Ep. 216 | Hardies Awards

Welcome back to Hardcore Penn State Football, your unfiltered deep dive into Nittany Lions news, analysis, and fan-driven discussions! In this episode – dropping January 8, 2026 – hosts Cory Lestochi & Shawn Kane kick off the new year by celebrating the 2025 season with our annual fan-voted award show, debating Penn State's transfer portal performance so far, and breaking down the latest defensive line additions amid the ongoing roster rebuild under Matt Campbell. With the portal window in full swing, we're unpacking the highs, lows, and what it all means for a reloaded 2026 squad. Whether you're reminiscing about last season or hyped for the future, this one's for the true blue-and-white faithful!

It's time for the third annual Hardies Award Show – our fan-powered recap of the 2025 Nittany Lions campaign! Voted on exclusively by you, the listeners and followers, we reveal winners in categories like Offensive MVP (shoutout to RB Kaytron Allen's monster 1,303-yard, 15-TD season), Defensive Standout, Best Game (that 37-10 Nebraska blowout), Worst Moment (the heartbreaking Northwestern loss), and more surprises.

 

The portal frenzy has been chaotic for PSU, with over 40 players exiting and a heavy influx from Iowa State – but is it enough, or have the Nittany Lions fallen short? Shawn argues the case for underwhelm, pointing to massive losses like QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, multiple DEs (Zuriah Fisher, Jaylen Harvey, Chaz Coleman), and the need for more high-impact non-ISU additions amid a $30M NIL commitment. Cory counters with the positives: 24 incoming transfers (including QB Rocco Becht and RB James Peoples from Ohio State), key retentions like LB Tony Rojas and OT Anthony Donkoh, and how Campbell's strategy avoids over-relying on portal-heavy rebuilds that often flop. We debate fan opinions from social media and break down position-by-position impacts on the offense and defense. The DL room gets a much-needed boost! Amid heavy losses (Dani Dennis-Sutton to NFL, Xavier Gilliam and others to portal), PSU lands key additions like DT Keanu Williams (from UCLA, a plug-and-play interior force), DL Alijah Carnell (from Iowa State, 6-6, 290-pound athlete with Big 12 experience), DT Armstrong Nnodim (from Oklahoma State, 11 tackles in 2025 as a redshirt freshman), and EDGE Alexander McPherson (from Colorado, 6-6, 250-pounder with three years left and 16 tackles as a rookie).

 

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