Squib Kicks: Al Golden Needs A Nap

Some tidbits from around the internets:

Al Golden is getting ready for the 2008 season, but it’s much more than gameplanning:

Want to know what he’s doing at virtually any moment, from Jan. 9 to Aug. 20? It’s all there, in black and white, a full 34 pages’ worth, in an outline titled, “So You Want To Be A Football Coach!” Right down to interviews with members of the media. There are days that start with 3:30 a.m. wake-up calls. And some that almost never end.

Nothing is left to chance. For him, there’s no other way.

“What’s the difference between trying to see seven or eight schools a day and running for governor, for God’s sake?” he asked. “That’s essentially what we’re doing.

“We’ve probably met 1,000 people in a week. Everybody, you name it. We’re in high schools saying hello to 50 people. It’s not like we’re coming in the side door, and leaving like Elvis. We’re going there to work.”

It’s about visibility. And selling. A university. A philosophy. A commitment.

“It comes down to people,” Golden said. “It’s about trust, cultivating relationships. When we came in, we had so many ties to this area. And we’ve continued to make inroads. There was a disenchantment [with Temple]. I think high school coaches felt disenfranchised. You have to know your customer. But now we’ve reached so many people, and they’re going back and telling their people, ‘Hey, do you know what’s going on at Temple?’ If a kid’s engaged by that, then we can proceed. But first we meet with the principal, guidance counselors and coaches, before we ever get to the prospect. All we needed was the conduit, to drive us from Point A to Point B.

“The difference now is, there’s a definite product [to offer]. If the university hadn’t changed, we couldn’t be doing this. Look at all the things that are taking place here, in terms of infrastructure. That’s all it takes. It’s a cooperative effort.”

I’ll hold to my opinion that Golden offers the highest potential of any future PSU coaching candidate out there — at least among candidates that a normal person would consider realistic at this time.  It would be a risk, but at the end of the day, is it really any more of a risk than Greg Schiano? 

Speaking of realistic, Joe Paterno is working to reassure recruits that Penn State is more than just the guy in charge of the football program.

Paterno said his advice to the recruits is simple: Take a look at the whole school.

“Look at Penn State,” he said. “Look at its history. … Look at the enthusiasm of the program. Look at the academic support. And, you’re going to play on a good football team. and you’re going to be coached well.

“Don’t put me in the equation beyond what it should be.”

Paterno said he doesn’t think he has lost a recruit with that approach.

“Take a look around at the people who are here and take a look around at the things that have made Penn State special. Because we think we are something special.”

In all honesty, this is exactly how the program should be sold right now.  Everytime the “Joe will be gone in two years” meme surfaces, knock it down with the notion that any coach could be gone in two years.  It seems obvious to us, but perhaps it’s not so obvious to a high school senior.

Paterno will also be making an appearance as the keynote speaker at a dinner to benefit the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs.

Yes, that title blows my mind, too.

In player news, Brent Carter still isn’t sure if he’s a running back or safety.

For now, Carter is a tailback. He was recruited out of Pottsgrove as a running back, but was briefly moved to safety, only to return to the offensive backfield midseason last year because of numbers.

He practiced at tailback all spring, but coach Joe Paterno isn’t sure if Carter will stay there.

“I’m not quite sure where we’re going to play him,” Paterno said. “But I think he’s a good football player, and I don’t want to screw him up. … So I’m going to keep him at tailback for a while.”

On the depth chart, Carter is behind Evan Royster and Stephfon Green.

Like Royster, the 6-foot-2, 211-pound Carter is better as an in-between-the-tackles back. In the regular season finale against Michigan State last November he was pressed into late duty after injuries and gained 23 yards on three carries.

“I prefer tailback,” Carter said. “But if [Paterno] wants to move me, I want to do what’s best for the team.”

You’ll recall that Carter appeared late in the Michigan State game in an emergency capacity, and would’ve been immediately enshrined into the Shelley Hammonds Hall Of Fame if the Penn State offensive coaching staff didn’t completely abandon the running game on the final drive.

Finally, this seems like a bad idea:

A Penn State student accused of threatening to put a professor who gave him a B- “in a wheelchair” is now facing misdemeanor charges, according to a press release issued Tuesday.

Apostalo M. Tsirogiannis, listed as a finance major in the Penn State directory, was charged Tuesday with terroristic threats and harassment and arraigned in front of Magisterial District Justice Jonathan Grine, according to the release. Tsirogiannis is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Tsirogiannis, who told police he believed he should have received higher than a B-, allegedly threatened violence against visiting professor Lukas Roth if he did not raise Tsirogiannis’ grade.

“If I see this on my [eLion] account, I swear to god I am going to [expletive] put you in a wheelchair when I see you,” the e-mail reads, according to the press release.

What ever happened to the old-school ransom note style of threatening?  Much more menacing, with the added bonus of it not coming from your personal e-mail account.  Then again, this genius would still screw it up.