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  • Amid college basketball’s gambling scandal, concerns that mid-major players could be vulnerable

    Amid college basketball’s gambling scandal, concerns that mid-major players could be vulnerable

    Rollie Massimino “did not mess around” when it came to drawing up defensive schemes against Patrick Ewing … or warding off gambling temptations that might filter through to his Villanova players.

    “When we were playing, we had an FBI agent who was a former ’Nova basketball player give talks about gambling,” said Chuck Everson, a member of Massimino’s 1985 Wildcats title team that took down heavily favored Georgetown.

    “Rollie did not mess around with that stuff. It wasn’t that far removed from the Boston College [point-shaving] scandal. Rollie brought in the FBI to talk to us. Coach Mass did a great job of teaching us, and it wasn’t all basketball; it was life lessons. And with gambling, it was, ‘Don’t do that.’

    “To this day, I have never called DraftKings, or anything like that. I attribute that to being scared straight with Coach Mass.”

    Everson, 61, played in an era when sports betting wasn’t legal in most of the country. These days, things are quite different. College athletes are compensated by their schools or through lucrative name, image, and likeness deals, and the legal/illegal gambling culture infiltrates every level of sports.

    Last Thursday in Philadelphia, federal authorities announced a sweeping criminal indictment and related filings against 26 people on charges related to manipulating NCAA games and Chinese professional games through bribes, some as high as five figures.

    It is the fourth federal criminal indictment that involves gambling and sports unsealed in the last six months, and the latest alleged gambling scheme involves one of the storied Big 5 programs: La Salle.

    According to the indictment, at least one of the purported rigged games took place in 2024 in Philadelphia between La Salle and St. Bonaventure.

    Dozens of people, including 20 players, were charged in a basketball gambling scandal targeting NCAA and Chinese games

    There are at least 39 players from 17 NCAA Division I schools who are alleged to have been involved in the scheme, but the indictment may underscore other, more troubling concerns.

    Players at mid-major or smaller Division I programs might earn a fraction in NIL money compared to what their counterparts at elite programs take in, and therefore might be more susceptible to the temptations of illicit paydays. As one former federal prosecutor put it, this alleged scheme might be one of many dominoes waiting to fall.

    “Anything that interferes with the integrity of sporting events, you’re going to get action by prosecutors,” said Edward McDonald, who prosecuted those involved in the Boston College point-shaving case in the late ’70s. McDonald, now senior counsel at the Dechert law firm, thinks that mid-major schools, like La Salle and some others in the Big 5, could be particularly vulnerable to gambling and bribery schemes.

    “These smaller schools, the compensation to players is not as great [compared to larger programs], even for the better players on the team,” said McDonald, who learned of the Boston College scam through his investigations of organized crime family members with the Justice Department (and played himself in the Martin Scorsese-directed mob film Goodfellas).

    “Players going to big-time schools are making 10 times more. A player [at a smaller program] might not be having a good season or might think they’re not going to play in the NBA or professionally, and they might say, ‘What the hell, I might as well cash in now.’”

    Prop bets on a La Salle game

    According to the court filings, one of the defendants, Jalen Smith, and former LSU and NBA player Antonio Blakeney (who is “charged elsewhere,” according to the indictment), attempted to recruit players on the La Salle men’s basketball team for the point-shaving scheme.

    The fixers offered the La Salle players payments to underperform and influence the first half of a game against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 21, 2024, according to the filings.

    Prosecutors allege that before the game at Tom Gola Arena, defendants who acted as fixers placed bets totaling approximately $247,000 on the Bonnies to cover the first-half spread. A $30,000 wager was made in Philadelphia at a FanDuel sportsbook, according to the indictment. But those bets failed after La Salle covered the spread.

    “Neither the university, current student-athletes, or staff are subjects of the indictment,” La Salle wrote in a statement. “We will fully cooperate as needed with officials and investigations.”

    La Salle coach Fran Dunphy directing the Explorers in November 2023. Dunphy retired after last season.

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told The Inquirer that several years ago he received complaints from a number of college coaches in his state about online abuse directed at players and threatening calls from gamblers who had lost big.

    “I called up [NCAA president] Charlie Baker, and asked him, ‘What do you think of prop betting?’” DeWine said. “He said, ‘We don’t like it.’ And I said, ‘Give me a letter that says that.’

    “Under Ohio law, if I can get a letter from a league saying, ‘Don’t bet on certain things,’ that gives me the ability to go to my Casino Commission and they can [enact rules] without any legislation. Charlie sent the letter, I took that to the commission, and that stopped collegiate prop betting.”

    The Ohio Casino Control Commission granted the NCAA’s request to prohibit proposition bets on collegiate sports in February 2024, but the decision affected only Ohio.

    “It doesn’t really eliminate the problem,” DeWine said.

    How a Philly ‘betfluencer’ wound up at the center of an NBA gambling scandal

    The ban in Ohio is only a drop in the bucket against a sea of pro-gambling momentum, legislation, and, most significantly, lucrative revenue streams.

    CJ Hines, a guard who was dismissed from Temple’s basketball team on Jan. 16, allegedly participated in a point-shaving scheme during the 2024-25 season while playing for Alabama State, according to the indictment. Hines transferred to Temple in May but didn’t play this season after the university announced that he was under investigation for eligibility concerns before his enrollment.

    Former Alabama State guard CJ Hines (3) averaged 14.1 points in 35 starts last season.

    The Atlantic 10 Conference — which includes La Salle and St. Joseph’s — weighed in on the latest gambling indictment.

    “Any activity that undermines the integrity of competition has no place in college athletics,” commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade said in a release. “The Atlantic 10 and its member institutions will continue to work closely with the proper authorities to combat illegal activities.”

    A St. Joe’s spokesperson added: “St. Joseph’s University has not been approached by federal investigators or any other entity about suspicious sports wagering activity involving St. Joe’s student-athletes or team.”

    Fran Dunphy speaks for the first time about how the NCAA point-shaving scandal touched La Salle

    Villanova, which plays in the powerful Big East Conference, has numerous resources and protocols in place to address the sports wagering issue.

    Handbooks, which include NCAA rules on gambling, are distributed annually to athletes, who also must sign a sports wagering document before being declared eligible. The athlete must acknowledge he or she won’t engage in activities that influence the outcome or win-loss margins of any game.

    In 2021, 2023, and 2025, Villanova brought in speakers who have a history with sports gambling to talk with athletes about the risks and dangers associated with it. Villanova’s athletic compliance office meets twice annually with every athlete to review NCAA compliance standards, including its rules on sports wagering.

    Former Villanova basketball star Maddy Siegrist told The Inquirer last year that her college alma mater ingrained in her mind the potential devastating consequences of gambling, values that she continues to adhere to as a WNBA player.

    ‘The integrity of sports is at risk’

    Even after the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that legalized sports wagering state to state, the honesty and integrity component still comes into question when so much is riding on any sports wager.

    NBA sports betting bust: What to know about Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and cash handoffs in Philly

    DeWine, the Ohio governor, is taking a proactive role in trying to address malfeasance in the gaming culture.

    “I’m writing letters to all other major [sports] leagues,” DeWine said. “They need to get on this. If they sit back, they’re making a huge mistake. I think the integrity of sports is at risk. I’m continuing to urge these leagues to take care of business, because they’re the ones that are going to get hurt.”

    But McDonald said that with the flurry of recent indictments involving sports and gambling, “you have to wonder how pervasive [the illegal gambling problem] really is.”

    “This could very well be the tip of the iceberg,” McDonald said.

  • Five Penn State hockey players made history — and gained fans — at Switzerland’s Spengler Cup

    Five Penn State hockey players made history — and gained fans — at Switzerland’s Spengler Cup

    STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Imagine filling a roster with 25 of the best Division I hockey players. It almost sounds daunting.

    That was the task assigned to Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky, who assumed the same position for the United States Collegiate Selects during their inaugural campaign at the 2025 Spengler Cup.

    The Spengler Cup, which began in 1923 and is considered the world’s oldest invitational ice hockey tournament, features six club and national teams from around the world. It was played this year from Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland, and is annually hosted by local pro team HC Davos.

    Penn State’s Tessa Janecke will fulfill ‘my dream’ in Milan with Team USA women’s ice hockey

    “The entire experience was tremendous,” Gadowsky said. “Everybody was curious about how we were going to do. Most [people] thought that we weren’t going to win a game. And the way the team played, the locals in Switzerland really got behind them, and you started to hear ‘USA’ chants when we walked down the street, went to a restaurant, walked into the arena.”

    The coach wasn’t exaggerating. As the lone collegiate squad among four professional teams and a fifth composed of Canadian pros, the U.S. Selects were massive underdogs, expected to participate and nothing more.

    After an opening-game 3-2 loss to Canada and Flyers farmhand Anthony Richard, those lowly expectations remained. That is, until the U.S. Selects stunned host HC Davos, 5-3, on Dec. 27 in a result that showcased college hockey’s growing talent. HC Davos, which leads Switzerland’s top league, featured several former NHLers, including Filip Zadina, Rasmus Asplund, and former Flyer Brendan Lemieux.

    “What we learned is that college hockey is really good,” Gadowsky said. “You’re playing some of the best professional teams in Europe, with 1,000-plus NHL games on their roster. And our guys played with them tooth-and-nail.”

    The coach wasn’t the only Penn Stater in Davos. Five Nittany Lions skaters — Aiden Fink, Charlie Cerrato, JJ Wiebusch, Matt DiMarsico, and Guy’s son, Mac Gadowsky — joined their coach at the Spengler Cup. The roster also had a local flair with Flyers prospect Cole Knuble (Notre Dame), Sewell’s Chris Pelosi (Quinipiac), and Philadelphia’s Vinny Borgesi (Northeastern) all making the team.

    Quinnipiac’s Chris Pelosi carries his South Jersey roots and late role models wherever he goes

    Fink and Mac Gadowsky received automatic invitations because they earned All-American honors last season. Guy Gadowsky said he selected the other three, labeled the “behind-the-back boys” for their skilled passing while playing on the same line at Penn State, because when rosters were due in November, they were three of the top six goal scorers in Division I.

    Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky led the U.S. Collegiate Selects to two wins over European pro teams last month in Switzerland.

    Fink, a Nashville Predators draft pick who recently became the fastest Nittany Lion to reach 100 career points, led the U.S. Selects with four goals in Switzerland. His eight points led the entire tournament and earned him recognition on the 97th Spengler Cup All-Star team.

    “The experience I had [in Davos] was unforgettable,” said Fink, who tallied two points in the U.S. Selects’ victory over HC Davos. “It was my first experience [in Europe], and it was beautiful. The hockey was great.”

    After dropping their first contest, the U.S. Selects rattled off consecutive wins over professional squads. Their second victory was a 5-3 win in the semifinals over HC Sparta Prague, a team in seventh place in the Czech Republic’s top professional league.

    The underdogs had conquered two giants. And the Davos locals noticed and rallied behind the 25 college kids as they earned a spot in the tournament’s championship game.

    “You’d be walking down the street, and every person would stop you to try to get pictures,” Fink said. “All our merchandise was sold out. [The Davos locals] were super nice to us. It was pretty cool seeing that.”

    Goodbye, Cinderella. Penn State is now ‘the hunted’ as the NCAA ice hockey season begins.

    Knuble, who faced off against Fink last weekend when Notre Dame visited State College for a Big Ten series, skated alongside the Predators prospect with the U.S. Selects.

    The 5-foot-10 forward lauded the local support and labeled the event “a hockey party,” one he said he will remember for the rest of his life.

    Flyers prospect Cole Knuble, the son of former Flyer Mike Knuble, is someone the organization is very high on.

    “The excitement in the town for the tournament was insane,” Knuble said. “I don’t think [the locals] knew anything about college hockey and expected us to not be competitive. But everywhere we went, we were stopped, and people were really curious about where we were from and how we were enjoying our time.”

    The Flyers selected Knuble in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL draft. He is the son of former Flyers winger Mike Knuble, who spent five productive seasons with the organization.

    Knuble tallied his lone Spengler Cup point in the championship game — a net-front feed to Cornell’s Ryan Walsh to knot the score at 1. But the U.S. Selects lost that game, 6-3, after a third-period surge from HC Davos and fell just short of their ultimate goal.

    While they didn’t return with a trophy, they had earned the respect of the hockey world. A team of inexperienced college kids had marched into Switzerland and proved it could hang with some of Europe’s best.

    And for that, it was mission accomplished.

    “We definitely felt a responsibility as the first college select team [to play in the Spengler Cup],” Knuble said. “Before the tournament, we talked about how we are making an impression on people about what college hockey is, and [we] wanted to prove that this team should be back.”

    Penn State’s Aiden Fink led the U.S. Collegiate Selects with four goals and the entire tournament with eight points.
  • Penn State names St. Joe’s Hannah Prince head field hockey coach

    Penn State names St. Joe’s Hannah Prince head field hockey coach

    STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — After amassing a 64-14 record across four seasons at St. Joseph’s, Hannah Prince on Tuesday was named the head field hockey coach at Penn State.

    Prince, 33, had served as the Hawks’ head coach since 2022. St. Joe’s made the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons — success that included two Atlantic 10 regular-season titles and four A-10 tournament titles. In 2024, the Hawks won a program-record 20 games and reached the NCAA championship game, a first in any team sport in school history.

    “I am deeply grateful to Saint Joseph’s University and to Vice President and Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner for trusting me with the opportunity to lead the field hockey program on Hawk Hill over the past four seasons,” Prince said Tuesday in a statement. “The student-athletes are truly the heart of this program. This team means more to me than I can put into words, and it has been an honor to coach such a resilient, kind, and committed group. I will miss them tremendously and will always be proud to be a Hawk. I wish the program nothing but continued success in its next chapter.”

    Following the historic 2024 campaign, Prince and her staff were named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year. She then led the team to its fifth straight A-10 tournament title and another NCAA Tournament, where St. Joe’s beat Drexel before falling to North Carolina.

    “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Penn State field hockey program,” Prince said. “ … I am honored to join an athletic department with such a strong tradition of success and pride. I am excited to work with our field hockey student-athletes, bringing my passion for the game every day as we uphold the values of Penn State.”

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    Prince’s coaching career, which began at New Hampshire in 2015, includes stops as an assistant at St. Joe’s and Princeton and later as an associate head coach at Louisville.

    Before coaching, Prince was a four-year starter at Massachusetts, where she won three A-10 titles. She was named NFHCA first-team all-region and first-team all-conference and also has represented the United States in international competition, winning a gold medal at the 2017 Pan American Cup.

    Prince’s Hawks teams were mainstays in the NCAA Tournament and in the NFHCA rankings. Now, she’ll look to bring the Nittany Lions back to contention. They last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and finished with a 7-10 record in 2025.

    “Nittany Lion Field Hockey has a proud and storied tradition, and I am ready to pour my passion and energy into building a program that competes for championships,” Prince said.

  • Penn State and Temple swing big in the college football transfer portal. Here’s what to know.

    Penn State and Temple swing big in the college football transfer portal. Here’s what to know.

    Some are calling Penn State the Nittany Cyclones. Take one look at the Nittany Lions’ transfer portal additions and it is easy to see why.

    Since the portal opened on Jan. 2, Penn State reportedly has added 35 players, and 22 of them are from Iowa State, following their former head coach Matt Campbell to Happy Valley.

    That list includes Iowa State’s top passer (Rocco Becht), top rusher (Carson Hansen), three of its top receiving targets (Chase Sowell, Benjamin Brahmer, and Brett Eskildsen), two of the three top tacklers (Marcus Neal and Caleb Bacon), and two of the three top interception leaders (Neal and Jamison Patton).

    In addition, Penn State brought in Becht’s backup, Alex Manske, to be the potential future quarterback after 2026. Brahmer’s backups at tight end, Greg Burkle and Cooper Alexander, are also joining the Nittany Lions.

    However, 50 players from Penn State’s roster in 2025 had entered the portal as of Monday night, meaning Campbell and his staff have their work cut out for them to continue to build up the roster for next season and beyond. Among those key departures include Chaz Coleman, Zuriah Fisher, Ethan Grunkemeyer, Amare Campbell, Dejuan Lane, King Mack, A.J. Harris, and Luke Reynolds.

    Penn State adds Ikaika Malloe and Tyson Veidt to coaching staff

    But the staff has also retained 33 players from last season’s roster, including starters Anthony Donkoh, Tony Rojas, Audavion Collins, Ryan Barker, and Zion Tracy, along with several other key contributors like Max Granville, Andrew Rappleyea, Cooper Cousins, and prized freshmen Koby Howard and Daryus Dixson.

    Outside of Becht and some key starters who transferred in from Iowa State, Penn State added potential key contributors in UCLA defensive tackles Keanu Williams and Siale Taupaki, both of whom worked closely with new defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe, and Ohio State running back James Peoples, who scored three touchdowns this season.

    Ohio State’s James Peoples hurdles UCLA Bruins defensive back Cole Martin on his way to scoring a touchdown on Nov. 15.

    The Nittany Lions also made additions along the offensive line, which is losing four of its five starters from last year. Brock Riker, a redshirt freshman who started at center for Texas State last season, is transferring to Penn State, and allowed just six pressures over 800 snaps in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. Along with Riker, Iowa State transfer offensive lineman Trevor Buhr brings in starting experience at left guard, while several offensive linemen from the Cyclones’ roster, including Will Tompkins, Vaea Ikakoula, and Kuol Kuol II, figure to be part of the future.

    Since the portal opened, Penn State ranks third in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings and is up to 49th in the site’s overall team rankings.

    Temple making additions

    After pulling in the largest high school recruiting class in school history in December, Temple isn’t done adding to its roster for next season and beyond, utilizing the transfer portal to pick up some key players.

    The school had added 20 players through the portal as of Monday, with 11 of them coming from Power Four schools. Two of the additions were quarterbacks who could compete for the starting quarterback position next season.

    Among the transfers is running back Samuel Brown V, who played at La Salle College High School and spent four seasons at Rutgers. Brown burst on the scene as freshman for the Scarlet Knights, posting a 101-yard rushing game before suffering a season-ending injury seven games into the campaign. He was buried on the depth chart behind Kyle Monangai and Antwon Raymond the next three seasons and totaled 828 yards and eight touchdowns in 28 games.

    Samuel Brown scores a receiving touchdown against Howard on Aug 29, 2024.

    A few other players from the area or New Jersey are also transferring to Temple. Illinois safety Saboor Karriem (West Orange, N.J.), Albany defensive lineman Deshon Dodson (Neumann Goretti), and Central Florida defensive back Jaeden Gould (Somerset, N.J.) join Brown as players with ties to the region.

    Temple also is bringing in former Penn State quarterback Jaxon Smolik and Washington State signal caller Ajani Sheppard, neither of whom has starting experience.

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    Sheppard began his career at Rutgers, where he intersected with Evan Simon, and played 37 snaps, attempted two passes, and had four rushes for 34 yards in two seasons. He did not see the field at Washington State in 2025.

    Smolik was buried on Penn State’s depth chart behind Drew Allar and Beau Pribula in 2023, was out for the season with an injury in 2024, and appeared in just three games in 2025 after losing the backup role to Grunkemeyer in the preseason. He has never attempted a pass in a college game and rushed four times in a loss to Iowa earlier this season before leaving that game with a wrist injury.

    Jaxon Smolik scrambles during the first quarter against Iowa on Oct 18.

    The duo joins a quarterback corps full of young, inexperienced players, including rising sophomore Camren Boykin along with incoming recruits Lamar Best, Brody Norman, and Brady Palmer. Boykin did not appear in a game in 2025, and the program lost Simon, Gevani McCoy, and Anthony Chiccitt to graduation while Tyler Douglas and Patrick Keller entered the portal. Smolik and Sheppard will likely have the chance to compete for the starting role during the spring and potentially summer camp, as McCoy and Simon did last year.

    K.C. Keeler and the Owls pulled in four players from Penn State (Smolik, Kaleb Artis, Kolin Dinkins, and Joey Schlaffer) and three from Rutgers (Brown, John Stone, and Zach Aamland).

    Of the positions the Owls restocked the most, the line, secondary, and wide receiver seem to be a heavy focus. All three offensive linemen (Stone, Aamland, Louisville’s Ransom McDermott) and safeties (Karriem, Gould, Dinkins) came from Power Four schools, while just one of the four defensive linemen and wide receiver transfers was a Power Four addition.

    The portal additions included players from the Football Championship Subdivision (Lafayette DL Jaylon Joseph, Stony Brook WR Jayce Freeman, Albany’s Dodson) and Division II (Midwestern State WR Demonte Greene, Tiffin DL Kevin Hornbeak).

  • Temple lands former Penn State QB Jaxon Smolik in the transfer portal

    Temple lands former Penn State QB Jaxon Smolik in the transfer portal

    Former Penn State quarterback Jaxon Smolik announced his commitment to Temple on Saturday morning. He joins the program with a chance to earn the Owls’ starting quarterback job in 2026.

    Smolik committed to the Nittany Lions in 2023 out of Iowa’s Dowling Catholic. He had originally committed to Tulane but decommitted from the Green Wave after earning an invite to the Elite 11 showcase, which boosted his recruiting profile.

    He went 25-8 during his time as Dowling Catholic’s quarterback, leading the Maroon to multiple state semifinal appearances. As a high school senior, the 6-foot-1 signal-caller was all-state in Iowa after tallying 1,967 passing yards and 19 touchdown passes and leading Dowling to a 10-2 record. Smolik was ranked the No. 24 quarterback recruit in the 2023 class by Rivals and the No. 29 quarterback by ESPN.

    The former three-star recruit redshirted as a freshman behind starter Drew Allar and then missed the entirety of the 2024 season due to an injury. He entered the 2025 season competing for the backup job with Ethan Grunkemeyer, who ultimately won the job.

    Smolik eventually became the backup after Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Northwestern on Oct. 11. He appeared in two games this season, but did not throw a pass and only carried the ball four times for three yards. Smolik entered the transfer portal at the end of the year.

    emple schedules nonconference football matchup with Toledo for next season and 2032

    Head coach K.C. Keeler said that Temple was going to open up its starting quarterback competition following the departure of five of its quarterbacks. Starter Evan Simon and backup Gevani McCoy both graduated, as well as Anthony Chiccitt. Third-stringer Tyler Douglas and fellow reserve Patrick Keller both entered the portal following the year.

    “We’re probably thinking two out of the portal,” said Keeler on signing day. “We told all the high school recruits the same thing. Two of these guys will be here mid-year, so they will come here in January. We definitely want to have a quarterback competition once we get the kids here in January.”

    The Owls will now have four quarterbacks with the team when spring camp opens, barring another addition. Temple currently has Cam Boykin, the only quarterback that was on the roster last year, and high school commits Brady Palmer, Brody Norman, and Lamar Best. Palmer and Norman will join the team for the spring semester, while Best won’t enroll until the summer.

    Smolik joins the team with three years of eligibility remaining. If he wins the starting job, he will have a chance to play his former team when Temple plays Penn State at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 12.

  • Penn State’s Tessa Janecke will fulfill ‘my dream’ in Milan with Team USA women’s ice hockey

    Penn State’s Tessa Janecke will fulfill ‘my dream’ in Milan with Team USA women’s ice hockey

    Tessa Janecke has dominated college hockey since arriving at Penn State in 2022.

    Following a 47-point rookie campaign, Janecke earned the College Hockey America conference’s Freshman of the Year award. In the last two seasons, she was named a second team All-American.

    And Friday of last week, the senior became the first Penn State player named to the United States Olympic women’s ice hockey team. The Winter Games, in Milan, Italy, have opening ceremonies on Feb. 6, though the team’s first game is Feb. 5.

    In a collegiate career filled with stellar goals and nearly 100 wins, being a member of Team USA marked a monumental achievement for the Orangeville, Ill., native — one she had envisioned since the first time she put on skates.

    “[Making the Olympic team] was always my dream,” Janecke said. “Going to college games and seeing those players on national teams, players I’m now playing with, I think [it shows] that no dream is ever too big if you work hard for it.”

    Janecke said she was “relieved” when she found out that she made the team. She gave the news to her parents and teammates, phone calls she labeled as “very cool moments” with those who had made her achievement possible.

    The 5-foot-8 forward made her USA Hockey debut in 2022, winning a silver medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation under-18 Women’s World Championships. She later won two gold medals and a silver medal across three appearances at the IIHF World Championships.

    In 38 appearances with the U.S. senior national squad, Janecke has scored 13 goals and added 15 assists. Her highlight moment came this past April, when she scored the game-winning overtime goal to give the United States a 4-3 victory over Canada and secure a gold medal at the IIHF World Championships.

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    Bottom line: Janecke is no stranger to the international stage. And in Milan, she is eager to add another gold medal to her collection.

    “Everything is going to come down to the gold medal game,” Janecke said. “So cutting out noise and focusing on the people in the locker room is going to be what’s most important.”

    In four seasons at Penn State, Janecke has tallied 181 points, with 75 goals and 106 assists, all the best in program history, which began play on the Division I level in the 2012-2013 season. As a junior, she became the university’s all-time points leader, setting the record for both the men’s and women’s programs.

    Halfway through Janecke’s senior campaign, her trophy case is packed.

    She is a two-time Atlantic Hockey America Player and Forward of the Year and a two-time All-AHA first team selection. In Janecke’s four seasons at State College, Penn State is 98-31-6 with three NCAA Tournament appearances.

    Now in Italy, she’s looking forward to representing something more.

    “It’s always an honor to throw on your flag, to take in that moment and appreciate what has led you to that moment,” Jackecke said. “You just have to be grateful for how you’ve gotten there in the past and how it’s set you up for these moments.”

    Janecke will miss “about a month” of Penn State’s season for the Olympics. But she remains confident that her team can sustain its success during her absence.

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    And she has the backing of Jeff Kampersal, Penn State women’s hockey coach, who lauded his star forward’s opportunity to “make history” at the Olympics.

    “We are proud of Tessa making the USA Olympic Team,” Kampersal said. “Coming to Penn State, Tessa wanted to make history, not join history … [There is] no question Tessa has elevated all standards in our program. We appreciate her loyalty, and we are proud of her.”

    Penn State’s Tessa Janecke in action during the Nittany Lions’ 5-2 win over St. Lawrence on Sept. 26 at Pegula Ice Arena.

    The U.S. women’s team opens Olympic play on Feb. 5 against Czechia before dates with Finland, Switzerland, and Canada in the preliminary round. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and gold medal game are scheduled for Feb. 13-19.

    “T​​his is going to be [played] on a much bigger scale, a lot more eyes on you,” Janecke said. “We have to go in there with the right mindset. There can’t be a moment too big or one that we’re not prepared for.”

  • Penn State adds Ikaika Malloe and Tyson Veidt to coaching staff

    Penn State adds Ikaika Malloe and Tyson Veidt to coaching staff

    Penn State announced two more coaching additions to its defensive staff on Tuesday after hiring D’Anton Lynn to be the defensive coordinator last week.

    Ikaika Malloe, who was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at UCLA the last two seasons, will join the program as the defensive line coach, replacing Deion Barnes, who departed for South Carolina.

    The Nittany Lions also added Cincinnati defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt, who will coach linebackers on Matt Campbell’s staff. Dan Connor, who served as the linebackers coach in 2025, was retained and will be the assistant linebackers coach.

    Reports: Iowa State QB Rocco Becht joining coach Matt Campbell at Penn State

    The hires nearly fill out Campbell’s on-field staff, with the running backs coach spot still vacant after Stan Drayton departed for South Carolina along with Barnes.

    Malloe, 51, will reunite with Lynn after the pair coached together at UCLA in 2023. Before spending four years at UCLA, Malloe had stops at Washington (two stints), Western Illinois, UTEP, Yale, Portland State, and Utah State. He has served as a defensive line coach for the majority of his coaching career and played at Washington as a safety and linebacker.

    Malloe has coached first-rounders like Vita Vea and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka at Washington and Laiatu Latu at UCLA.

    Penn State coach Matt Campbell, above, worked with new defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt when both were at Toledo and Iowa State.

    Veidt will reunite with Campbell after spending the last two seasons at Cincinnati. Before that, Veidt worked under Campbell at Toledo and Iowa State. He spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Toledo as the linebackers coach and followed Campbell to Iowa State for eight seasons as the assistant head coach and linebackers coach.

    According to CBS Sports, Penn State is working to hire Northwestern defensive line coach Christian Smith to work alongside Malloe on the defensive line, though his hiring has yet to be announced.

  • Reports: Iowa State QB Rocco Becht joining coach Matt Campbell at Penn State

    Reports: Iowa State QB Rocco Becht joining coach Matt Campbell at Penn State

    The transfer portal officially opened on Friday, and Penn State already has its next quarterback.

    According to several reports, former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht is joining coach Matt Campbell at Penn State. Becht entered the transfer portal a few weeks after Campbell departed Ames, Iowa, for the Penn State job on Dec. 5.

    The link between Becht and Penn State was obvious, considering Campbell and his staff’s familiarity with the quarterback. In 2025, Becht passed for 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns in his third year starting under Campbell at Iowa State. Becht, a native of Wesley Chapel, Fla., was a three-star recruit in high school, according to 247Sports.

    As the transfer portal opens, Penn State has a clear need at quarterback. Here are options to consider.

    Across three years starting for the Cyclones, Becht totaled 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns in 39 starts. In addition to reuniting with Campbell, Becht will be rejoining Jake Waters, his quarterbacks coach at Iowa State who holds the same position at Penn State, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser.

    Becht joins several other former Iowa State players to follow Campbell to Penn State. The list includes tight end Benjamin Brahmer, offensive lineman Will Tompkins, safety Marcus Neal Jr., wide receiver Brett Eskildsen, backup quarterback Alex Manske, and running back Carson Hansen. Eskildsen was Iowa State’s leading receiver last year, while Hansen was the team’s leading rusher.

    The move became more likely after Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer entered the portal on Thursday. Grunkemeyer started the final seven games for the Nittany Lions after Drew Allar was lost to a season-ending injury. He had his best performance in the Pinstripe Bowl game win, throwing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Grunkemeyer finished the season completing 69.1% of his passes, with eight touchdowns and 1,339 yards.

    Campbell and Becht led Iowa State to its most successful two-year stint in program history with 19 wins in 2024 and 2025. Last year was the first time the program eclipsed double-digit victories.

    Iowa State coach Matt Campbell celebrates with is team after a touchdown by quarterback Rocco Becht (3) against Arizona.

    Iowa State’s passing game with Becht at the helm ranked 50th nationally in 2023 (245 yards per game), 39th in 2024 (255.7), and 73rd in 2025 as the quarterback battled through a partial labrum tear in his non-throwing shoulder. According to ESPN, Becht underwent labrum surgery on Dec. 11.

    Becht joins Penn State’s quarterback corps alongside Jack Lambert and new addition Manske. Along with Grunkemeyer, Jaxon Smolik and Bekkem Kritza also entered the portal.

    Becht’s father, Anthony, played in the NFL for 12 years and is a Drexel Hill native and Monsignor Bonner High graduate. He played tight end and was a first-round pick by the Jets in 2000, and also played for the Buccaneers, Rams, Chiefs, and Cardinals. Anthony is now the head coach of the Orlando Storm of the United Football League.

  • As the transfer portal opens, Penn State has a clear need at quarterback. Here are options to consider.

    As the transfer portal opens, Penn State has a clear need at quarterback. Here are options to consider.

    On the eve of the only transfer portal for the year opening in college football, Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who started the final seven games of the season, announced his intention to enter.

    The decision isn’t shocking, and Grunkemeyer, a redshirt freshman, could return to the Nittany Lions. But with new coach Matt Campbell coming in with his own staff and likely running a new offense, it is becoming increasingly likely that next year’s starting quarterback is not on Penn State’s roster.

    Drew Allaris making the jump to the NFL, and Bekkem Kritza and Jaxon Smolik also entered the portal, leaving Jack Lambert as the quarterbacks remaining on the roster.

    Reports: Penn State close to hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

    That means that Campbell and his new staff in Happy Valley will need to go portal hunting for quarterback — and several other positions, as the roster is expected to have significant turnover.

    Here are the options Penn State could consider at quarterback, from a player familiar to the staff to others who have had success elsewhere:

    Reuniting with Becht?

    The most obvious answer to Penn State’s quarterback conundrum is to bring in Campbell’s starting quarterback at Iowa State, Rocco Becht, who is in the transfer portal. Becht seems like a natural fit in Happy Valley, considering his experience, familiarity with staff, and the high-profile nature of the games Penn State will play.

    Could new Penn State coach Matt Campbell bring in Rocco Becht, his starting quarterback at Iowa State?

    Becht threw for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns in 39 starts for Campbell. A starting quarterback following his coach to another school is not unprecedented, and Becht also would reunite with Jake Waters, his quarterbacks coach at Iowa State who holds the same position at Penn State, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser.

    Having a proven quarterback for Campbell in Year 1 at Penn State with a favorable Big Ten schedule draw would be ideal. But nothing is certain in the portal, and there will be several suitors that need a quarterback.

    Bring back Pribula?

    Last year, before Penn State’s College Football Playoff first-round matchup with SMU, backup quarterback Beau Pribula entered the transfer portal and landed at Missouri. And after one season with the Tigers, in which he threw 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 starts, he’s back in the portal. Could he come back to Happy Valley?

    Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State

    Pribula played well in relief after Allar was injured during the Wisconsin game in 2024, and his rushing ability was heavily utilized in Andy Kotelnicki’s offense. Kotelnicki won’t be on the staff next season, but the familiarity with the program could intrigue Campbell and his staff if they don’t bring in Becht.

    He would be a one-year player, like Becht, barring injury. He would need to take care of the football better than he did this year (nine interceptions, five fumbles), but bringing him back seems like an option. Of course, former Penn State coach James Franklin and Virginia Tech could get involved, and his staff has plenty of familiarity with Pribula, too.

    High risk, high reward

    There are several other starters from Power Four schools who entered the portal and have a big pool of teams interested in their services. Quarterbacks like Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati), Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), and DJ Lagway (Florida) are among the top quarterbacks who will be highly coveted in the portal.

    Penn State likely won’t land the top of the portal market for quarterbacks, considering the uncertainty on the roster and a new staff coming in. There are other quarterbacks who may not garner the same interest as the top names and come with some risks.

    Aidan Chiles completed 63.1% of his passes and 10 touchdowns to three interceptions this past season at Michigan State.

    Former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles entered the portal after the program’s coaching change. After an up and down 2024 season, Chiles was much more efficient in 2025 in nine starts, completing 63.1% of his passes and throwing for 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. He has big-time talent and two more seasons of eligibility, but has an 8-13 record as a starter over the last two seasons.

    Jaden Craig, the former Harvard starting quarterback for two years, is looking to make the jump from the FCS to the FBS. With the Crimson, he threw for career highs in touchdowns (25) and yards (2,869), but the level of competition in the Ivy League is much different from the Big Ten. Could he handle facing Big Ten defenses?

    Penn State also has two quarterbacks (Peyton Falzone and Kase Evans) signed in the 2026 recruiting class. Campbell has his work cut out for him over the next two weeks to build out his roster for the 2026 season and beyond. Getting a quarterback locked in should be atop the staff’s list.

  • Reports: Penn State close to hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

    Reports: Penn State close to hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

    Penn State is closing in on hiring D’Anton Lynn as its defensive coordinator, according to several reports on Monday.

    Lynn, a former Penn State letterman, has spent the last two seasons leading Southern Cal’s defense. His hiring will make him the fourth defensive coordinator at Penn State in as many years.

    Jim Knowles, the Philadelphia native who served as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2025, was not retained on new coach Matt Campbell’s staff and left to take the same position at Tennessee. Jon Heacock, who was the defensive coordinator in every season Campbell served as head coach at Iowa State, was expected to follow the new Penn State coach to Happy Valley, but he opted to retire last week.

    Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State

    The 36-year-old Lynn also spent a year as UCLA’s defensive coordinator and spent time as an assistant in the NFL for the Chargers, Texans, Bills, and Ravens.

    This season, USC’s defense ranked 45th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (203.3), 48th in total defense (348.8 yards), and 49th in points allowed (22.4).

    Lynn played defensive back at Penn State from 2008-11 and finished with 162 tackles (seven for losses), four interceptions, and a fumble recovery in 47 career games.