Smith has become the name that’s helped polish the team’s image in recent weeks. He’s also made Penn State a bit more likeable — and that was clearly an issue not that long ago.
So much grumpiness was directed at Franklin (with some others getting a pass), and the resulting lack of likability was palpable, about a month ago. Rarely has the tenor of the blue-and-white faithful in Beaver Stadium been as boisterous and tough on the home team.
Even if it was just a vocal subset that offered the most mean-spirited or stinging feedback, the feeling existed. The lack of connection was real, and it might be different for good with players getting paid — because NIL has changed the paradigm of college football, and college sports.
So, while programs can afford to pay what it means to compete in the NIL era, genuinely crafting connections with names, a program having an image and even a program being likeable (with individuals or as a whole) can remain more elusive. There’s simply no paycheck or electronic deposit that can guarantee those things.
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