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

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...

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...

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 te...

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 t...

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...

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...

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 s...

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 Sta...

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 break...

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....

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 recr...

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 genu...

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...

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...

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 bac...

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 def...

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...

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 t...

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 sh...

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 o...

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,...

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...

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 Pet...

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 disc...

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 buil...