The Lions' Pride

I believe comparatively, we are bare.....

RB is thin, QB- you know the deal, LB is REALLY thin after this year, DL is a bunch of griders after this year, DB too.....plenty of bodies, not a lot of standouts

Again bare? All the backs we have this year we have again next.

LB we have Carson, Fortt, Hull and a couple coming up. Hodges?

Griders? For DL? zettle, Jones, Hailed, Barnes, Baublitz, Oakman, Royer, and more. 3tech is the only spot I can think of being questionable. And some guys could fill in there with that year of growth.

Db is the biggest q. And even there we have a few guys that have eligibilty and skill to go beyond this year.

And the Qb's definitely need to be figured out. On that part I agree. New coaches and system to figure that out hopefully.

And are you forgetting we still get to recruit this year too?

I think we are far from bare.

Even though you are dead on some don't want to hear this. The fact of the matter is still that the Sandusky case has not even gone to trial yet. The NCAA is most likely not going to do anything, but the reason that PSU wasn't able to get a "name" coach like most wanted is most simply that... What type of coach wants to come into a program (even one as storied as ours) with a huge black cloud over head. Look at Urban Meyer... though he was probably convinced that there was going to be no bowl ban at OSU (as much as the delusional branch of their fan base was), he had to know that there would be some sort of sanctions that might limit him. He's as fine a salesman as there is in college football when it comes to selling a program to potential recruits, but he wanted nothing to do with this situation.

Perception is reality. Every distorted or misleading headline that pops up on ESPN or other major media sources in regards to this scandal creates a more difficult situation for O'Brien and his staff. So those expecting to ridicule O'Brien if he can't pull in the right amount of 5 star recruits this coming year are really not being fair to themselves in understanding what has happened. He can sell the education, he can sell the facilities, and the tradition, and the game day atmosphere and the fanbase. He can sell the exposure. He can sell the nice group of coaches he has assembled. But at this point he can't do a whole lot about the rest of the world's perceptions. He can't stop the ugly jokes in locker rooms, or the taunting fans. He can do little to make recruits disregard the statements of people around them might make about PSU. He can't erase the ugly stigma attached to PSU and most notably its football program.

Winning can help though.

Plain and simple. If BOB can't overcome that, then he's not the right man for the job.

If they felt they couldn't overcome it then I agree 100% with you. Anyone, whether it Petersen, Meyer, Saban etc who can't overcome it, isn't the right person for the job.

Right now the program stands at a precipice (in my humble opinion). Recruiting rankings doesn't mean everything but it means a lot, and PSU has had 2 classes in a row witih lots of reaches, lots of hard ceilings and very few probable stars. If O'Brien adds a 3rd such class for 2013, then PSU is looking at at least a couple years of medicore teams down the road. The new head coach at a struggling traditional Northern power sydrome has produced some great classes for Notre Dame and Michigan, but a couple mediocre years can kill that momentum for a coach. In other words, if O'Brien doesn't do well putting together a 2013 class, I don't see much chance of him being sucessful 4 years from now. So my first expectation is that he gets a top 20 class at a minimum to stop the bleeding.

My second expectation is that he develops a QB by 2014 who at least looks on the path to being drafted when he finishes his career here. Either Bench or someone from the 2013 class who will make PSU's offense look attractive to potential skill players. It doesn't matter how good his system is, if he doesn't have a QB who can show it off, he won't be able to convince recruits that his system is the gateway to stardom and NFL.

My 3rd expectation is that he puts philanthropy and academics at a level right with football. I want PSU players not only to graduate, but to get degrees in a field that can get them a job that they love if football doesn't work out, or degrees that allow them to go to grad school to achieve the same thing. And if that turns some recruits away, if done right, it will draw others in.

If O'Brien can do these 3 things, I think the rest will fall into place for him and Penn State football will be left in a good place when he decides to move on to the NFL. If he can't, I don't think he will be the PSU coach in 2018.