The Cowboys continue to fill needs in recruiting.

Last week, LaVar Arrington took to his facebook page to speak to Penn Staters, and to put in words what many of us have felt in the nearly five years since the Sandusky scandal first came to wide public light. Of the many things that Arrington voiced, one struck me the most; after the scandal, Arrington felt that

“The second someone ask me where I went to college I instantly anticipate what the next question will be.

We’ve been made fun of, insulted, frowned upon.

I’m sick of it, there’s nothing wrong with the pride and dignity we hold in our hearts

for our school. I felt guilty to be proud of who I am and what I represent as a PSU’er.”

He went on to decry that feeling–to express that he’s still “trying to find peace within” everything that happened, but that we shouldn’t feel guilty. We shouldn’t feel guilty for loving our school and our community and for wearing the Blue and the White, for continuing to support a place and the people that have given and continue to give us so much.

Virtually immediately after the stories started breaking, after Joe Paterno was fired and Tim Curley and Gary Schultz and eventually Graham Spanier were charged, we as a community became more insular. We almost started to become what outsiders always decried we were–but how could we not be? Living outside of central Pennsylvania, I witness firsthand all of the uneducated people who simply sneered at any PSU memorabilia, not knowing anything beyond the basic media bulled points, and it was simply easier to want to associate with fellow Penn Staters who would get it. I lost friends, people who I had known for years, because they wouldn’t (or perhaps couldn’t) think beyond what was widely publicized, and I definitely couldn’t get beyond my stance that there was more that was being portrayed in media and I wanted to wait for all of the facts to come out before we made a definitive stance on anyone’s involvement beyond Jerry Sandusky’s. I still hold to that initial stance, though my views have evolved; I no longer believe we will ever find out everything. And, in the echo chamber that is today’s media landscape, I’m not so sure that if the true “facts” came out, it would make much of a difference.

But the point of this column is not to digress into a rehashing of IT. It’s not to finger point, to come out on the side of the Alumni Association or Franco Harris on this latest bout of infighting amongst Penn Staters. We should be trying to rise above it–to try to acknowledge our differences, yes, but to agree on common ground.

It’s to say that above all else–whatever infighting, whatever factions may exist, we have to remember one thing: we all love Penn State. We are all Penn Staters. We all hold that “pride and dignity” that LaVar speaks of, whether we are alumni of the University or not, and in my view that is for good reason.

Football may be the face of Penn State; it may be the cash cow that drives donations, that helps our University be great in so many other ways. Football drew attention to a small town in central Pennsylvania, and turned a farmer’s high school into a renowned Land Grant University. But now? It’s just the barest tip of the iceberg in terms of what makes Penn State a place I’m proud to be a part of, and to love.

I could make a laundry list of what I love about Penn State, of why I come back every fall Saturday, some weekends in the winter, on Blue White weekend, and why I’ll be back in July for Arts Fest. Many of you named your favorite traditions, and what draws you back, a week ago. This list is far from complete, and would grow exponentially every year.

But despite all of the physical and near-superficial (in my everyday life, at least) things on that list, the one thing that would top it would absolutely be the people.

The community that was in many ways forced to become somewhat insular over the past five years has become for so many of us a salvation, and, in reality, our extended family.

My “real” family is, as many of you know, all Penn Staters (including those who didn’t attend the University; I’m not one of those who believes that to be a Penn Stater, you must have attended the school). I’m lucky in that regard, as they can understand my burning passion (and some might say insanity) for all things Penn State and Penn State athletics. But the thing about PSU that so many outside of the community, that LaVar hits so well on in his post, is that we are all family–and truly, “only those who lived it can understand it”.

The Penn State family, despite our infighting even on these and other boards and sometimes even in person, is one that I’m proud to call my own. I’m proud to go abroad and see the chipmunk logo on a fellow traveler’s hat, call out a “WE ARE” across a crowed train and get a surprised, but excited, PENN STATE in response. It’s going on vacation to a place I go every year, and find another family full of Penn Staters and have a discussion over which family is cooler–because we’re simply trying to out-Nittany Lion each other.

It’s why I tailgate; my extended Penn State family, my friends who’ve become so much a part of not just football life but life life, make even the worst on-field performances worth the trek. As we say at the end of every season, through the rain and the snow and the lost children who wander our way and the port-a-potty attendants who try to shut our party down, we’re still undefeated in tailgating.

Penn State is about the people. It’s something most other communities simply don’t get. We’re still around, and we thrived despite change. As now-Detroit Lion Anthony Zettel said regarding what the University has been through, “I think it’s the best school out there, and not a lot of schools could overcome that.”

The people are why we Thon. It’s why there’s Lift for Life. It’s why PSU is one of the country’s most LGBTQ-friendly schools.

There’s been so much change at Penn State and PSU sports in the past five years. And with the Lasch Building upgrades and the impending upgrades to Beaver Stadium and the BJC off the field, and new offensive and defensive coordinators on the field for James Franklin this year, the change is likely to continue. But change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

As a great coach once said, “You’re gonna get better or you’re gonna get worse, but you’re not gonna stay the same. Which will it be?”

I choose better.

The West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame presently has 68 Mountaineer football players and coaches enshrined among the school’s all-time athletic immortals, but there are some very deserving Mountaineer greats through the years who have slipped through the cracks for one reason or another.

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

This walk-on was a big contributor on special teams last season.

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Over the weekend, the Mountaineers gained two more important recruits for the 2017 class.

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Some paperwork and some administrative issues persist with BC-Georgia Tech on the horizon

We’re moving closer to the start of 2016 Virginia Football. Today we look at the deep threat of UVa’s receiving corps #82, David Eldridge.

If you spend any time on Twitter, you no doubt have seen people posting certain Pitt players wearing uniform numbers that correspond with the number of days left until the football season kicks off. Jim did it last year and this year, Pat Narduzzi has been doing it.

I know we have a lot of younger readers here and also some folks that may not have spent their entire lives following Pitt sports. For that reason, I thought it would be cool to not only do the countdown here, but also give a brief writeup on the player to potentially help fans connect a little more with some of the all-time greats.

Quick disclaimer – this isn’t necessarily about picking the best player for each number. Not only is that disputable in many instances, but it’s not really the point of the exercise. So don’t be offended if your favorite player doesn’t make the list here. I’ll probably mirror Narduzzi’s list for the most part but may go off the board in a few instances.

These will also be brief, folks. It’s the offseason and we all use this time to wind down a bit. These won’t be theses or anything, but we’ll cobble together a few facts for each guy.

Finally, feel free to add on to a player’s accomplishments in the comments section. Some I’ll leave out due to space/time and some I may not even know about. But this will be a good learning exercise for all of us.

Continuing our countdown today is wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin.

Baldwin was one of the Panthers’ best receivers in recent memory. At the time of his recruitment, he was one of the top wideouts in the nation and his commitment to then coach Dave Wannstedt was a big one.

His impact was immediate as he earned playing time right away and even started a few games as a true freshman. By his second season, he became a 1,000-yard receiver and chose to enter the NFL Draft after a solid, but unspectacular year as a junior statistically (55 catches for 822 yards). Despite not reaching 1,000 yards as a junior, he still was considered a high-impact player that was a deep threat and, just as importantly, had a prototypical NFL body for a star receiver.

While still at Pitt, Baldwin reportedly took some shots at quarterback Tino Sunseri and even his use on offense. His talent, though, was too difficult to overlook and he still wound up being a first-round NFL Draft pick  in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately for his new team, he never lived up to the hype. He was involved in a training camp scuffle in his first year as a rookie (full disclosure here – it may not have been his fault) and there was also speculation from a Chiefs site that he was possibly banned from Twitter.

All told, he had a pretty disappointing pro career based upon where he was taken in the NFL Draft. He had only 41 catches for 579 yards and two touchdowns after two seasons in Kansas City, then played a year with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 where he had a minimal impact with only three catches.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill’s Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.

Athlon Sports released a ranking of every college football team for the 2016 season, and they have the Utah football team at No. 32. Alabama tops their list, followed by Florida State, Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Notre Dame, LSU, and Ole Miss in the top 10 (notice the lack of any Pac-12 team). Washington at No. 11 is their highest rated Pac-12 team, followed by Stanford (No. 12), UCLA (No. 14), USC (No. 22), Oregon (No. 23), WSU (No. 30), Utah (No. 32), Cal (No. 44), Arizona State (No. 46), Arizona (No. 50), Colorado (No. 61), and Oregon State (No. 90). As is often the case with preseason rankings, some teams are ranked about right, while some are too high and others are too low.

Who does Athlon have too high?

Despite being a Washington Huskies fan, I think No. 11 and atop the Pac-12 is too high. Yes, I think UW will be a lot better this year and will likely finish in the top 25, but they are still a young team and have not beaten the elite teams in the North (only defeating Stanford once in 2012 and failing Oregon every year since the conference expanded to 12 teams). I think both of the LA schools are overrated. UCLA returns Josh Rosen at quarterback, but most of his favorite targets are gone. The Bruins overall only return 11 starters. USC brings back a lot of starters (15), but they have serious questions on the defensive line and have to replace a three-year starter at quarterback in Cody Kessler. USC also will have to face one of if not the toughest schedules in the nation, meaning the losses could pile up for the Trojans. Oregon proved to be two different teams in 2015: they were excellent with Vernon Adams Jr. and struggled mightily without him. Adams Jr. is not back in 2016, nor is Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year defensive end DeForest Buckner. Oregon gets a lot of talent back at the skill positions (including running back Royce Freeman), but they only return 11 starters overall. Arizona State has to totally rebuild their secondary in 2016. They only return 10 starters (tied for the lowest in the Pac-12). The Sun Devils have a lot of talent returning at running back, but they have to replace their starting quarterback and three of their top four pass catchers. Like Arizona State, Cal returns only 10 starters. They lose 2016 NFL Draft No. 1 pick quarterback Jared Goff and their top six wide receivers, which is not good for a team that runs the “Bear Raid” offense. Former Texas Tech quarterback Davis Webb will help ease the loss of Goff, but Cal has a lot of other holes to fill around him.

Who does Athlon have too low?

Athlon only has Arizona at No. 50, but the Wildcats return 16 starters (the second-most in the Pac-12). Arizona struggled defensively last season, but a new defensive staff, led by former Boise State defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, that gets nine starters back could work wonders for Arizona’s defense. Oregon State struggled mightily in 2015, but the good news for 2016 is there is no room to go but up (as they finished 0-9 in the Pac-12 in 2015).The Beavers get 14 starters back. Utah State transfer quarterback Darrell Garretson will also help OSU improve. Gary Andersen has had success everywhere he has coached, so I am sure he will turn the Beavers around. The Beavers may still finish in the Pac-12 cellar, but they will likely be better than the No. 90 team in the country.

What about Utah?

While I would not be surprised to see Utah finish the season higher than No. 32, I think it is appropriate for a preseason ranking. Utah enters 2016 with quite a few question marks. They have consistently fielded one of the poorest passing attacks in the Pac-12, and they lose their starting quarterback, backup quarterback, and top three receiving yardage leaders from 2015 (Britain Covey to a mission and Kenneth Scott and Devontae Booker to graduation). Their offense was centered around Booker in 2014 and 2015. Booker is off to the NFL to play for the Denver Broncos, and Utah will need to find a way to replace him, as the offense struggled mightily after he suffered an injury against Arizona towards the end of the 2015 season. Utah also loses all three starting linebackers from 2015. In spring football, Utah’s offensive line was not as strong as most expected. Utah does bring back a lot of talent in the secondary and defensive line. The Utes should once again field an excellent defense, the biggest questions are about the offense. If the offense struggles in 2016, Utah could finish in the middle of the Pac-12, but if Utah shows improvement on the offense, they could win the Pac-12 South.

What do you think of Athlon’s rankings of Utah and the Pac-12?