Blue-White Breakdown | A Penn State Football Podcast from Pennlive.com

The transfer portal opened up on Friday, which means plenty of Penn State players are on their way out. But a few key names are also sticking around in Happy Valley. Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal break it all down in this week's live Blue-White Breakdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph react to the news that former Penn State player D'Anton Lynn will become the Lions' new defensive coordinator, per multiple reports. Lynn was the USC defensive coordinator for the last two seasons. Bob and Max also examine some early storylines and questions for Matt Campbell's Nittany Lions in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Bob Flounders and Johnny McGonigal analyze Penn State’s 22-10 win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their picks for the Nitany Lions’ 2025 finale. They also break down reviews of new head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser from some of their most famous alumni. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Chapel Fowler, Clemson reporter with the State News, dive into how Penn State and Clemson wound up in this position: Going from a projected national title matchup to the Pinstripe Bowl. Plus, they break down the positions most affected by opt outs and transfer entries for the upcoming bowl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Bob Flounders discuss the potential impact of new Penn State wideouts coach Noah Pauley on this episode. Developing wideouts at Penn State has been a major issue for more than decate. PSU may have a good one in Pauley, who was on Matt Campbell's staff at Iowa State. Johnny recently spoke with NFL wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, former Iowa State wideouts who were coached by Pauley. They raved about Pauley. Plus, Johnny and Bob discuss the news that former PSU quarterback Beau Pribula is expected to enter the transfer portal in January after spending the 2025 season at Missouri. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to some of the recent players Matt Campbell has added to Penn State's 2026 recruiting class. Clearly, Campbell's Iowa State ties paid off with regard to some of the new Lions. A few Penn State coaches will not return and Bob and Max reflect on their impact in State College. Plus, redshirt junior guard Vega Ioane opted out to get ready for the 2026 NFL draft. Ioane was great on the field and great in interviews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Campbell has been busy since his introduction as Penn State head coach this week. How will he fill out his staff and attack recruiting moving forward? Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal break it all down on the Blue-White Breakdown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Bob Flounders goes solo on this episode of the Blue-White Breakdown. Bob shares his impressions of Matt Campbell's interactions with the Penn State media on Monday.Campbell, like Terry Smith before him this year, is a guy that understands what must happen for a team to be at its best in big games. Penn State was not at Its best under James Franklin during the first half of the 2024 season.Plus, Bob discusses Ty Howle's impact at Penn State. Howle, PSU's former tight ends coach, is leaving to join Franklin at Virginia Tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State’s Matt Campbell is finally a Nittany Lion. He was introduced as the school’s 17th head coach Monday, and our Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal came away thoroughly impressed with the hire. From acknowledging Penn State’s tradition to thoughts on his roster-building philosophy, the guys dove into everything you need to know from the afternoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Penn State coach Matt Campbell is introduced to the media at Beaver Stadium. Check out instant analysis and first impressions from PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to the news that Iowa State's Matt Campbell is the choice to become Penn State's permanent new football coach.The selection of Campbell, pending approval of Penn State's Board of Trustees, caps a chaotic 54-day coaching search headed up by Penn State AD Pat Kraft.Max and Bob discuss the search, how Kraft was able to quickly pivot after losing out on BYU's Kalani Sitake, and what 2026 could bring with Campbell running the program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pat Kraft has swung and missed multiple times in Penn State's coaching search. Now, it's led to an unkind national signing day for Penn State. Where do the Nittany Lions go from here? Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal broke it all down in their latest live show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph look back on Penn State's entertaining shootout win over Rutgers on Saturday in Piscataway. Terry Smith's Nittany Lions looked like a different team in their final three games. Bob and Max reflect on what changed with Smith running the show. Plus, thoughts on Kaytron Allen's second half of the season, what a PSU roster could look like in a bowl game, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State beats Rutgers in a crazy game to finish 6-6 and be bowl eligible. Nicholas Singleton set the school touchdown record previously held by Saquon Barkley. Check out the instant analysis from PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal dive into interim head coach Terry Smith’s candidacy for the full-time job at Penn State, while they also make their picks for Penn State’s final regular-season tilt with Rutgers. Happy Thanksgiving! Note: As Max mentioned on the air, his connection may be a bit questionable throughout this. We apologize for any issues throughout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to Terry Smith's Monday press conference ahead of Penn State's road trip to face Rutgers on Saturday. Smith was asked if he believes Penn State's senior players want to play in a bowl game if the Lions finish 6-6. Bob and Max discuss Smith's response. Plus, Bob and Max discuss quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer's growth in a starting role and share their thoughts on a couple of promising true freshmen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instant analysis from PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph after Penn State routs Nebraska, 37-10. Terry Smith has become a fan and player favorite for the new head coach and running back Kaytron Allen becomes all-time leading rusher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The longtime Nittany Lions head coach has already found his new home. Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal share their reactions to the fit in Blacksburg. They'll also make their picks for Penn State's Senior Day matchup this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to Terry Smith’s news conference with Penn State prepping to face Nebraska on Senior Day on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. Smith got extremely emotional when asked about some of the people in his life that he heard from after PSU’s 28-10 win over Michigan State on Saturday. The Lions can get to 6-6 with wins over Nebraska and Rutgers. Plus, Kaytron Allen is 139 rushing yards away from becoming Penn State’s all-time rushing leader. Smith also gave a glowing review of true freshman corner Daryus Dixson’s play against Michigan State. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State breaks its six-game losing streak with a 28-10 win over Michigan State. Listen to the instant analysis form PennLive's Max Ralph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their picks for the PSU-MSU game — the battle for the Land-Grant Trophy — on this week's live podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to Penn State head coach Terry Smith's Monday press conference with the Nittany Lions prepping to face Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing. The Nittany Lions, losers of six consecutive games, extended No. 2 Indiana to the limit on Saturday before a late IU touchdown foiled PSU's upset bid. Smith praised redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer for his second-half performance against the Hoosiers and had some interesting comments on why the Lions' vertical passing game finally got untracked. Plus, Max and Bob share a couple of updates on edge rusher Chaz Coleman and offensive lineman TJ Shanahan Jr. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s Thursday show features Bob Flounders and Max Ralph making their predictions for Penn State's matchup with No. 2 Indiana. They also offer their thoughts on the ongoing coaching search. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Bob Flounders and Max Ralph are back to share their takeaways from Penn State coach Terry Smith’s Monday press conference. The 3-5 Nittany Lions, losers of five consecutive games, tangle with No. 2 Indiana on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Smith had some interesting thoughts on the Penn State cornerbacks’ woeful play in the team’s 38-14 loss to Ohio State last Saturday in Columbus. Bob and Max also discuss true freshman wideout Koby Howard’s role moving forward as Smith and his offensive assistants look to add some juice to the Penn State passing game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Bob Flounders and Max Ralph analyze the Nittany Lions’ collapse after a competitive first half. They highlight significant post-snap breakdowns on Penn State’s defense, particularly in the secondary, which allowed Ohio State’s receivers to dominate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal dive into their predictions for the Penn State-Ohio State game this week, where the Nittany Lions are nearly three-touchdown underdogs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Bob Flounders is joined by Doug Lesmerises on this episode. Lesmerises, a former Ohio State football columnist for Cleveland.com, writes about Ohio State football and is part of “The Bill and Doug Show” podcast with Bill Landis. Bob and Doug discuss what went wrong for James Franklin at Penn State and focus on what the program should be looking for in its next permanent head coach. Doug makes it clear that PSU should not be considering Brian Kelly. Plus, Doug discusses what makes the Penn State coaching job such an attractive position. Bob and Doug also mention some coaching candidates PSU should consider. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Bob Flounders is joined by special guest Stephen Means of Cleveland.com to discuss Penn State’s 2025 demise and the unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes’ bid to repeat as national champions. OSU hosts Terry Smith’s Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon at the Horseshoe. Means goes into detail on how Ohio State has produced another fantastic season after losing so many talented players from its 2024 championship team. Stephen also shares his thoughts on how last year’s Buckeyes were able to rebound from a crushing regular-season loss to Michigan and why Penn State never recovered from this year’s Oregon loss. Plus, check out the Buckeye Talk podcast on Cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State ranks as one of the nation's worst offenses despite bringing back a ton of veteran talent and a second-year play caller. Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal dive into what they've seen from the Nittany Lions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph have a lot of ground to cover on this episode.Playing under the direction of interim head coach Terry Smith, Penn State pushed Iowa to the limit before losing in Iowa City on Saturday night. What were the positive takeaways from the Nittany Lions' effort? What were the main reasons PSU's losing streak is at four games and counting? Bob and Max also discuss Kaytron Allen's standout effort vs. the Hawkeyes and the impact safety Zake Wheatley has made in recent games. Plus, Penn State's veteran wideouts ... what's the deal? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Bob Flounders analyzes Penn State's 25-24 loss at Iowa. It was interim head coach Terry Smith's first game as well as the start of the Ethan Grunkemeyer era at quarterback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal break down the early portion of Penn State's coaching search and dive into what will happen in Iowa City this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Head coach James Franklin is out at Penn State, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith is in. PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph analysis from Athletic Director Pat Kraft's press conference the day after the firing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bob Flounders and Max Ralph dive into the sudden departure of James Franklin as Penn State's head coach. They discuss the implications of this change, the interim leadership of Terry Smith, and what it means for the future of Penn State football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Bob Flounders and Max Ralph analyze Penn State's 22-21 loss to Northwestern as Drew Allar is knocked out for the season. The Nittany Lions fall to 3-3 on the season, is James Franklin in trouble? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Bob Flounders welcomes back retiree David Jones to the Blue-White Breakdown podcast to discuss what has gone wrong for James Franklin’s Penn State program in the last two games. Jones, a longtime PSU football sports columnist for PennLive and The Patriot-News, watched the Nittany Lions’ stunning 42-37 loss to UCLA at the Rose Bowl and shared his thoughts on their performance. Franklin, Penn State’s 12th-year head coaching, is under fire after losses to Oregon and UCLA. The Lions have some major problems to solve when they host Northwestern on Saturday. Jones has some strong opinions on the Lions’ defense, Drew Allar, PSU football's culture and Franklin's relationship with the program's large fan base. Plus, what would Dave have written about Franklin last Saturday following the UCLA upset? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their picks for the Homecoming game and discuss Penn State fans’ calls to fire coach James Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to James Franklin's Monday news conference following Penn State's stunning loss to UCLA last Saturday at the Rose Bowl. What happened to Jim Knowles' defense? Franklin discussed PSU's plan at linebacker without Tony Rojas and had some thoughts on why Allen was not more involved in the Lions' offense. Penn State hosts Northwestern on Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Worst loss in James Franklin era at Penn State? Worst loss in program history? Penn State is reeling after 42-37 upset loss to UCLA. and Bob Flounders is out in California with his take on what he saw on the field. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal go deep on an important injury for Penn State and make their predictions for the UCLA game. Plus, does Drew Allar fit in Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme? Did Penn State make the wrong choice in letting Beau Pribula leave? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to James Franklin's Monday news conference with the Lions' coming off a disheartening loss to Oregon at home. Penn State's offense was stuck in neutral for 45 minutes vs. the Ducks before waking up in the fourth quarter and in OT. Franklin brought up all of the issues the offense had on first down and how it impacted third down.Bob and Max discuss some poor offensive line play and some poor Drew Allar play. Who should be getting the bulk of the "touches" in Andy Kotelnicki's offense? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Johnny McGonigal and Max Ralph wrap up Penn State's heartbreaking 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon in the White Out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their final predictions for the Penn State-Oregon White Out at Beaver Stadium. The Ducks beat the Nittany Lions in last year's Big Ten Championship, but will history repeat itself? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive’s Max Ralph and OregonLive’s Aaron Fentress collaborated for a special White Out week edition of the Blue-White Breakdown/Ducks Confidential. With No. 3 Penn State hosting No. 6 Oregon, the guys break down what stands out about each team in 2025. Can the Nittany Lions get revenge from a 2024 Big Ten Championship loss to the Ducks? Every episode of the PA High School Football Report can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your preferred podcast player. Follow all of PennLive's high school sports coverage at https://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders share their takeaways from Penn State coach James Franklin's Monday press conference ahead of the Lions' White Out showdown with Oregon on Saturday night.The Ducks are 4-0 and put up 45 points on PSU's defense last season, but Franklin believes this defense is better equipped to slow down Oregon.Has Penn State held anything back on offense in the first three games? Max and Bob discuss. Plus, Kaytron Allen has to be a workhorse against Oregon, right? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State is 3-0, but has it been good enough thus far? Plus, is there an anti-Penn State bias among national media? Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal break it all down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State is on the bye week but there are no bye weeks for the Blue-White Breakdown podcast. PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders discuss what they've seen from Penn State after three games, and what they've learned about James Franklin's Lions. Plus, Max and Bob share some of their observations of first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and discuss the importance of wideout Devonte Ross and linebackers Tony Rojas and Amare Campbell moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Penn State is 2-0, but the offense has left a lot to be desired thus far, especially QB Drew Allar and RB Nick Singleton. Max Ralph and Johnny McGonigal make their picks for the Villanova game and call on a few key players to watch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PennLive's Max Ralph and Bob Flounders react to James Franklin's Monday press conference ahead of No. 2 Penn State's non-conference matchup with Villanova on Saturday afternoon. Franklin discussed quarterback Drew Allar's performance and went into detail on why the Nittany Lions' offense struggled to convert third downs. Plus, Max and Bob share their thoughts on why star running back Nick Singleton has gotten off to a slow start in 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices